In today’s construction news, read about the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge are only two examples of the national infrastructure that the CEOs of the US construction sector have shaped. On the other hand, Austal USA announced that work has begun on the first US Coast Guard Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) at its shipbuilding site in Mobile, Alabama.
Top 10 CEOs in the US Construction Industry
Original Source: Top 10: US Construction CEOs
The CEOs of US construction companies Bechtel, Flour, Clark, AECOM, DPR, Gilbane, Hensel Phelps, and Jacobs Solutions
From the Empire State Building to the Golden Gate Bridge, US construction CEOs have shaped infrastructure.
From colonial-era wooden houses to current skyscrapers, American construction has evolved over centuries.
The sector faces labor shortages, environmental demands, smart city development, and infrastructure renovation.
US construction leaders also face the challenge of integrating technology into all aspects of construction operations to improve workload organization and project planning.
However, recent legislation has invested billions in infrastructure projects, predicting a new construction boom.
We rank the top CEOs of America’s largest construction enterprises by 2023 revenue.
10. Turner Construction Company’s Peter Davoren
Revenue: $6.2bn
Employees: 10,000
Pete Davoren has led Turner Construction to global expansion, using new technologies and diversifying its services.
Construction management firm Turner Construction Company is based in NYC.
Turner’s first job in 1902 was building US$690 concrete staircases for the New York City Subway Station.
The Empire State Building and Chrysler Building are its current projects.
By 2030, Davoren wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions and water use by 50%.
9. Bob Pragada, Jacobs Solutions
US$7bn revenue
Employees: 60,000
Lieutenant Commander Bob Pragada, Jacobs Solutions CEO, was a nine-year Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer.
Pragada was COO at Kinetics, a global semiconductor and pharmaceutical process solutions company, for seven years after his military duty.
Jacobs Solutions, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, provides engineering, consulting, and construction services worldwide.
It helped build the NASA Kennedy Space Center, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and Scotland’s Queensferry Crossing, the world’s longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge.
8. Michael Choutka, Hensel Phelps Construction
Revenue: $7.6bn
Employees: 3,000
Hensel Phelps’ initial commercial projects were wood grain elevators built during World War II due to material restrictions.
General contractor and construction manager based in Greeley, Colorado.
As CEO, Choutka actively engages in ABC and ACE Mentor Program, exhibiting his dedication to industry growth and constructive change after 25 years in the sector.
Since becoming a Field Engineer, he has held different company positions.
7. Gilbane Building Company’s Tom Laird
US$9.7bn revenue
Employees: 2,500
Gilbane’s longest-serving executive, Thomas Laird, became Executive Chairman in 2022.
He oversees the Technology Group and Innovation Council and champions ESG efforts as a former New York Division EVP.
Over his Gilbane career, Laird has held senior posts in different areas.
The Providence, Rhode Island-based construction and real estate developer operates worldwide.
The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum and US Capitol Visitor Center were also finished by the business.
6. DPR Construction’s George Pfeffer
The revenue was $11.2 billion.
Employees: 8,000
George Pfeffer, DPR Construction CEO, has had a 30-year career of success.
He rose from project engineer to regional manager at DPR in 1992.
Specializing on complex projects like Genentech’s 450,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing plant expansion has made Pfeffer an industry leader.
DPR, based in Redwood City, California, has worked on the JW Marriott in Austin and the NSA’s Utah data center.
5. Troy Rudd, AECOM
Revenue: $12.8bn
Employees: 50,000
Global infrastructure consulting firm AECOM is based in Dallas, Texas.
It works with clients in transportation, buildings, water, energy, and the environment.
Beginning in 2009, Troy Rudd has held numerous leadership roles at AECOM, including CEO in 2020.
He was company CFO before.
The company has worked on major projects like the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games, One World Trade Center, Burj Khalifa, and Shard.
4. Clark Construction Group, Robert Moser
Revenue: $13.7bn
Employees: 5,000
Clark Construction has completed historic buildings like the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Chase Center under Robert Moser.
Moser prioritizes personnel safety, growth, and resource provision to achieve project completion.
The Bethesda-based corporation is one of the leading commercial and construction contractors in the US.
3. Kiewit’s Rick Lanoha
Revenue: $19.3bn
Employees: 31,100
Rick Lanoha joined Kiewit part-time in 1986.
He held operational positions in Southern California after graduating in construction engineering.
Lanoha rose through the ranks to become area manager, district manager, senior vice president, and division manager from 2000.
Omaha’s Kiewit Corporation is one of North America’s major engineering and construction firms.
2. Flour Corporation’s David Constable
US$22bn revenue
Employees: 40,000
Reuters named Fluor Corporation one of the top 100 energy transition innovators in 2022 for its sustainability.
The Irving, Texas-based engineering, procurement, construction, and maintenance corporation operates worldwide.
Fluor leader David Constable has almost 40 years of expertise.
Chairman of the Commercial Strategy and Operational Risk Committee, he joining the board in 2019.
From 2011 to 2016, he led Sasol, a global integrated energy and chemical corporation, through major organizational changes to boost growth.
Fluor completed the Three Gorges Dam and Burj Khalifa.
1. Brendan Bechtel
Revenue: US$26bn
Employees: 55,000
At 35, Brendan Bechtel became the company’s fifth-generation CEO.
Reston, Virginia-based Bechtel dominates engineering, construction, and project management worldwide.
Bechtel is the great-great-grandson of Warren A., who founded the corporation in 1898 by grading railroads with a mule team.
Its diversified portfolio now encompasses 160 nations on all seven continents.
Bechtel began a board-designed career path in construction, project management, and executive leadership in 2010.
He managed the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project and helped build the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California, displaying his leadership potential.
After building the Hoover Dam and Channel Tunnel, the business now provides unique solutions for challenging infrastructure.
Austal USA Begins Coast Guard OPC Construction
Original Source: Austal USA Starts Construction on U.S. Coast Guard OPC
Austal USA began building the first heritage-class offshore patrol cutter (OPC) at its Mobile, Alabama, shipyard. The first OPC under a $3.3 billion deal with up to 11 cutters is Pickering (WSMM 919).
Austal press release
Austal USA was honored to have Coast Guard Rear Admiral Michael Campbell speak today. The Coast Guard’s aging medium endurance cutters will be revitalized under the OPC program, which will bridge the gap between national security cutters in the open ocean and fast reaction cutters closer to shore.
“Austal USA is excited to build the first of these Coast Guard high-priority cutters. This contract shows our workforce’s flexibility and our steel panel line’s relevance to Austal USA’s future. Our multi-talented shipbuilders can manufacture high-quality steel ships as well as aluminum ones.”
The 360-foot OPC will assist the national security policy for economic, social, environmental, and military security. The OPC will serve wherever the national interests need the Coast Guard’s unique blend of authorities and capabilities, usually beyond 12 nautical miles from land.
OPCs satisfy the service’s long-term demand for cutters who can work alone or in teams on law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, and defense tasks.
OPC will handle most of the Coast Guard’s offshore law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, and search and rescue missions. Each OPC may deploy independently or in task groups as a mobile command and control platform for surge operations like hurricane response, mass migration, and other events with a range of 10,200 nautical miles at 14 knots and a 60-day endurance period. In Alaska, the cutters will govern and defend increasing trade and energy exploration, supporting Arctic goals.
Austal USA has extended its capacity to produce aluminum and steel ships with over $500 million in capital investments. The company started developing a 192,000-square-foot assembly plant for covered production. Two of the building’s three bays will be sized for the OPC.
Summary of today’s construction news
In summary, leading construction companies in the United States are led by CEOs from prominent firms like Bechtel, Flour, Clark, AECOM, DPR, Gilbane, Hensel Phelps, and Jacobs Solutions. Within the Bechtel Group, Bechtel started a board-designed career pathway in 2010 and rose through the ranks to increasingly senior positions in executive leadership, project management, and construction.
On the other hand, the majority of the Coast Guard’s offshore presence will be provided by OPC, which will carry out a range of tasks like search and rescue, drug and migrant interdiction, and law enforcement. Austal USA has continued to invest over $500 million in capital projects, growing its capabilities and capacity to permit the simultaneous manufacture of steel and aluminum ships. Recently, the business began construction on a new assembly building that would provide 192,000 square feet of covered industrial space. Three bays will make up the building, two of which will have dimensions designed especially to accommodate the OPC.
