The bustling city of Phoenix is one of the most populous in the US and home to several Fortune 500 companies. It has also been a key support area in the shift to e-commerce, with many industrial data centers and modern warehouse facilities constructed in the last few years. The firms on this list of the best industrial contractors in Phoenix are some of the most trusted — both by private companies and the public sector — when it comes to building the infrastructure that keeps the economy going in the city and in surrounding areas.
Jokake Construction
5013 E. Washington, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85034
Building since 1983, Jokake serves the office, healthcare, education, retail, hospitality, mission-critical, and industrial markets in Arizona and the Southwest. Today, the firm is led by President and CEO Casey Cartier, who has over 25 years of experience in the construction industry and was hailed as the Best Commercial Real Estate & Construction CEO by the Global CEO Excellence Awards in 2020. Jokake has also been recognized by the NAIOP, the RED Awards, and the Engineering News-Record (ENR) for its work.
Jokake built out the 400,000-square-foot material storage and distribution area for The Gap’s West Phoenix fulfillment warehouse distribution center. The firm also handled the upgrade of South Mountain Community College’s central plant, which included a 2,500-square-foot addition, an underground utility relocation, replacement of the central plant chiller, and other site work.
Haydon Building Corp
4640 E. Cotton Gin Loop, Phoenix, AZ 85040
40-year industry veteran and Arizona State University (ASU) Construction degree-holder Gary Haydon established Haydon Building Corp in 1991. He brings hands-on experience as a laborer, ironworker, superintendent, and project manager to the firm. The firm has constructed large-scale municipal, healthcare, parks & recreation, mission-critical, highway, and infrastructure projects across the Southwest. Haydon has also served as board chairman of the Arizona Chapter of Associated General Contractors of America, where he helped develop policies for transportation and infrastructure development and created the We Build Arizona Coalition.
A stone’s throw away from Downtown Phoenix and Sky Harbor, Park Aldea consists of four tilt-up concrete industrial warehouse buildings totaling 356,000 square feet, with clearance heights ranging from 24 to 32 feet, and truck courts from 130 to 180 feet. Haydon Building Corp also handled additional site work around the colorful and landscaped building façades along the Loop 101 freeway.
DPR Construction
222 N. 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034
DPR Construction is a technical builder established in 1990 by “the lettermen”: the late Doug Woods, Peter Nosler, and Ron Davidowski. DPR’s founders have grown the firm into a multi-billion dollar company building in the healthcare, higher education, hospitality, manufacturing, mission-critical, office, and research and development markets. The firm builds throughout the US and internationally, with offices as far as the Netherlands, South Korea, and Singapore. The firm ranked 10th on ENR’s 2021 Top 400 Contractor List.
Now an internationally-known bioscience research center, the International Genomics Consortium/Translational Genomics Research Institute (IGC/TGEN) Headquarters sits on a 13-acre campus at the heart of downtown Phoenix. The 170,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility houses both administrative and research laboratory spaces across its six stories. Top researchers from across the world collaborate within these glass walls to reach breakthroughs in genomics research towards the goal of developing treatments and cures for cancer, diabetes, and other diseases.
Layton Construction
2355 E Camelback Road, Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Third-generation builder and leader President & CEO David Layton heads Layton Construction, the firm his grandfather founded in 1953. Under his leadership, the firm has grown from a regional contractor into one of the largest contractors across the US, with a 1,200-strong team working out of 12 offices nationwide. Layton has been recognized multiple times by ENR, the NAIOP, and various other local builders groups for its work in the healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, office, and retail industries.
One of the largest warehouse facilities ever built in Phoenix—the Marshalls Distribution Center—stands at 1,525,000 square feet, with clear heights from 32 to 52 feet, 1,750 tons of structural steel, and over 8,000 joists and girders. Layton used materials low in volatile organic compounds and incorporated other energy-efficient systems: air-conditioning, low-flow water closets and urinals, and skylights to harness natural light.
McCarthy Building Companies Inc.
6225 N 24th Street, Ste 200, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Established in 1864 by Irish immigrant Timothy McCarthy, the multibillion-dollar McCarthy Building Companies now has a national presence. It builds across markets including commercial, healthcare, aviation, and renewable energy. Chairman Mike Bolen became the first non-McCarthy leader of the firm when he became CEO. He first joined the company in 1981 as a carpenter superintendent in Phoenix. Today, MSU Construction Engineering degree-holder Ray Sedey serves as CEO after over two decades with the firm. Overseeing operations across the regions is Iowa State University Construction Engineering alumnus President and COO Scott Wittkop. Justin Kelton leads the Southwest Region with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Vermont Technical College, rising through the ranks since being hired as a project engineer in 2001.
A driver of both community life and commercial business in the West Valley, the Deer Valley Water Treatment Plant now produces 25% more water on a smaller footprint, using less energy than before. 80% of the 150 workers on the three-year East Basins Reconstruction by McCarthy Building Companies were based right in West Valley. McCarthy made use of Virtual Design and Construction technology in the addition of the new 100 million-gallon-per-day water treatment facility.
Sundt Construction
2620 S. 55th Street, Tempe, AZ 85282
Sundt Construction is no stranger to handling large-scale complex projects. Building since 1890, Sundt has built $4.5 billion worth of industrial projects in the last ten years across the Southwest. Today, President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board Mike Hoover leads the company with over four decades of industry experience. Rich Keil leads the Industrial Group, bringing 30 years of expertise in markets such as power, renewables, forest industries, water, mining, and technology.
Sundt renovated the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Terminal, adding a new terminal of approximately 25,000 square feet, extending the ticketing area, and moving the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening area to the old baggage claim area — all while the airport remained operational. It was particularly challenging to remodel the baggage check-in while the original system had to be kept running. A lot of advanced planning went into reconfiguring the baggage room in one day to keep it going smoothly under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supervision. Former ticketing offices were also converted into TSA offices; the rental car area was transformed into additional ticketing queuing. Sundt also built two departure/arrival gates with VIP seating, restrooms, and space for retail establishments with access to the courtyard.
