Three years ago Sukut Construction, California’s largest mass excavation company, was getting most of its business from the private sector. Today 70 percent of the company’s jobs are coming from government funded projects–a three fold increase. The company says if it can nail down another $50 to $100 million in contracts it will be hiring an additional 150 to 180 workers at union scale.
CEO and President Mike Crawford gives credit to the $3.6 billion in stimulus funds awarded to California, but Sukut was also smart in converting their fleets to meet California’s strict emissions regulations early on, making them one of the few companies that could bid on such work. Full text of their press release is below the Read More line.
Stimulus Package Keeps Construction Industry Afloat
SANTA ANA, CA.—May 12, 2009–Public money is the major driving force today in the construction industry, said the CEO of Sukut Construction, California’s largest mass excavation company, which until the economic downturn got most of its $150 million-a-year in work from the private sector.
Seventy percent of the Santa Ana-based firm’s jobs are now on government-funded projects, triple what they were in 2005-06, when a substantial portion came from home builders, said company CEO/President Mike Crawford.
The $3.6 billion in federal stimulus funds for California’s highway and transit construction and billions of dollars in state construction bonds means the 420-employee firm, which had been downsizing, is now hiring employees to bid on new work.
“Without the stimulus, we likely would have continued to suffer from this downturn that has plagued the construction industry,” said Crawford.
Sukut hopes to get contracts for $50 million to $100 million in public infrastructure projects for which it will need about 150 to 180 more people, said Crawford. It will add union-scale staff to its firm and subcontract for the rest. The contracts bring about two to three years of work to the employee-owned Sukut, which has built the infrastructure for freeways, wastewater treatment facilities and landfills throughout California.
“We’re one of the few constructors with CARB-compliant machinery, sufficient staffing and expertise to complete large complex projects,” said Crawford.
Founded in 1968, Sukut does earth moving, mass excavation, flood and storm water piping, concrete structures, dams, landfills and environmental cleanups. At any given time, it is working on 40 to 45 projects.
Sukut moves 150 million cubic yards of earth a year, and is ranked within the top 300 largest contractors in the nation. Its projects include four 60-acre wastewater treatment ponds holding more than 1 billion gallons for the Los Angeles Sanitation District and a seismic retrofit of the San Pablo Dam. Eastbay Municipal Utility District is Sukut’s client for this $55 million job.
Sukut is also charged with site development for the U.S.-Mexico border fence and is widening a 1.3-mile segment of State Route 76 in Fallbrook and straightening its alignment. This California Department of Transportation project is funded by Granite Construction Co.
Sukut is headquartered in Santa Ana, California, with offices in Oceanside, Los Angeles, and Riverside, California. Information is available on the company’s website at www.sukut.comor by calling Sukut headquarters at (888)-SUKUT01 or (888) 785-8801.
