Los Angeles, often called the “City of Angels,” is known for its vibrant entertainment industry. Domestic and international tourists alike visit the area to enjoy the amusement parks, Hollywood culture, and lively energy. However, the bustling foot traffic in Los Angeles also benefits several other industries. In addition to entertainment and tourism, the city’s major markets include aerospace, advanced transportation, design, ocean economy, information technology, and fashion and apparel.
For these reasons, Los Angeles has a thriving and active economy that makes it appealing to business owners. For those who are looking to expand to or set up in Los Angeles, we have created a list of the best commercial contractors in the area. These firms are all industry experts with decades of experience serving clients in Los Angeles and its surrounding areas. Each firm was chosen for its expertise, accomplished leadership, and recognition from reputable institutions.
Charles Pankow Builders
199 South Los Robles Ave. Suite #300, Pasadena, CA 91101
Since 1963, Charles Pankow Builders has been transforming city skylines with its innovative building designs. The firm is renowned for creating structures that enhance the quality of people’s lives, whether they live, work, learn, or play in them. Charles Pankow Builders places a strong emphasis on historical resources rehabilitation and green building practices, which form the foundation of its approach. The firm is known for its collaborative, creative, and efficient approach, with a focus on delivering excellent client-centric commercial contracting services. The quality of the firm’s partnerships, team, service, and work has earned it recognition from several reputable institutions. Its work has also been featured in publications like Construction Equipment Guide, e-Architect, The Business Journals, kQED, and San Francisco Chronicle.
The Emerson in Los Angeles is a 20-story high-rise residential tower with four levels of parking. Charles Pankow Builders worked on the project’s commercial and residential areas. The new ground floor features a restaurant, a cafe, the main lobby, a technology center, an office space, and a fitness center, while residential units and accessory building service rooms are located on levels two through 18. The 19th floor is the penthouse level, and features a rooftop terrace, a party room, a kitchen, dwelling units, and accessory building service rooms.
W.E. O’Neil
909 North Pacific Coast Hwy. Suite #400, El Segundo, CA 90245
Since its inception in 1925, W.E. O’Neil has established itself as an award-winning and nationally-ranked industry leader. Through four generations of family leadership, the firm has continued to develop and refine its services, all while adhering to its commitment to quality, collaboration, integrity, and responsiveness. Over 80% of the firm’s projects come from repeat clients across the United States, and some of its most notable clients include American Airlines, Loyola Marymount University, and South Bay Partners. The firm’s dedication has led it to be included on several prestigious media lists, such as Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) lists of the Top 400 General Contractors and the Top California Contractors, as well as The Los Angeles Business Journal’s lists of the Best Places to Work and the Top General Contractors.
Ovation Hollywood is one project that is part of W.E. O’Neil’s office and retail portfolio. The project is a 463,000-square-foot shopping mall and entertainment complex at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. DJM Capital, the client, wanted W.E. O’Neil to give the space extensive upgrades in order to improve foot traffic and annual revenue. The team therefore converted around 100,000 square feet of dining space into leasable offices and new high-end storefronts, and renovated the exterior and interior public areas to have new finishes and colors, including the structure’s decorative paving. W.E. O’Neil worked for 12 months, providing preconstruction services that included estimating, site logistics, scheduling, constructability reviews, and Building Information Modeling (BIM).
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
515 South Flower St. Suite #3600, Los Angeles, CA 90071
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. works with clients to build facilities and achieve strategic goals that meet the changing needs of the Los Angeles market. Most of its projects have been designed for the healthcare, hospitality, life science, commercial, and education sectors. Paul Erb, who serves as the firm’s executive vice president, is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction (LEED AP BD+C). With his past experience overseeing the development of several prominent marquee projects in Northern California, he provides strong leadership to the firm. Under his leadership, McCarthy Building Companies has successfully completed projects for prestigious clients such as Stanford University, Apple, and the University of California. Currently, Erb is spearheading the firm’s community growth and development initiatives in Los Angeles.
The Sunset Bronson Studios ICON Office Tower is one of McCarthy Building Companies’ award-winning projects. Located in the center of Hollywood, the project is a 14-story, 323,000-square-foot office tower with an innovative design created by Gensler Architects. As Netflix’s new headquarters, the ICON Office Tower features digital production facilities and a 13-story atrium. The space combines office, stage, and production features, which are meant to accommodate Netflix’s next phase of growth and content creation. An additional notable feature of the project is its foundation floor plates that create staggered boxes with several outdoor terraces, and these terraces are a product of the horizontal shifts in the structure. This project was named as the ENR California Best Project for Office/Retail/Mixed Use in 2017.
Illig Construction Company
444 South Flower St. Suite #2360, Los Angeles, CA 90071
For more than a century, Illig Construction Company has been serving Los Angeles with a focus on collaborative leadership, dedication to excellence, and flexibility to foster long-term relationships. The firm shares the goals that each client has for their project, using a tailored approach to achieve them. Each project also undergoes thorough planning, realistic budgeting, and timely delivery. Rita Illig Liebelt has been at the helm of Illig Construction Company as its President since 1998, making her the third-generation leader of the firm. She started working at the company in 1984 and initially took on finance-related responsibilities. Over the years, she held various roles such as CFO and Senior Vice President of Marketing before later being appointed as the President.
The Cushman Watt Scout Center, located along the Hollywood Freeway, is one of Illig Construction Company’s notable commercial projects. It is a 23,000-square-foot ground-up office and training facility that also includes a 23,000-square-foot parking structure. The building also features an elevated urban park with mature pines, a soccer skills field, a 12-foot climbing wall, and a pavilion with panoramic views of downtown Los Angeles. According to the client, Illig Construction Company was able to complete everything under budget without compromising quality. The client expressed appreciation for the firm’s open communication and timely updates, as well as its strong work ethic.
McCormick Construction
2507 Empire Ave. Burbank, CA 91504
With almost 110 years in the construction industry, McCormick Construction has created a legacy of respect, trust, and expertise. The firm has always prioritized creating lasting relationships with its clients, by designing each structure with the owner, contractor, materials, and environment in mind. This thoughtful approach has created countless spaces that contribute to the culture of buildings and businesses throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, and Washington. McCormick Construction is a family-owned firm, currently led by brothers Michael and Steve McCormick. Their efforts have been recognized by several notable publications, including The Business Journals, Erie Times, Courier-Journal, and MyBurbank.com.
McCormick Construction completed an entire structural upgrade of Element LA, which spans five buildings and over 300,000 square feet. The scope of McCormick Construction’s work included installing new structural steel bracing, strengthening the shotcrete of existing walls, and implementing a new CME shear wall. The team also strengthened, repaired, and restored the bow truss roof systems, as well as constructed a new grand breezeway to connect buildings. Element LA received LEED Gold Certification upon its completion.
