Hard at Work

There are few summaries of the construction and demolition sectors covering the past two years that would refer to activity levels as booming.

However, the nation’s largest demolition contractors have reported revenue figures for 2011 that point to their ability to find work even in a challenging business environment.

Most of the nation’s largest demolition firms reported 2011 revenue figures that were higher than their reported figure for 2009, when the construction industry was really considered to be in a trough. Chicago’s Brandenburg Industrial Service Co., for instance, rebounded from a $110 million year in 2009 to a 2011 figure of $160 million in revenue.

On the Pacific Coast, the NCM Group (the company formed by the merger of Nuprecon and CST Holdings) rebounded similarly, having grown from a $160 million revenue figure in 2009 to $220 million last year.

There is a new company atop the list—New York City-based LVI Services. On its website, www.lviservices.com, the more than two decades old company notes that it “started out primarily in the asbestos and lead abatement markets, [but] today we offer complete services from abatement to mold remediation to complete demolition and cleanup of properties.”

The company says one of its largest growth areas has been in the emergency/disaster response business. “With our First Alert contracts, customers can pre-negotiate rates and contracts to help ensure that their businesses are back online as quickly as possible,” LVI says.

Also new to the 20 Largest Demolition Contractors list in 2012 are Massachusetts-based NASDI Inc. and Baltimore-based Potts & Callahan.

Click the image above to see the List of the Largest Demolition Contractors

How 2012 final revenue figures will shape up or what 2013 will bring is unclear. The Associated General Contractors (AGC), Arlington, Va., says the construction industry managed to add 5,000 jobs in September 2012, but the group expressed caution heading into the year’s final quarter. “Residential building contractors added 1,100 jobs in September and have gained 3,200 for the year,” the AGC said in an early October news release. “Meanwhile, residential specialty trade contractors added 2,300 jobs in September and 19,700 for the year.”

On the cautionary side, however, AGC added, “Non-residential building contractors added 1,100 jobs in September, but have lost 12,400 during the past 12 months. Non-residential specialty trade contractors added 1,500 jobs for the month, but lost 30,000 for the year.” Conversely, “The heavy and civil engineering construction sector lost 200 jobs in September, but has added 14,600 since September 2011.”

An incomplete grade?
As our publication does with each list of this type, a disclaimer needs to be issued. To compile this list, the editors of Construction & Demolition Recycling solicited larger companies who are likely contenders for the list. While the editors are gratified for the responses received, it also is true that several of the largest companies declined to participate or could not be reached. In some cases, estimates were made after consulting with industry sources and conducting Internet searches.

We also used an average revenue growth formula (based on responses received) to update some revenue figures. For those companies who were missed by us or who did not respond this time around, we hope to make better connections for the 2014 version of this list.

If you work for one of these companies or know of another company that you suspect should be on this list but was not contacted (or did not respond), please let us know. Managing Editor Kristin Smith can be contacted via email at ksmith@gie.net or can be reached by phone at (330) 523-5361.

The author is editorial director of Construction & Demolition Recycling and can be contacted at btaylor@gie.net.