Best of the best

The strength of the demolition sector is a good indicator of the strength of the economy as a whole. As such, Construction & Demolition Recycling magazine’s biennial Top 20 Demolition Contractors list is reflective of the opportunities afforded to contractors throughout the country in 2017.

This year’s list, which was compiled through voluntary submissions from the country’s top contractors, portrays an industry that showed relatively steady growth from 2015. Of the 14 contractors who made our top 20 list for both 2015 and 2017, seven contractors reported growth in revenue, six reported a loss in revenue, and one reported revenue that stayed the same.

The total revenue from the top contractors listed in 2017 totals $1.65 billion, compared to the $1.84 billion total in 2015; however, overarching assumptions are difficult to draw from year to year due to variations in who responded, the methodology used to compile the results and how heavily variations in revenue from individual companies at the top of the list influence the averages.

There were a number of familiar names at the top of this year’s list. Eight of the top 10 companies listed for 2015 were among the top 10 for 2017. NorthStar Group Services Inc., which topped the chart in 2015, was once again the top company in 2017, with revenues nearing $462 million (down from $652.33 million in 2015). Brandenburg Industrial Service Co. ($208 million in 2017, $177 million in 2015); Cherry Cos. ($145 million in 2017, $133.4 million in 2015); MCM Management Corp. ($93.75 million in 2017, $133.4 million in 2015); Bierlein Companies Inc. ($86.7 million in 2017, $80.08 million in 2015); Ferma Corp. ($68.97 million in 2017, $72 million in 2015); Independence Excavating Inc. ($56.6 million in 2017, $47.62 million in 2015); and NASDI Inc. ($54.8 million in 2017, $62.12 million in 2015) were also represented in the top 10 in consecutive lists.

New arrivals to the top 20 this year that weren’t included in the previous list include Environmental Resources Management, Central Environmental Inc., Kroeker Inc. Demolition & Recycling Contractors, American Wrecking Inc., Costello Dismantling Company Inc., and Rachel Contracting Inc.

1. NorthStar Group Services Inc.,

New York City, www.northstar.com

Company CEO or President: Scott E. State

Demolition Revenue (2017): $461.98 million

No. of Employees: 3,500

Additional Services Offered: abatement, emergency and disaster response, environmental remediation, nuclear decommissioning

2. Brandenburg Industrial Service Co.,

Chicago, IL, www.brandenburg.com

Company CEO or President: Thomas Little

Demolition Revenue (2017): $208 million

No. of Employees: 700

Additional Services Offered: environmental remediation, asbestos abatement, hazardous material removal, soil remediation, asset recovery, site preparation

3. Environmental Resources Management (ERM),

Denver, CO, www.erm.com

Company CEO or President: Chuck Leichner

Demolition Revenue (2017): $150 million

No. of Employees: 200

Additional Services Offered: demolition and remediation construction management, engineering general contractor, hazardous building material surveys, abatement

4. Cherry Cos.,

Houston, TX, www.cherrycompanies.com

Company CEO or President: Leonard Cherry

Demolition Revenue (2017): $145 million

No. of Employees: 305

Additional Services Offered: recycled aggregate sales, stabilized material sales

5. MCM Management Corp.,

Bloomfield Hills, MI, www.mcmmanagement.com

Company CEO or President: Rob Mardigian

Demolition Revenue (2017): $93.75 million

No. of Employees: 250

Additional Services Offered: metal/aggregate recycling, environmental remediation, material handling/processing, industrial repurposing

6. Bierlein Companies Inc.,

Midland, MI, www.bierlein.com

Company CEO or President: Michael Bierlein

Demolition Revenue (2017): $86.7 million

No. of Employees: 265

Additional Services Offered: dismantling, asset recovery, site-related environmental remediation

7. Ferma Corp.,

Newark, CA, www.fermacorp.com

Company CEO or President: Marc Ferrari

Demolition Revenue (2017): $68.97 million

No. of Employees: 242

Additional Services Offered: mass excavation, saw-cutting, clearing and grubbing, concrete crushing, soil remediation, hazardous materials removal, levee repair and creek restoration

8. Manafort Brothers Inc.,

Plainville, CT, www.manafort.com

Company CEO or President: Jim Manafort Jr.

Demolition Revenue (2017): $57.1 million

No. of Employees: 400

Additional Services Offered: nuclear decommissioning, site development, concrete construction, abatement and remediation, highway and bridge construction

9. Independence Excavating Inc.,

CLEVELAND, OH, www.independencedemolition.com

Company CEO or President: Vic DiGeronimo Jr.

Demolition Revenue (2017): $56.6 million

No. of Employees: 600

Additional Services Offered: environmental remediation, site preparation, asset recovery, concrete crushing/recycling, site restoration, facility decommissioning

10. NASDI LLC,

Woburn, MA, www.nasdidemo.com

Company CEO or President: Arthur M. Dore

Demolition Revenue (2017): $54.8 million

No. of Employees: 200

Additional Services Offered: asbestos abatement, lead abatement, hazardous waste remediation

11. Precision Demolition LLC,

Lewisville, TX, www.precisiondemolition.com

Company CEO or President: Aaron W. Smith

Demolition Revenue (2017): $52.59 million

No. of Employees: 500

Additional Services Offered: asbestos abatement, mold abatement, lead abatement, saw-cutting/coring, recycling, implosions

12. North American Dismantling Corp.,

Lapeer, MI, www.nadc1.com

Company CEO or President: Rick Marcicki

Demolition Revenue (2017): $40 million

No. of Employees: 125

Additional Services Offered: redevelopment strategies, environmental remediation, asset recovery

13. Interior Removal Specialist Inc.,

South Gate, CA, www.irsdemo.com

Company CEO or President: Carlos Herrera

Demolition Revenue (2017): $32.3 million

No. of Employees: 285

Additional Services Offered: rental of C&D containers

14. Central Environmental Inc.,

Anchorage, AK, www.cei-alaska.com

Company CEO or President: Stuart Jacques

Demolition Revenue (2017): $32 million

No. of Employees: 125

Additional Services Offered: abatement, sitework, underground utilities

15. O’Rourke Wrecking Co.,

Cincinnati, OH, www.orourkewrecking.com

Company CEO or President: Michael P. O’Rourke

Demolition Revenue (2017): $31 million

No. of Employees: 79

Additional Services Offered: environmental remediation

16. Kroeker, Inc. Demolition & Recycling Contractors,

Fresno, CA, kroekerinc.com

Company CEO or President: Joyce Kroeker

Demolition Revenue (2017): $21.45 million

No. of Employees: 140

Additional Services Offered: concrete and asphalt recycling, C&D recycling

17. American Wrecking, Inc.,

South El Monte, CA, www.americanwreckinginc.com

Company CEO or President: Jose Galaviz

Demolition Revenue (2017): $19.5 million

No. of Employees: 95

Additional Services Offered: investment recovery, abatement, crushing, equipment rental and trucking

18. Costello Dismantling Company Inc.,

West Wareham, MA, www.costellodismantling.com

Company CEO or President: Daniel Costello

Demolition Revenue (2017): $15 million

No. of Employees: 30

Additional Services Offered: excavating, salvage, equipment removal

19. Rachel Contracting Inc.,

St. Michael, MN, www.rachelcontracting.com

Company CEO or President: Donald Rachel

Demolition Revenue (2017): $14.09 million

No. of Employees: 175

Additional Services Offered: earthwork, utilities, specialty services

20. JW Demolition LLC,

Charlotte, NC, www.jwdemolition.com

Company CEO or President: James W. Dellinger

Demolition Revenue (2017): $4.5 million

No. of Employees: 45

Additional Services Offered: asbestos remediation

The author is the editor for Construction & Demolition Recycling magazine and can be contacted at aredling@gie.net.