This year’s Top Specialty Contractors list shows the state's specialty contractors gave a stellar collective performance for the annual ranking, with 126 firms reporting overall in-state revenue of more than $3.7 billion in 2005.

by Eileen Schwartz

Texas Construction presents its annual ranking of the state's top specialty contractors. The overall revenue reported by the state's specialty contractors is the highest figure it has been in three years.

The first-ever combined total reported in Texas Construction ranked 50 firms by revenue earned in-state in 1998 and totaled $2.2 billion. By 2001, 110 companies reported revenue totaling nearly $4.2 billion for work performed solely in Texas. In 2002, 125 firms participated in the magazine's survey, and their combined revenue was more than $3.4 billion.

The following year, 2003, the number of participating firms dropped to 115 - and so did the combined revenue - to $2.7 billion. Last year, the list expanded back to include 125 firms, but the collective amount remained essentially unchanged at about $2.8 billion for 2004. The specialty firms in this year's ranking collectively reported approximately $3.7 billion of in-state revenue for 2005.

And so, with about the same number of firms participating this year reporting nearly $1 billion more than the 2004 total, it seems safe to say that the leaner times of the mid-decade are behind the specialty-contracting sector.

The total 2005 revenue reported from all work in-state and out was about $11.5 billion. That figure rose considerably from last year's total of $8.6 billion.

As further evidence of the rejuvenated economic state for Texas subcontractors, last year, only seven companies reported in-state revenue in excess of $80 million. This year, that group includes twice that number, with 14 firms reporting more than $80 million and nine of those in excess of $100 million.

These figures show that, while 2004 was not a red-hot year for the state's subcontractors, 2005 clearly got things back on track.

Taking over the first-place spot in this year's Top Specialty Contractors ranking is Houston-based Keystone Concrete Placement with approximately $188.7 million in Texas revenue. The firm moved up from the third position in last year's ranking, reporting nearly $70 million more than its 2004 earnings.

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Moving to second place from last year's No. 1 spot is TDIndustries Inc., headquartered in Dallas, with approximately $178 million total reported from its Texas operations.

Integrated Electrical Services, another Houston-based firm, took the third spot with approximately $156.5 million. The firm returns to our rankings after sitting out the past two years. In 2004, the Integrated Electrical Services was highlighted in Texas Construction in the No. 1 spot.

Rounding out the fourth and fifth places again this year were Dallas-based Brandt Engineering with approximately $153 million and Houston-based Walker Engineering with a reported $139.9 million. The two firms swapped spots; Brandt was No. 5 in last year's ranking, while Walker was No. 4.

The chart, beginning on page 25, includes information about the ranked firms such as the main in-state addresses, telephone and fax numbers, principal or top regional officer(s) and a percentage breakdown by category of the companies' work activity by industry sector.

All information and figures are based on surveys completed by the listed firms.

Top Specialty Contractors List >>