Located along the Pacific Coast, California is the country’s most populous state, housing almost 40 million residents. Its economy is also the largest in the United States, with over $3.4 trillion in gross state product. The San Francisco Bay Area was previously the nation’s highest gross domestic product per capita, home to four of the world’s ten wealthiest people, and the base of five of the world’s ten largest companies by market capitalization.
With a thriving economy and diverse population, many businesses choose to set up in this wealthy state. Listed below are the best commercial contractors in California who all supported its economy and was behind some of the state’s most successful businesses. These firms were chosen based on their expertise, knowledge, and portfolio, as well as their distinctions.
Suffolk
550 South Hope St. Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Suffolk serves not only California but the entire nation. Its headquarters is located in Boston, while its regional offices are in New York, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Estero, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. The firm has an extensive record of satisfied clientele, including titans from every major industry, such as Disneyland Hotel, Wells Fargo, Trader Joe’s, and Target. Under the direction of founder, chairman, and CEO John Fish, its expertise and reputation are continuously maintained. He provides invaluable guidance and management to over 2,400 employees, which helped the firm rise to rank 23 on Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) Top 400 Contractors.
In the heart of downtown Los Angeles, Suffolk built a 24-story cast-in-place concrete residential building situated next to the famed Pershing Square. The upscale high-rise structure has 347 luxury apartment units, 120 parking spaces, and ground-floor shopping. A rooftop deck with expansive views of the downtown area, a fitness center, a clubhouse, an infinity-edge pool, a courtyard, a bike storage and repair area, and a dog walk and washing station are among the additional amenities. The 460,000-square-foot building was given Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver status by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Truebeck Construction
951 Mariners Island Blvd. Ste. 700, San Mateo, CA 94404
Truebeck Construction strives to enhance community welfare, raise industry standards, and enhance construction methods. Each structure the firm has built is a testament to its dedication to both quality and value. The team has consistently delivered exceptional and remarkable services to previous clients, including Twitter, Apple, and Google. As a result, the firm was listed among the Top 100 Design-Build Firms, Top 100 Construction Management-at-Risk-Firms, and Top 400 Contractors by ENR. The firm’s initiatives have also been praised and highlighted in publications like San Francisco Business Times, Patch, The Business Journals, and San Mateo Daily Journal.
The MPK 22 project was created by the Truebeck team for Facebook. It comprises an eight-story, 1,750-stall parking structure and a four-story office building spanning over 457,000 square feet. Five buildings were demolished as part of the project, along with a public park and off-site work. It was constructed in phases, including site preparation, landscaping, design-build mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems, and utility infrastructure work. The workplace houses four full-service cafeterias, conference rooms, and collaborative office space.
BCCI Construction
150 E Dana St. Mountain View, CA 94041
Full-service builder BCCI Construction has served San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles since 1986. Aside from developing structures and spaces, its approach includes building meaningful and lasting client relationships. Owner Mike Scribner, a 40-year construction industry veteran, leads the team. Using his strategic envisioning and coordination expertise, Scribner guides the BCCI team in carefully analyzing every project’s aspect, angle, and best possible solutions to deliver exceptional outcomes. This supported BCCI in being named one of ENR California’s Top 75 Contractors. It was also given the Excellence in and President’s Safety Award by the Construction Employers Association in 2021.
Adobe is one of BCCI’s long-time loyal partners. More than 100 projects were completed for Adobe in Northern California alone, including the interior renovation of its San Jose headquarters. The project includes improving 465,160-square-foot office space spanning over ten floors. Coming from a traditional setting, it has an open office environment with phone rooms, video conference rooms, kitchens, a cafe, and a new 20,900-square-foot professional fitness center and spa. The project met a LEED Gold equivalency as the renovation focused on sustainability.
Hillhouse Commercial Construction Company Inc.
140 Charcot Ave. San Jose, CA 95131
Hillhouse Commercial Construction Company Inc. has built countless structures across the Bay Area since its inception three decades ago. Ken Huesby, the firm’s CEO and president, founded the firm with a vision to build high-quality work environments that help people thrive and companies prosper. He assembled a result-driven team that uses modern and sustainable practices to produce durable and remarkable spaces. The team then collaborates with the clients and various industry leaders—outstanding contractors, architects, and associates—to ensure projects possess the necessary functions and design.
For the San Jose branch of Avidbank, The Hillhouse team collaborated with AP+I Design Architects to deliver tenant improvement services. The 25,000-square-foot project is situated on the sixth story of a downtown high-rise structure. The team installed overhead support beams for a conference room with a 30′ long sliding glass door and various structural reinforcements for three office island structures. The entire space was finished with sleek, contemporary luxury touches, including an exposed deck integrated with floating acoustical ceilings.
SC Builders
910 Thompson Pl. Sunnyvale, CA 94085
SC Builders is a premier construction firm serving the Bay Area through its Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices. Since its inception in 1999, it has developed an effective and practical method of serving commercial clients, particularly from the corporate, institutional, life science, mission-critical, and educational sectors. President Samuel Abbey leads the firm and its exceptional team using four decades of knowledge and experience in the industry. He established a rigorous recruitment process to preserve the firm’s reputation by producing excellent builds and developing long-term client relationships.
SC Builders has produced countless award-winning projects, including the Slack HQ in San Francisco. It has received four awards, namely Construction Excellence: Commercial Interior from Wall and Ceiling Alliance (WACA), Honor Award for Work: Large from International Interior Design Association (IIDA) North California, Best of Year: Large Tech Office from Interior Design Magazine, and Top 10 Most Beautiful Offices from Inc. Magazine. The 242,000-square-foot project’s design was based on the Pacific Crest Trail. It starts with a sunbaked desert-inspired interior slowly progressing to icy glaciers.
Skyline Construction
100 Pringle Ave. Ste. 330, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Commercial interior construction projects are the area of expertise for the people-first company Skyline Construction. The firm is not only a leader in commercial construction in California but also in Washington and Illinois. It is 100% employee-owned, has an annual revenue of $600 million, and maintains a 0.6 EMR safety rating, making it safer than others in the industry. Beyond projects and safety, the firm’s focus areas include cultivating an inclusive and respectful culture among its diverse staff. Its leaders believe total transparency and consistent support can result in better workers, experiences, and outcomes. As a result, the firm was recognized as one of Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces.
Pandora’s first offices in Oakland were built by Skyline Construction. Later, the company was tasked with making the client’s seventh extension. The team turned the corporate office into a creative, personalized workspace with voice recording studios, various themed working rooms, and advanced technology connecting team members in different office locations worldwide. The office has an executive level, two specially designed linking stairways, a big corporate cafeteria, multiple coffee bars on each floor, and a stunning bridge connecting the building’s two adjacent towers. One of the newest additions is an all-hands room with full-height glazing and a movable glass divider for large gatherings and musical performances.
Howard CDM
17434 Bellflower Blvd. Ste. 300, Bellflower, CA 90706
Since it was established 50 years ago, Howard CDM has built a lasting history by putting its client’s needs first and nurturing relationships. It has completed numerous commercial construction initiatives for various sectors, including hospitality, retail, residential, dining, education, industrial, and medical. The firm has continually delivered clients the finest quality service while sticking to budgets and schedules. Each project’s development has significantly benefited from the decades of technical design and construction experience that the firm’s crew contributes to each project.
The Howard team created a 5,000-square-foot community gathering area developed from 10 refurbished 20- and 40-foot shipping containers. This initiative was motivated by Long Beach’s historical role as North America’s principal import and export hub. Finishing touches include string lights, drought-tolerant landscaping, bright red containers, and community seating. Every metal container is geared up to meet the vendor’s specific requirements. SteelCraft’s core values of restoration, craft, and community, as well as being a dependable destination for locals and travelers, served as inspiration for the recycled-material-made hardwood tables, chairs, and bike racks. Because of the company’s outstanding work, it was chosen to serve as SteelCraft’s developer and builder for all its locations.
Illig Construction
431 Jessie St. San Francisco, CA 94103
Los Angeles-based Illig Construction Company is a family-operated general contractor. It has served private institutional and commercial clients since 1919. Being the oldest firm on the list, it has established itself as a dominant force in the field and developed a long-standing reputation for excellence. The firm handles each contract with meticulous preparation, reasonable budgeting, on-time delivery, and superior quality. While it must execute projects, the firm’s main objective is to successfully guide clients through the development process.
The Tom Bradley International Terminal of Los Angeles International Airport houses the Korean Air LAX Lounge. The lounge on the fifth floor has a view of both the airport’s runways and the terminal’s massive atrium. The company used 3D point cloud laser scanning to map the fourth-floor ceiling. This helped the team to carefully coordinate the design and construction of the plumbing and utilities. Two lounges, private shower rooms, meeting rooms, a kitchen, and a service area were all included in the project. Featured design components were stretch fabric ceilings, suspended art glass panels covering the foyer ceiling and walls, and specially made stone.
DesCor Builders
3164 Gold Camp Dr. Ste. 250, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Northern California businesses can get full-service preconstruction, general contracting, and construction management services from DesCor Builders, a certified general contractor. The firm was founded in 2005 to leave a lasting legacy of impressive structures and stronger connections. Its portfolio includes outstanding buildings constructed for the transportation, hospitality, health care, entertainment, financial, retail, residential, religious, and civic sectors. The DesCor team and its procedures guarantee that every project is precisely planned, skillfully managed, completed on schedule, and delivered exactly how the client had envisioned.
The Natomas Corporate Center is a 90,543-square-foot office development located in a professional business park near Downtown Sacramento. It is a three-story building with a radius lens curtain wall system that was created to blend in with the nearby twelve-story office building. The structure includes various eco-friendly features that prioritize occupant comfort, high-bay interiors, and floor-to-ceiling windows. The project is the first structure in Sacramento County to be certified under the new LEED version 4 BD+C Core and Shell Certification standard. It is one of six certified structures in the State of California, one of 19 in the United States, and one of 122 worldwide.
