Workers construct an apartment building along South Broadway in Denver in 2021. (BusinessDen file)
Last year was filled with storylines on high interest rates, distressed office towers and a slowing transaction volume. But construction didn’t stop.
Contractors continued to find work across Denver building and renovating. A BusinessDen analysis of city permitting data shines a light into which firms landed some of the city’s biggest jobs.
City permitting data for the most part doesn’t distinguish between residential and commercial projects. To account for that, BusinessDen reviewed permits with only valuations greater than $500,000. Multiple permits may be issued for the same project. Only permits issued within city limits were reviewed.
Contractors with the highest combined valuation of $500,000+ permits
1: Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. $160 million
2: Turner Construction Co.: $100 million
3: Arco/Murray National Construction Co. Inc.: $97 million
4: Swinerton Builders: $94 million
5: M A Mortenson Company: $86 million
6: GS Construction Mountain LLC: $82 million
7: G E Johnson Construction Company Inc: $79 million
8: Colorado Structures Inc: $73 million
9: J E Dunn Construction Company: $58 million
10: Sturgeon Electric Company Inc: $57 million
Contractors with the greatest number of $500,000+ permits issued
1.: DEN Home Builders LLC: 40 permits
2 (tie): Sturgeon Electric Co. Inc.: 19
2 (tie): Infinity Home Collection at Stapleton LLC: 19
3: Frontier Fire Protection LLC: 16
4: MAI Mechanical LLC: 15
4: RK Mechanical LLC: 15
5: Turner Construction Co.: 13
6 (tie): GH Phipps Construction Co.: 12
6 (tie): Apollo Mechanical Contractors: 12
7 (tie): BPD Construction LLC: 11
7 (tie): Rand Construction Corp.: 11
8 (tie): Exceed Electrical Contracting LLC: 10
8 (tie): Western States Fire Protection Co.: 10
Whiting-Turner, which led the permit valuation category, had just two permits over $500,000 in Denver last year, both related to its work on the new livestock center for the National Western Center in Elyria-Swansea.
That building will span over 350,000 square feet, and will play host to a number of events, including the annual stock show. One of the permits was valued at $104 million, the highest across all permits in 2023. The firm declined to comment.
Turner, meanwhile, took second in valuation and fifth in volume, working on projects at Denver International Airport, Mile High stadium and in RiNo.
“We’ve been in Denver for 51 years now … we have had a tremendous growth period over the last 10 years in Colorado. But it’s nice to see. I mean, we call Denver home, our office is in Denver, so it’s awesome to be able to see those numbers,” said Jeremy Atcheson, business manager at Turner Construction.
The construction giant received 13 permits in 2023. All but four were aviation-related. The outliers include work done to renovate Denver7’s new headquarters at 2323 Delgany St. in RiNo (two permits were issued for this), construction at 1900 Lawrence St. downtown and maintenance at Mile High stadium.
Rounding out the bulk of Turner’s Denver activity was the work it did at DIA and on United Airlines’ flight training center in Central Park. At the airport, Turner constructed new clubs for United Airlines and is working to add more gates to the A Concourse.
Atcheson noted that there’s also plenty of work to be found locally outside Denver city limits.
“Denver is obviously the biggest metropolitan here in Colorado, but we also have significant work that falls outside of Denver, as well as do many other contractors,” he said. “So where we might have a ton of work in Denver proper this year, next year might be a little different.”
Workers construct an apartment building along South Broadway in Denver in 2021. (BusinessDen file)
Last year was filled with storylines on high interest rates, distressed office towers and a slowing transaction volume. But construction didn’t stop.
Contractors continued to find work across Denver building and renovating. A BusinessDen analysis of city permitting data shines a light into which firms landed some of the city’s biggest jobs.
City permitting data for the most part doesn’t distinguish between residential and commercial projects. To account for that, BusinessDen reviewed permits with only valuations greater than $500,000. Multiple permits may be issued for the same project. Only permits issued within city limits were reviewed.
Contractors with the highest combined valuation of $500,000+ permits
1: Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. $160 million
2: Turner Construction Co.: $100 million
3: Arco/Murray National Construction Co. Inc.: $97 million
4: Swinerton Builders: $94 million
5: M A Mortenson Company: $86 million
6: GS Construction Mountain LLC: $82 million
7: G E Johnson Construction Company Inc: $79 million
8: Colorado Structures Inc: $73 million
9: J E Dunn Construction Company: $58 million
10: Sturgeon Electric Company Inc: $57 million
Contractors with the greatest number of $500,000+ permits issued
1.: DEN Home Builders LLC: 40 permits
2 (tie): Sturgeon Electric Co. Inc.: 19
2 (tie): Infinity Home Collection at Stapleton LLC: 19
3: Frontier Fire Protection LLC: 16
4: MAI Mechanical LLC: 15
4: RK Mechanical LLC: 15
5: Turner Construction Co.: 13
6 (tie): GH Phipps Construction Co.: 12
6 (tie): Apollo Mechanical Contractors: 12
7 (tie): BPD Construction LLC: 11
7 (tie): Rand Construction Corp.: 11
8 (tie): Exceed Electrical Contracting LLC: 10
8 (tie): Western States Fire Protection Co.: 10
Whiting-Turner, which led the permit valuation category, had just two permits over $500,000 in Denver last year, both related to its work on the new livestock center for the National Western Center in Elyria-Swansea.
That building will span over 350,000 square feet, and will play host to a number of events, including the annual stock show. One of the permits was valued at $104 million, the highest across all permits in 2023. The firm declined to comment.
Turner, meanwhile, took second in valuation and fifth in volume, working on projects at Denver International Airport, Mile High stadium and in RiNo.
“We’ve been in Denver for 51 years now … we have had a tremendous growth period over the last 10 years in Colorado. But it’s nice to see. I mean, we call Denver home, our office is in Denver, so it’s awesome to be able to see those numbers,” said Jeremy Atcheson, business manager at Turner Construction.
The construction giant received 13 permits in 2023. All but four were aviation-related. The outliers include work done to renovate Denver7’s new headquarters at 2323 Delgany St. in RiNo (two permits were issued for this), construction at 1900 Lawrence St. downtown and maintenance at Mile High stadium.
Rounding out the bulk of Turner’s Denver activity was the work it did at DIA and on United Airlines’ flight training center in Central Park. At the airport, Turner constructed new clubs for United Airlines and is working to add more gates to the A Concourse.
Atcheson noted that there’s also plenty of work to be found locally outside Denver city limits.
“Denver is obviously the biggest metropolitan here in Colorado, but we also have significant work that falls outside of Denver, as well as do many other contractors,” he said. “So where we might have a ton of work in Denver proper this year, next year might be a little different.”
