McCarthy Named 2014 Contractor of the Year by ENR Southwest
McCarthy was recently recognized by ENR Southwest as general contractor of the year for 2014. Founded as a family-owned business in 1864 during the height of the Civil War, McCarthy is now the nation’s 9th largest domestic general contractor with revenues exceeding $3 billion. This honor comes as McCarthy employees celebrate 150 years of building in America.
“The seven regional editors of Engineering News-Record — who are the ultimate arbiters of who is selected for this honor — felt McCarthy had a standout year,” said John Guzzon, editor of ENR Southwest. “From overcoming unique challenges in Las Vegas on the Hakkasan Nightclub and Restaurant to meeting the demands of the unique people-moving Sky Train at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, the company has risen to many challenges.” He adds, “It’s also fitting that the company is celebrating such a major corporate milestone this year.”
Founded by Irish immigrant Timothy McCarthy, the building company began as a lumber business focusing on constructing farmhouses and barns around Ann Arbor, Mich. Three of the founder’s children went into the family business, and in 1907, incorporated the firm in Missouri. Today, McCarthy is structured as an S corporation employee stock ownership plan (S ESOP) with approximately 1,700 salaried employee-owners, positioning the company as one of the largest employee-owned companies with this structure in America. The Southwest region was established in 1979 and serves Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico.
“When McCarthy began, the focus was on serving customers in the local community and building with the highest quality,” explained Bo Calbert, president of McCarthy’s Southwest region. “The same principles that helped get the business off the ground in 1864 still guide us today: a focus on meeting each client’s needs, a willingness to work hard together to bring exceptional value to every project, and genuine people committed to improving people’s lives. This recognition by ENR Southwest solidifies the hard work that each and every McCarthy employee contributes to our team.”
One of the main reasons for McCarthy’s success in the Southwest is due to a focus on diversification. While McCarthy has been diversifying its business units for several decades, the firm has recently capitalized on the solar construction renaissance throughout the Southwest to expand into this market sector. McCarthy has served as the general contractor on major solar utility projects, including Cotton Center, Chino Valley and Hyder II for Arizona Public Service (APS). Additionally, McCarthy was recently named one of the “Contractors of the Year” by APS as well as ranked No. 23 on Solar Power World’s list of Top 250 solar contractors.
About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the nation’s 9th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2014). The firm is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2014. The McCarthy Southwest Division is based in Phoenix. McCarthy also has offices in Las Vegas; Albuquerque; Dallas and Houston; Newport Beach, San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose, Calif.; St. Louis, Kansas City, Collinsville, Ill. and Atlanta.McCarthy is 100 percent employee-owned.
