The top 400 contractors

摘要

During the worst of times, any experienced contractor will tell you not to worry because, "These times shall pass." But the converse is true, as well. During the best of times, contractors will lament, "This, too, shall pass." For large contractors, 2007 was close to the best of times. While the housing market was col- lapsing, most other markets continued to show strength. But contractors now are seeing signs of a downturn and are bracing for tougher times ahead. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first time ENR ranked contractors based on size. In the Jan. 2, 1958 issue, ENR ranked 62 contractors based on 1956 domestic new contract awards from data published in its Construction Daily, the forerunner to McGraw-Hill Construction's Dodge Reports. The fifth-largest contractor on the 1958 list was Bechtel Corp., with $128.8 million in new contract awards in the U.S. in 1956. "We now have revenue of over $27 billion, and $34 billion in new work booked," says Bill Dudley, president and chief operating officer of Bechtel Group. He notes that oil and gas, power and mining-some of Bechtel's biggest market sectors-all are booming. "It's rare when you are in diversified markets that all of them are on the upswing at once," he says.