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Beware
of double-edged swords
PUBLIC VS.
PRIVATE
Energy prices are low and the dollar is strong. So what’s
wrong with that? It depends on where you’re at in the
commercial/industrial/institutional marketplace
59.05%
40.95%
MARKETS
SERVED
BY ROBERT P. MADER OF CONTRACTOR’S STAFF
U
.S. Gross Domestic Product
only grew 0.2% in the first
quarter of this year. What
happened? There are a couple
macro-economic trends that may be
having an impact.
“Up until six months ago, the U.S.
economy was manifesting surging
momentum, but the last six months
have been disappointing,” says Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of
Sage Policy Group Inc., Baltimore,
and chief economist of Associated
Builders & Contractors. “The recovery’s momentum has slowed to a
crawl. Lower energy prices and their
impact on investment spending, a
stronger U.S. dollar, weather, and
the West Coast port slowdown have
all conspired to undo the economic
momentum apparent during midyear 2014.”
Here’s where the doubled-edged
sword comes in. The high dollar
and lower energy prices are good
for some customers and bad for others. All that work in the Dakotas on
fracking, shale gas or tar sands has
slowed to a crawl. The oil companies
aren’t engaging mechanical contractors for new builds and they’ve
laid off a lot of their own workers.
On the other hand, if you’re an electric utility or steel mill, cheap gas is
terrific. For a steel mill, that cheap
feedstock is great. But for a steel mill
● Public
● Private
building tanks and pipe for the oil
industry, it’s bad. If you’re manufacturing plastics or asphalt and the
like, cheap oil is great.
A couple years ago, a Euro was
worth $1.35. Today it’s worth $1.05
and the two currencies may reach
parity. That makes imports cheap,
but for U.S. manufacturers in the
export market, it’s killing them.
The U.S. has been a net exporter
of refined petroleum products, notes
Anthony J. Guzzi, president and
CEO of EMCOR Group Inc. Low oil
prices, however, have lead to massive
layoffs in the oil industry. Guzzi says
he’s heard job loss figures ranging
from 30,000 to as high as 120,000.
● Residential/
Light Commercial
8.62%
● Commercial
39.00%
● Institutional
27.01%
● Industrial
27.01%
HOW THEY
GET WORK
● Design/Build
22.24%
● Bid/Spec
44.36%
● Negotiated
31.62%
● Other
10.42%
1.78%
14.51%
16.48%
58.59%
TYPE OF
WORK
● New
Construction
● Service and
maintenance
● Retrofit and
replacement
● Remodeling
16 • MAY 2015
➤ www.contractormag.com
Photo: McElroy.
CONTRACTOR'S TOP 100 WHO THEY ARE
Rank
1
Company
City
State
Revenue
in millions
Rank
EMCOR Group
Norwalk
CT
$2,889.10
51
Company
City
State
Revenue
in millions
Shapiro & Duncan
Rockville
MD
$110.68
2
Johnson Controls Inc. North America Service
Milwaukee
WI
$2,080.65
52
Thomas G. Gallagher, Inc.
Cambridge
MA
$106.47
3
APi Group Inc.
New Brighton
MN
$1,484.92
53
Letsos Co.
Houston
TX
$106.05
4
Comfort Systems USA Inc.
Houston
TX
$1,410.80
54
Pacific Rim Mechanical Contractors, Inc.
San Diego
CA
$102.97
5
ACCO Engineered Systems, Inc.
Glendale
CA
$720.00
55
McKamish, Inc.
Pittsburgh
PA
$101.00
6
American Residential Services
Memphis
TN
$675.10
56
Harris Companies
St. Paul
MN
$100.60
7
TDIndustries
Dallas
TX
$430.00
57
Corrigan Co., Mechanical Contractors
St. Louis
MO
$100.00
8
Southland Industries
Garden Grove
CA
$407.28
58
F.W. Spencer & Sons
Brisbane
CA
$100.00
9
Service Experts Inc.
Plano
TX
$407.20
59
Hayes Mechanical LLC
Chicago
IL
$100.00
10
McKinstry Co.
Seattle
WA
$400.00
60
Herman Goldner
Philadelphia
PA
$97.73
11
Harder Mechanical Contractors Inc.
Portland
OR
$384.00
61
Pioneer Power Inc.
Saint Paul
MN
$92.57
12
Dynamic Systems Inc.
Austin
TX
$325.50
62
A. O. Reed & Co.
San Diego
CA
$90.00
13
MMC Contractors
Overland Park
KS
$323.04
63
Dorvin D. Leis Co., Inc.
Kahuliu
HI
$88.57
14
Limbach Facility Services LLC
Pittsburgh
PA
$296.10
64
GEM Industrial
Walbridge
OH
$88.50
15
Apollo Sheet Metal Inc.
Kennewick
WA
$272.00
65
Hussung Mechanical Corporation
Louisville
KY
$84.50
16
BMW Constructors
Munster
IN
$269.00
66
Fire & Life Safety America
Richmond
VA
$80.80
17
U.S. Engineering
Kansas City
MO
$252.36
67
Hermanson Co. LLP
Kent
WA
$80.19
18
Hill Mechanical Group
Franklin Park
IL
$245.70
68
Midstate Mechanical, Inc.
Phoenix
AZ
$80.00
19
Greenstar Services
Mt. Vernon
NY
$243.85
69
Conforti Plumbing Inc
El Dorado
CA
$79.60
20
J.F. Ahern Co.
Fond du Lac
WI
$239.37
70
Harry Grodsky & Co., Inc.
Springfield
MA
$77.04
21
John E. Green Co.
Highland Park
MI
$210.50
71
W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc.
Jacksonville
FL
$73.90
22
Waldinger Corp.
Des Moines
IA
$200.00
72
Egan Cos. Inc.
Brooklyn Park
MN
$73.00
23
Murphy Company Mechanical Contractors & Engineers
St. Louis
MO
$199.56
73
Southern Air Inc.
Lynchburg
VA
$72.70
24
Metropolitan Mechanical Contractors Inc.
Eden Prairie
MN
$197.68
74
Corval Group Inc.
St. Paul
MN
$72.00
25
JH Kelly
Longview
WA
$190.00
75
California United Mechanical Inc.
San Jose
CA
$71.30
26
J.C. Cannistraro LLC
Watertown
MA
$183.50
76
Kroeschell Operations Inc.
IL
$69.28
27
McCarl's
Beaver Falls
PA
$183.20
Arlington
Heights
28
Coastal Mechanical Services Group
Melbourne
FL
$175.81
77
KSW Mechanical Services
Long Island City
NY
$69.28
29
Mechanical Inc.
Freeport
IL
$172.98
78
Nashville Machine Co., Inc.
Nashville
TN
$67.65
30
John W. Danforth Group Inc.
Tonawanda
NY
$172.61
31
RK Mechanical, Inc.
Denver
CO
$166.60
32
P1 Group Inc.
Lenexa
KS
$160.00
33
Worth & Co. Inc
Pipersville
PA
$158.57
34
Pan-Pacific Plumbing Co.
Fountain Valley
CA
$155.69
35
J.J. White, Inc.
Philadelphia
PA
$153.40
36
Kinetic Systems, Inc.
Fremont
CA
$149.56
37
The Brandt Cos. LLC
Carrollton
TX
$147.10
38
E.M. Duggan Inc.
Canton
MA
$145.80
39
AZCO Inc.
Appleton
WI
$137.10
40
Lee Co.
Franklin
TN
$136.50
41
Environmental Air Systems LLC
Greensboro
NC
$126.14
42
Ivey Mechanical Co. LLC
Kosciusko
MS
$125.17
43
VSC Fire & Security
Ashland
VA
$122.17
44
COSCO Fire Protection
San Juan
Capistrano
CA
$119.71
79
General Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.
Madison
WI
$67.55
80
Lusk Mechanical Contractors Inc.
Muldraugh
KY
$67.00
81
Sterling Boiler & Mechanical Inc.
Evansville
IN
$66.70
82
Beutler Corp.
Mcclellan
CA
$66.30
83
Dyna Ten Corp.
Fort Worth
TX
$65.81
84
Falasca Mechanical Inc.
Vineland
NJ
$65.68
85
R.T. Moore Co., Inc.
Indianapolis
IN
$64.25
86
Atlantic Constructors, Inc.
Richmond
VA
$63.13
87
BCH Mechanical, Inc.
Largo
FL
$62.00
88
Shumate Mechanical LLC
Duluth
GA
$61.44
89
CCI Mechanical
Salt Lake City
UT
$60.50
90
YMC Inc. Mechanical Contractor
Meridian
ID
$60.35
91
R.S. Andrews Enterprises Inc
Atlanta
GA
$57.60
92
Bonland Industries, Inc.
Wayne
NJ
$56.88
93
Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co.
Liberty
SC
$56.40
94
Century Fire Protection, LLC
Duluth
GA
$56.28
45
Therma Corp.
San Jose
CA
$119.40
95
Frank M. Booth Inc.
Marysville
CA
$56.10
46
Roth Bros. Inc.
Youngstown
OH
$114.85
96
The Hardy Corp.
Birmingham
AL
$55.41
47
Source Refrigeration & HVAC Inc.
Anaheim
CA
$114.10
97
Fresh Meadow Mechanical Corp.
Fresh Meadows
NY
$55.00
48
AMPAM Parks Mechanical, Inc.
Wilmington
CA
$113.63
98
MLN Co.
Houston
TX
$55.00
49
John J. Kirlin Inc.
Rockville
MD
$113.40
99
Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers
Ocoee
FL
$54.83
50
Burkes Mechanical, Inc.
Brent
AL
$112.00
100
Berger Engineering Co.
Dallas
TX
$54.50
➤ www.contractormag.com
MAY 2015 • 17
CONTRACTOR'S TOP 10
COMPANIES BY REGION
Midwest
Company
City
Revenue
State in millions
2
Johnson Controls Inc. North America Service
Milwaukee
WI
$2,080.65
3
APi Group Inc.
New Brighton
MN
$1,484.92
13
MMC Contractors
Overland Park
KS
$323.04
16
BMW Constructors
Munster
IN
$269.00
17
U.S. Engineering
Kansas City
MO
$252.36
18
Hill Mechanical Group
Franklin Park
IL
$245.70
20
J.F. Ahern Co.
Fond du Lac
WI
$239.37
21
John E. Green Co.
Highland Park
MI
$210.50
22
Waldinger Corp.
Des Moines
IA
$200.00
23
Murphy Company Mechanical Contractors & Engineers
St. Louis
MO
$199.56
Company
City
Revenue
State in millions
1
EMCOR Group
Norwalk
CT
$2,889.10
14
Limbach Facility Services LLC
Pittsburgh
PA
$296.10
19
Greenstar Services
Mt. Vernon
NY
$243.85
26
J.C. Cannistraro LLC
Watertown
MA
$183.50
27
McCarl's
Beaver Falls
PA
$183.20
30
John W. Danforth Group Inc.
Tonawanda
NY
$172.61
33
Worth & Co. Inc
Pipersville
PA
$158.57
35
J.J. White Inc.
Philadelphia
PA
$153.40
38
E.M. Duggan Inc.
Canton
MA
$145.80
49
John J. Kirlin Inc.
Rockville
MD
$113.40
Rank
Trading good jobs for bad
“That was a good growth industry, but now with the laydown of
drilling rigs, we’re substituting good
jobs for retail jobs,” Guzzi says.
“We’re taking high-skill and highdollar jobs and replacing them with
low-skill, low-dollar jobs. And we’re
not seeing the benefit of low gaso-
“Those guys react much faster,”
he notes. “They’re much closer to
the economy in terms of what’s going on. They don’t have the capital
to fund projects, so they cut back
on rolling projects out. I can’t say
that it has had any direct impact on
other customers such as chemical
plants, auto plants and others in our
Photo: BCH Mechanical.
Northeast
Rank
South
Company
City
Revenue
State in millions
4
Comfort Systems USA Inc.
Houston
TX
$1,410.80
6
American Residential Services
Memphis
TN
$675.10
7
TDIndustries
Dallas
TX
$430.00
9
Service Experts Inc.
Plano
TX
$407.20
12
Dynamic Systems Inc.
Austin
TX
$325.50
28
Coastal Mechanical Services Group
Melbourne
FL
$175.81
37
The Brandt Cos. LLC
Carrollton
TX
$147.10
40
Lee Co.
Franklin
TN
$136.50
41
Environmental Air Systems LLC
Greensboro
NC
$126.14
42
Ivey Mechanical Co. LLC
Kosciusko
MS
$125.17
Company
City
Revenue
State in millions
5
ACCO Engineered Systems Inc.
Glendale
CA
$720.00
8
Southland Industries
Garden Grove
CA
$407.28
10
McKinstry Co.
Seattle
WA
$400.00
11
Harder Mechanical Contractors Inc.
Portland
OR
$384.00
15
Apollo Sheet Metal Inc.
Kennewick
WA
$272.00
25
JH Kelly
Longview
WA
$190.00
31
RK Mechanical Inc.
Denver
CO
$166.60
34
Pan-Pacific Plumbing Co.
Fountain Valley
CA
$155.69
36
Kinetic Systems Inc.
Fremont
CA
$149.56
44
COSCO Fire Protection
San Juan
Capistrano
CA
$119.71
Rank
West
Rank
18 • MAY 2015
line prices. Most people are using
the savings to pay down debt. We
have not had an active consumer.
The low GDP number in the first
quarter of 0.2% was caused by bad
weather and a slower refining business, and retail can’t overcome
what’s going on in energy and the
export business.”
Tim Moormeier, president of U.S.
Engineering, Kansas City, Missouri,
said he’s heard speculation about
oil prices that run from $20 a barrel
up to $80. (Guzzi believes that $70$75 a barrel is the sweet spot; high
enough to maintain oil patch jobs,
but low enough to not slow the U.S.
economy.)
‘We are very
busy in plant
relocations and
expansions,
especially in the
Southeast.’
“As a company we’ve been making some small inroads in the oil
and gas industry at a time when
they are scrambling to find way to
save dollars,” says Moormeier. “So
that’s having an affect on our work
opportunities in that market.”
Moormeier says low prices have
had a greater impact on middle
market firms such as Whiting Petroleum Corp. or Noble Energy or
Andarko Petroleum.
➤ www.contractormag.com
Piping at the WTC Memorial.
industrial base.”
Will industrial slow?
The strong dollar makes Basu
think that the industrial recovery,
while still strong, will not continue.
“The U.S. dollar continues to be
strong at $1.05 against the Euro,”
Basu told CONTRACTOR. “It’s also
high against Yen, the Yuan and the
Canadian dollar, and that creates
headwinds for exporters and makes
imports more competitive. The result is slower earnings growth for
U.S. manufacturers and diminished
investment in the nation’s plants
and equipment. That’s not all seen
in the current data because a lot of
these investments were planned before the dollar became much stronger. And the likelihood is that the
dollar will get stronger. The Federal
Reserve is contemplating higher interest rates and that makes dollardenominated fixed-income assets
more attractive. Europe is just getting into a quantitative easing program, so the dollar will get stronger.
That makes it tougher for exports
but better for imports, so manufacturers will not put lot of money into
their physical plant.”
State
HVAC
Piping
Plumbing
Sheet Metal
Refrigeration
Controls/
Testing
Balancing
Fire
Protection
Water/
Wastewater
Treatment
1
EMCOR Group
Norwalk
CT
$2,889.10
982.29
$317.80
$663.80
$144.46
$86.67
0.00
288.61
$317.80
$0.00
2
Johnson Controls Inc.
North America Service
Milwaukee
WI
$2,080.65
416.13
$0.00
$0.00
$416.13
$0.00
1,248.39
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
3
APi Group Inc.
New Brighton
MN
$1,484.92
0.00
$74.25
$74.25
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
1,336.43
$0.00
$0.00
4
Comfort Systems USA Inc.
Houston
TX
$1,410.80
1,043.99
$0.00
$225.73
$0.00
$0.00
84.65
0.00
$0.00
$56.43
5
ACCO Engineered
Systems, Inc.
Glendale
CA
$720.00
597.60
$0.00
$61.20
$0.00
$0.00
61.20
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
6
American Residential
Services
Memphis
TN
$675.10
337.55
$0.00
$337.55
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
7
TDIndustries
Dallas
TX
$430.00
215.00
$86.00
$129.00
$4.30
$4.30
4.30
4.30
$4.30
$0.00
8
Southland Industries
Garden Grove
CA
$407.28
256.59
$0.00
$114.04
$0.00
$0.00
24.44
16.29
$0.00
$0.00
Rank Company
Guzzi believes that his customers
plan long-term and view low energy
prices and a strong dollar cyclically.
“The people we work with make
long, long term decisions,” Guzzi
points out. “So the Southeast, Texas,
and some parts of the Midwest have
a competitive advantage now. If the
dollar is strong, maybe you’re still
better off manufacturing here rather
than Europe and bringing back
manufacturing from China because
of low energy costs. That’s driving
manufacturing in the U.S. and that
Photo: Dunbar Mechanical.
Photo: Dunbar Mechanical.
will continue to help the dollar.
“America is the world’s largest
manufacturer anyway, and we will
continue to see that in our business,” Guzzi continues. We are very
busy in plant relocations and expansions, especially in the Southeast. I
think China is going to move long
term to a globally sourced product,
that is, if you’re manufacturing
in China, it’s to serve the Chinese
market. There’s no big advantage
to shipping stuff from China to the
U.S., especially when you can consider manufacturing in Mexico if
you’re just interested in low-cost
manufacturing.”
Basu notes that other sectors of
the construction economy are re-
20 • MAY 2015
Other
City
Revenue in
millions
GIANT'S BREAKDOWN
9
Service Experts Inc.
Plano
TX
$407.20
203.60
$0.00
$81.44
$81.44
$0.00
40.72
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
10
McKinstry Co.
Seattle
WA
$400.00
200.00
$25.00
$23.00
$100.00
$8.00
20.00
20.00
$4.00
$0.00
11
Harder Mechanical
Contractors Inc.
Portland
OR
$384.00
19.20
$307.20
$19.20
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$38.40
12
Dynamic Systems Inc.
Austin
TX
$325.50
24.41
$24.41
$107.42
$87.89
$0.00
16.28
0.00
$0.00
$65.10
13
MMC Contractors
Overland Park
KS
$323.04
64.61
$96.91
$96.91
$48.46
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$16.15
$0.00
14
Limbach Facility
Services LLC
Pittsburgh
PA
$296.10
75.10
$75.00
$40.00
$76.00
$0.00
30.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
15
Apollo Sheet Metal Inc.
Kennewick
WA
$272.00
58.08
$76.16
$59.84
$32.64
$27.20
8.16
0.00
$2.72
$0.00
16
BMW Constructors
Munster
IN
$269.00
0.00
$161.40
$53.80
$13.45
$0.00
13.45
13.45
$13.45
$0.00
17
U.S. Engineering
Kansas City
MO
$252.36
30.28
$133.75
$55.52
$27.76
$2.52
0.00
0.00
$2.52
$0.00
18
Hill Mechanical Group
Franklin Park
IL
$245.70
73.71
$56.51
$22.11
$81.08
$0.00
4.91
7.37
$0.00
$0.00
19
Greenstar Services
Mt. Vernon
NY
$243.85
60.96
$60.96
$60.96
$60.96
$0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
20
J.F. Ahern Co.
Fond du Lac
WI
$239.37
28.72
$21.54
$14.36
$23.94
$0.00
2.39
104.00
$26.33
$16.76
21
John E. Green Co.
Highland Park
MI
$210.50
63.00
$63.00
$52.50
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
21.00
$10.50
$0.00
22
Waldinger Corp.
Des Moines
IA
$200.00
50.00
$50.00
$50.00
$50.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
23
Murphy Company
Mechanical Contractors
& Engineers
St. Louis
MO
$199.56
55.88
$109.76
$9.98
$9.98
$9.98
3.99
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
24
Metropolitan Mechanical
Contractors Inc.
Eden Prairie
MN
$197.68
39.54
$79.07
$39.54
$39.54
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
25
JH Kelly
Longview
WA
$190.00
0.00
$70.30
$19.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$7.60
$93.10
26
J.C. Cannistraro LLC
Watertown
MA
$183.50
100.93
$0.00
$55.05
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
27.53
$0.00
$0.00
27
McCarl's
Beaver Falls
PA
$183.20
0.00
$137.40
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
1.83
1.83
$12.82
$29.31
28
Coastal Mechanical
Services Group
Melbourne
FL
$175.81
74.90
$25.14
$21.45
$14.77
$11.96
13.89
0.00
$0.00
$13.71
29
Mechanical Inc.
Freeport
IL
$172.98
86.49
$25.95
$17.30
$43.25
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
30
John W. Danforth
Group Inc.
Tonawanda
NY
$172.61
34.52
$69.04
$34.52
$34.52
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
31
RK Mechanical, Inc.
Denver
CO
$166.60
0.00
$39.98
$51.65
$46.65
$26.66
0.00
0.00
$1.67
$0.00
32
P1 Group Inc.
Lenexa
KS
$160.00
32.00
$24.00
$24.00
$16.00
$0.00
8.00
0.00
$8.00
$48.00
33
Worth & Co. Inc
Pipersville
PA
$158.57
0.00
$79.29
$79.29
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
34
Pan-Pacific Plumbing Co.
Fountain Valley
CA
$155.69
0.00
$31.14
$124.55
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
35
J.J. White, Inc.
Philadelphia
PA
$153.40
30.68
$30.68
$30.68
$30.68
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$30.68
36
Kinetic Systems, Inc.
Fremont
CA
$149.56
28.04
$28.04
$28.04
$28.04
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$37.39
37
The Brandt Cos. LLC
Carrollton
TX
$147.10
36.78
$36.78
$36.78
$36.78
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
38
E.M. Duggan Inc.
Canton
MA
$145.80
80.19
$0.00
$52.49
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
13.12
$0.00
$0.00
39
AZCO Inc.
Appleton
WI
$137.10
0.00
$83.63
$0.00
$5.48
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$47.99
40
Lee Co.
Franklin
TN
$136.50
54.60
$27.30
$27.30
$13.65
$0.00
4.10
0.00
$2.73
$6.83
41
Environmental Air
Systems LLC
Greensboro
NC
$126.14
63.07
$0.00
$0.00
$63.07
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
42
Ivey Mechanical Co. LLC
Kosciusko
MS
$125.17
87.62
$0.00
$37.55
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
43
VSC Fire & Security
Ashland
VA
$122.17
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
122.17
$0.00
$0.00
44
COSCO Fire Protection
San Juan
Capistrano
CA
$119.71
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
119.71
$0.00
$0.00
45
Therma Corp.
San Jose
CA
$119.40
22.39
$22.39
$22.39
$22.39
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$29.85
46
Roth Bros. Inc.
Youngstown
OH
$114.85
28.71
$28.71
$28.71
$28.71
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
47
Source Refrigeration
& HVAC Inc.
Anaheim
CA
$114.10
57.05
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$57.05
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
48
AMPAM Parks
Mechanical, Inc.
Wilmington
CA
$113.63
0.00
$0.00
$113.63
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
49
John J. Kirlin Inc.
Rockville
MD
$113.40
28.35
$28.35
$28.35
$28.35
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
50
Burkes Mechanical, Inc.
Brent
AL
$112.00
28.00
$28.00
$28.00
$28.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
➤ www.contractormag.com
Piping
Plumbing
Sheet Metal
Refrigeration
Controls/
Testing
Balancing
Rockville
MD
$110.68
63.09
$0.00
$36.52
$11.07
$0.00
5.53
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
52
Thomas G. Gallagher Inc.
Cambridge
MA
$106.47
26.62
$0.00
$26.62
$0.00
$26.62
0.00
26.62
$0.00
$0.00
53
Letsos Co.
Houston
TX
$106.05
79.87
$0.00
$15.84
$9.94
$0.00
0.40
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
54
Pacific Rim Mechanical
Contractors, Inc.
San Diego
CA
$102.97
41.19
$10.30
$10.30
$10.30
$0.00
30.89
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
55
McKamish, Inc.
Pittsburgh
PA
$101.00
25.25
$20.20
$15.15
$20.20
$3.03
10.10
0.00
$0.00
$7.07
56
Harris Companies
St. Paul
MN
$100.60
20.12
$30.18
$20.12
$15.09
$0.00
5.03
0.00
$5.03
$5.03
57
Corrigan Co., Mechanical
Contractors
St. Louis
MO
$100.00
0.00
$85.00
$0.00
$15.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
58
F.W. Spencer & Sons
Brisbane
CA
$100.00
35.00
$30.00
$35.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
59
Hayes Mechanical LLC
Chicago
IL
$100.00
20.00
$20.00
$20.00
$20.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$20.00
60
Herman Goldner
Philadelphia
PA
$97.73
19.55
$19.55
$14.66
$0.00
$4.89
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$39.09
61
Pioneer Power Inc.
Saint Paul
MN
$92.57
0.00
$27.77
$64.80
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
62
A. O. Reed & Co.
San Diego
CA
$90.00
22.50
$22.50
$22.50
$22.50
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
63
Dorvin D. Leis Co., Inc.
Kahuliu
HI
$88.57
13.29
$20.37
$38.97
$2.66
$3.54
0.88
0.88
$0.00
$0.00
64
GEM Industrial
Walbridge
OH
$88.50
13.28
$39.83
$22.13
$0.00
$4.43
4.43
4.43
$0.00
$0.00
65
Hussung Mechanical
Corporation
Louisville
KY
$84.50
38.87
$4.23
$38.03
$0.00
$0.00
1.69
0.00
$1.69
$0.00
66
Fire & Life Safety
America
Richmond
VA
$80.80
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
80.80
$0.00
$0.00
67
Hermanson Co. LLP
Kent
WA
$80.19
20.05
$20.05
$20.05
$20.05
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
68
Midstate Mechanical, Inc. Phoenix
AZ
$80.00
44.00
$24.00
$12.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
69
Conforti Plumbing Inc
El Dorado
CA
$79.60
0.00
$11.94
$67.66
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
70
Harry Grodsky & Co., Inc.
Springfield
MA
$77.04
19.27
$19.27
$19.27
$19.27
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
71
W.W. Gay Mechanical
Contractor, Inc.
Jacksonville
FL
$73.90
14.78
$14.78
$14.78
$14.78
$0.00
14.78
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
72
Egan Cos. Inc.
Brooklyn Park
MN
$73.00
18.25
$18.25
$18.25
$7.30
$0.00
7.30
3.65
$0.00
$0.00
73
Southern Air Inc.
Lynchburg
VA
$72.70
18.18
$18.18
$18.18
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$18.18
74
Corval Group Inc.
St. Paul
MN
$72.00
7.20
$25.20
$14.40
$3.60
$7.20
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$14.40
75
California United
Mechanical Inc.
San Jose
CA
$71.30
35.65
$0.00
$35.65
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
76
Kroeschell
Operations Inc.
Arlington
Heights
IL
$69.29
0.00
$17.32
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
17.32
0.00
$17.32
$17.32
77
KSW Mechanical Services
Long Island City
NY
$69.28
69.28
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
78
Nashville Machine
Co., Inc.
Nashville
TN
$67.65
12.85
$4.06
$18.27
$8.12
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$24.35
79
General Heating & Air
Conditioning, Inc.
Madison
WI
$67.55
67.55
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
80
Lusk Mechanical
Contractors Inc.
Muldraugh
KY
$67.00
0.00
$22.11
$44.22
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
81
Sterling Boiler &
Mechanical Inc.
Evansville
IN
$66.70
0.00
$33.35
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$33.35
82
Beutler Corp./Villara
Mcclellan
CA
$66.30
22.10
$0.00
$22.10
$0.00
$0.00
11.05
0.00
$0.00
$11.05
83
Dyna Ten Corp.
Fort Worth
TX
$65.81
0.00
$13.16
$13.16
$13.16
$0.00
13.16
0.00
$0.00
$13.16
84
Falasca Mechanical Inc.
Vineland
NJ
$65.68
0.00
$65.68
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
85
R.T. Moore Co., Inc.
Indianapolis
IN
$64.25
16.06
$0.00
$48.19
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
86
Atlantic
Constructors, Inc.
Richmond
VA
$63.13
12.63
$12.63
$12.63
$0.00
$0.00
12.63
0.00
$0.00
$12.63
87
BCH Mechanical, Inc.
Largo
FL
$62.00
18.35
$5.08
$6.90
$6.57
$0.62
2.79
0.00
$0.00
$21.70
88
Shumate Mechanical LLC
Duluth
GA
$61.44
49.15
$0.00
$12.29
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
89
CCI Mechanical
Salt Lake City
UT
$60.50
24.20
$12.10
$15.13
$0.00
$0.00
6.05
0.00
$0.00
$3.03
90
YMC Inc. Mechanical
Contractor
Meridian
ID
$60.35
12.07
$12.07
$12.07
$12.07
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$12.07
91
R.S. Andrews
Enterprises Inc
Atlanta
GA
$57.60
46.08
$0.00
$5.76
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$5.76
92
Bonland Industries, Inc.
Wayne
NJ
$56.88
39.82
$0.00
$0.00
$17.06
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
93
Reliable Automatic
Sprinkler Co.
Liberty
SC
$56.40
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
56.40
$0.00
$0.00
94
Century Fire
Protection, LLC
Duluth
GA
$56.28
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
56.28
$0.00
$0.00
95
Frank M. Booth Inc.
Marysville
CA
$56.10
0.00
$14.02
$0.00
$14.02
$0.00
14.02
0.00
$0.00
$14.02
96
The Hardy Corp.
Birmingham
AL
$55.41
9.24
$9.24
$9.24
$9.24
$9.24
9.24
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Multi-family is strong
97
Fresh Meadow
Mechanical Corp.
Fresh Meadows
NY
$55.00
55.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
98
MLN Co.
Houston
TX
$55.00
38.50
$0.00
$13.75
$2.75
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
99
Wayne Automatic
Fire Sprinklers
Ocoee
FL
$54.83
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
0.00
54.28
$0.00
$0.55
100
Berger Engineering Co.
Dallas
TX
$54.50
38.15
$5.45
$5.45
$5.45
$0.00
0.00
0.00
$0.00
$0.00
John E. “Tripp” Ahern III, president and CEO of J.F. Ahern Co.,
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, says that
his firm, which specializes in both
fire protection and HVAC, has gotten more work in urban centers,
➤ www.contractormag.com
Other
HVAC
Shapiro & Duncan
Water/
Wastewater
Treatment
State
51
Rank Company
Fire
Protection
City
Revenue in
millions
GIANT'S BREAKDOWN
Photo: Ivy Mechanical.
Photo: M&D Mechanical.
covering nicely. The number one
sector adding jobs, he points out,
is business services that require
more office space. That’s a big sector in non-residential construction.
The consumer remains active even
though the numbers for retail sales
for the last three months have been
disappointing, but online sales are
strong, fueling the need for fulfillment centers.
Americans feel more confident,
Basu maintains, with unemployment down to 5.5% and wage pressure building. Wage growth is at
its highest level in six years. Basu
says he’s seen announcements by
more companies for wage increases,
which will contribute to higher retail spending and higher retail-related construction.
Contractors note that online retailers, such as Amazon, are building distribution centers, so that
they can deliver to customers faster.
Data center work, a mainstay for
mechanical contractors the past few
years is changing. Previously, a lot
of the work was for local firms such
as banks. Now national firms, such
as Apple or Yahoo, are building data
centers.
Basu expects increased hotel construction as more Americans can
spend money on vacations. Occupancy rates and nightly rates are
both up, generating money for both
new construction and renovation of
existing hotel rooms.
MAY 2015 • 21
CONTRACTOR'S TOP 100 COMPANIES BY TYPE OF WORK
Refrigeration
Rank
Company
1
EMCOR Group
47
Source Refrigeration
& HVAC Inc.
15
Apollo Sheet Metal Inc.
31
RK Mechanical, Inc.
52
Thomas G.
Gallagher Inc.
Refrigeration
Volume
$86.67
$57.05
$27.20
$26.66
$26.62
Sheet Metal
Rank
Company
Piping
Sheet Metal
Volume
Johnson Controls Inc.
North America Service
$416.13
1
EMCOR Group
$144.46
10
McKinstry Co.
$100.00
2
12
Dynamic Systems Inc.
$87.89
9
Service Experts Inc.
$81.44
Rank
Company
EMCOR Group
11
Harder Mechanical
Contractors Inc.
16
BMW Constructors
27
McCarl's
17
U.S. Engineering
23
Murphy Company
Mechanical Contractors
& Engineers
$109.76
13
MMC Contractors
$96.91
7
TDIndustries
$86.00
$85.00
Coastal Mechanical
Services Group
$11.96
18
Hill Mechanical Group
$81.08
23
Murphy Company
Mechanical Contractors
& Engineers
$9.98
14
Limbach Facility
Services LLC
$76.00
The Hardy Corp.
41
Environmental Air
Systems LLC
$63.07
19
Greenstar Services
$60.96
57
22
Waldinger Corp.
$50.00
Corrigan Co., Mechanical
Contractors
39
AZCO Inc.
10
McKinstry Co.
$9.24
$8.00
74
Corval Group Inc.
$7.20
$317.80
$307.20
1
28
96
Piping
Volume
$161.40
$137.40
$133.75
$83.63
Plumbing
Rank
Company
Plumbing
Volume
$663.80
$337.55
1
EMCOR Group
6
American Residential
Services
4
Comfort Systems
USA Inc.
$225.73
7
TDIndustries
34
Pan-Pacific Plumbing Co.
$129.00
$124.55
8
Southland Industries
48
AMPAM Parks
Mechanical, Inc.
12
Dynamic Systems Inc.
13
MMC Contractors
$107.42
$96.91
9
Service Experts Inc.
$81.44
$114.04
$113.63
Photo: Waldrop Mechanical Services.
Controls/Testing
& Balancing
Fire Protection
Rank
Company
Fire
Protection
Volume
Rank
Company
Water/Wastewater
Treatment
Controls/
Testing &
Balancing
Volume
Rank
Company
Water/
Wastewater
Treatment
Volume
2
Johnson Controls Inc.
North America Service
1,248.39
1
EMCOR Group
$317.80
4
Comfort Systems
USA Inc.
84.65
20
J.F. Ahern Co.
$26.33
5
ACCO Engineered
Systems, Inc.
61.20
76
Kroeschell
Operations Inc.
$17.32
40.72
30.89
13
MMC Contractors
16
BMW Constructors
$16.15
$13.45
1,336.43
288.61
122.17
119.71
104.00
9
Service Experts Inc.
54
Pacific Rim Mechanical
Contractors, Inc.
Fire & Life Safety
America
80.80
14
30.00
27
McCarl's
$12.82
93
Reliable Automatic
Sprinkler Co.
56.40
Limbach Facility
Services LLC
8
Southland Industries
24.44
21
John E. Green Co.
$10.50
94
Century Fire
Protection LLC
56.28
10
McKinstry Co.
32
P1 Group Inc.
99
Wayne Automatic
Fire Sprinklers
54.28
76
Kroeschell
Operations Inc.
20.00
17.32
25
JH Kelly
$8.00
$7.60
26
J.C. Cannistraro LLC
27.53
12
Dynamic Systems Inc.
16.28
56
Harris Companies
$5.03
3
APi Group Inc.
1
EMCOR Group
43
VSC Fire & Security
44
COSCO Fire Protection
20
J.F. Ahern Co.
66
22 • MAY 2015
➤ www.contractormag.com
Photo: Thinkstock/iStock.
such as Minneapolis, Milwaukee or
Chicago.
“We have done a fair amount of
high-rise residential work over the
year,” Ahern says. “A lot is going on
in a number of places, but not all of
it is equal. Some of it is very high
end, very expensive, high quality
construction, and other projects are
pure apartments, less expensive type
of housing. There’s a definite difference in the type of competitors who
pursue various forms of that work.
We’re performing plumbing, HVAC,
fire protection and automated controls, and we can see in our particular case where a project might be
appealing from the fire protection
standpoint and less so for HVAC, or
vice versa.”
Government spending remains
an X-factor. Moormeier reports that
U.S. Engineering’s public work is going well, with projects for the New
York Federal Reserve, universities
and other higher education, and
federal contracts for the Department of Energy, Homeland Security,
and the Air Force.
Infrastructure spending may suffer, however, because of the gridlock
in Washington. Other than airport
construction, which is often funded
locally, most infrastructure money
comes from the federal government. That spells trouble for water
supply and wastewater treatment
projects.
“Everything ebbs and flows at
various times,” Ahern says. “So
that’s why multi-family residential
developers today have a clear business case for wanting to expand
the number of rental units available in cities. We’ll see how long
that lasts. For the overall economy
we’ll see modest growth in 2015,
and we’re really looking forward
to 2016 and ’17. We think those
will be good years. The low point
for us was 2011 in terms of volume
and we’ve seen a nice, steady climb
upward from that point. 2014 was
an all-time record sales year and we
should eclipse that this year. The
key issue is going to be making sure
we have enough young people entering the construction industry
over next several years … that will
be our biggest challenge.”