Capturing the spotlight

On the cover of this issue of Wisconsin Builder magazine, we asked who stood out in 2006.

Well, how about Gilbane Building Co. and Mortenson Construction, both of which reported 2006 dollar volumes of work put in place well over the $1 billion mark? Or maybe it was J.F. Ahern Co., which topped our subcontractors list for the sixth straight year, dating back to the first sub list we ran as a part of this annual feature.

HGA Architects and Engineers certainly stood out, jumping from a fifth-place finish last year to the top of the architects list. Of course, there also was HNTB Corp., which posted $637.84 million in 2006 billings, more than $550 million more than the next closest engineer on the list.

And let’s not forget about the 20 companies that submitted this year for the A List for the very first time. Some stood out simply by their decision to put their names in the mix, while others, like Kraus-Anderson Construction Co., made a splash by premiering near the top of their categories.

Standing out is what the A List is all about. It’s a chance for companies to point to themselves and say, “Hey, look at me. Look at what I did.” It’s an opportunity for firms to showcase their numbers from last year and let everyone know that they’re not only doing fine, they’re doing great.

The dollar figures are important, but they don’t paint the whole picture. Companies can highlight their longevity (Oscar J. Boldt Construction is midway through its 118th year of business), their work forces (Mortenson employs 2,200 people) and their workloads (Town & Country Electric worked on 16,243 projects last year). They can showcase their best projects and offer up all their contact information to any potential client or business partner.

In other words, the A List, no matter where a firm is ranked, is the perfect promotional vehicle for construction companies. And it’s going to get better.

Starting next year, Wisconsin Builder will be running a monthly A List page that focuses on a different area of the construction industry each month. We’re going to expand the lists to cover more than just generals, subs, engineers and architects.

At the end of the year, after gathering as much information as possible, we’ll compile those lists into a special publication of Wisconsin Builder.

While the future is bright for one of our most popular issues, that in no way casts a shadow on this year’s lists. These are firms that know an opportunity to promote their business when they see it.

And as for the question of who stood out in 2006, I’d argue in favor of the 71 companies featured on this year’s A List.

— Chris Thompson, Editor