7 Utah builders make list of top 400

Seven Utah-based contractors rank among the top 400 nationwide in a list published in May's Engineering News-Record.

And those contractors say the next few years look good for construction in Utah.

ENR, which publishes a yearly list of the 400 largest contractors in the United States, placed Salt Lake-based Okland Construction at No. 90. The Layton Cos., based in Sandy, followed at No. 91. Placement was determined by contractors' revenues in 2006.

Richard Thorn, president and chief executive officer of Associated General Contractors of Utah, said the state's commercial construction economy is "one of the best we've seen in decades."

"Kudos to them," he said of the Utah contractors on the ENR list, adding that their rankings indicate the quality of the industry in the state.

Randy Okland, president of Okland Construction, gave credit to a strong market, which helped the company make the rank of 90, up from 123rd in 2006.

"We feel good," he said. "It's really dependent upon the jobs, but we're pleased to see the rankings and hope to continue."

Okland Construction made $579 million in revenues last year, and Okland said he expects the next couple of years to be good for Utah contractors.

Projects that were part of last year's revenue for Okland include the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, seismic upgrades and renovation for the University of Utah Marriott Library and a health sciences building on Salt Lake Community College's Jordan campus.

The Layton Cos., which topped the list last year for Utah contractors, placed right behind Okland at 91, with $577.1 million in revenue.

"One of the biggest strengths over the past year has been health care, with projects scattered all over the United States. ... We're also seeing strong growth in the hospitality sector," said Alan Rindlisbacher, spokesman for The Layton Cos.

The five other Utah-based contractors that made the list are Jacobsen Construction at No. 144, Big-D Construction at No. 146, Staker & Parson Cos. at No. 224, Clyde Cos. at No. 242 and R&O Construction at No. 247.

All contractors were on the list in 2006.

Big-D Construction has been on the list for 19 consecutive years, with more than $400 million in revenues, according to a news release.

Rob Moore, president of Big-D Construction, said the company's revenue increased 20.8 percent from 2005 to 2006. "At nearly twice the national average, these revenue figures reinforce the fact that Utah is enjoying unprecedented growth in the construction sector," the release said.

---

E-mail: bcaballero@desnews.com