Best known for its cultural diversity and the Hollywood film industry, Los Angeles lies in a basin in Southern California and is the second-largest city in the United States, just after New York. This sprawling metropolitan area is called home by countless household brands and growing startups. This list is a showcase of 15 of the area’s best and leading general contractors, the names behind some of its most impressive tenant improvements. These firms were chosen by our editorial team for their stellar portfolios and diverse backgrounds. Several of these companies are the proud recipient of countless industry awards and each offers its own unique skill set.
Howard Building Corporation
707 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite #3750, Los Angeles, CA 90017
With over three decades of industry experience, Howard Building is the product of the vision of its founder, Mike Howard. Mike, together with his partners, Gary Conrad and Paul McGunnigle, developed the firm’s comprehensive range of general contracting services. The firm has since transitioned into an employee-owned company with offices in downtown Los Angeles and Costa Mesa. The company has received countless honors and awards through the years, including from the IIDA. It has completed a wide variety of LEED Certified spaces that have been the subject of several publications. These include Architectural Digest, Interior Design, and LA Times.
Located in Costa Mesa, the project entailed work on over 640,000 square feet of office space for a Southern California-based defense company. It features a food hall, 190,000-square-foot research and development facility, and 450,000 square feet of two to three floors of new and existing buildings. The finished project scope includes a customizable and rentable tenant space.
KPRS Construction Services, Inc.
444 South Flower Street, Suite #3860, Los Angeles, CA 90071
KPRS Construction operates out of its headquarters in Los Angeles and offers its clients a full range of general contracting services. Since its start, it has cultivated excellent relationships with some of the area’s most noteworthy brands, including Amazon, FedEx, Coca-Cola, and LG. The firm credits its success to the experience of its team of hands-on professionals. At the firm’s helm is its president and one of its founding partners, Joel H. Stensby. Joel has experience at all levels of the organization and has worked with major nationwide firms.
Located in the heart of Los Angeles, this featured project was completed for Gensler’s office. It spans over 45,000 square feet and connects the project’s existing three-level atrium with the third and fourth levels of the adjacent north office tower. For this space, the firm opted for an open and urban environment. It worked on a coffee bar, several lounges, entertainment spaces, and conference rooms.
DPR Construction
88 West Colorado Boulevard, Suite #301, Pasadena, CA 91105
Consistently named one of the country’s 50 best general contractors over the past decade, DPR Construction specializes in complex and sustainable projects in an extensive range of markets. In addition to its commercial and corporate work, the firm also provides services to the healthcare, advanced technology, life sciences, and higher education sectors. DPR is affiliated with the U.S. Green Building Council and currently holds the distinction of employing the highest number of LEED-accredited professionals. Throughout its two decades in the industry, the firm has repeatedly been recognized with awards for its excellent work, including by the NAIOP for the company’s stellar interiors. The company has been featured in publications such as the Engineering News-Record.
The chosen project features the firm’s work on the Indeed Office tower. It showcases 39-stories and spans over 674,192 square feet and is located in the heart of the Austin Central Business District. The ground floor features an office lobby accessible from 6th street, retail spaces, fitness areas, and a conference center.
Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd.
199 S Los Robles Avenue, Suite #300, Pasadena, CA 91101
Pankow Builders offers a complete and comprehensive range of commercial contracting services. With over five decades of industry experience, the company has worked on over a thousand successful projects and is respected in the industry for its excellent civic, aviation, education, healthcare, and hospitality projects. The firm’s portfolio also includes various office, parking, public, retail, and residential projects. The firm’s team makes use of only the best and latest techniques, lean tools, and methodologies. Since its establishment, the firm has been the recipient of a multitude of awards and distinctions. One of its most recent was the 2018 San Francisco Collaborative Partnering Award.
Located in Claremont, the showcased project above is the firm’s work on the Benson Auditorium. It entailed an extensive renovation and remodel of the existing Avery Hall to the new George S. Benson Auditorium. For this project, the firm’s team worked in close collaboration with professionals from Levin & Associates. It spans over 12,610 square feet and includes the construction of a new lobby, entrance vestibules, and restrooms. The firm’s team also modified the project’s existing site work.
W.E. O’Neil Construction
909 N Pacific Coast Highway, #400, El Segundo, CA 90245
Established in 1925, W.E. O’Neil is an award-winning and nationally ranked construction firm that has completed projects all across the United States. It operates out of several locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. The firm is known for its use of the best technology, including Building Information Modeling, and it takes a transparent approach to preconstruction. It also takes great pride in its national rankings. Most recently, it was named by the Los Angeles Business Journal as the 19th leading general contractor in the area. Showcased below is the firm’s work for Raython Systems Company.
Located in El Segundo, this project was completed in collaboration with the design team at The Austin Company. The firm’s team provided a full floor interior demolition of an existing suite followed by a tenant fit-out of office space. The work included new non-load-bearing interior partitions, power, lighting, and finishes. The renovation consists of 23,340 square feet of improvements.
Bernards
555 First Street, San Fernando, CA 91340
Bernards is led by its Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Bernards. He offers the firm’s clients over four decades of experience working in and around the construction industry. He has overseen virtually every aspect of the business and has led the construction of over half a billion dollars in project contracts with the Los Angeles Unified School District, high occupancy detention centers for the City of Los Angeles, and the landmark LEGOLAND theme park in Carlsbad. Jeff also personally guides the firm’s strategic planning efforts. Under his leadership, the firm has been recognized countless times by organizations including Engineering News-Record (ENR), AIA Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Business Council, The Los Angeles Business Journal, Cal-OSHA, Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), the City of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Conservancy.
The featured project showcases the firm’s work on its all-new corporate headquarters in San Fernando. It serves as the area’s very first LEED Silver Facility. Its interior layout features prearranged spaces, which it calls “neighborhoods.” Its design elements combine exposed construction elements and materials such as polished concrete and steel, juxtaposed with warm walnut veneers and several indoor planters.
Millie and Severson
3281 E Guasti Road, Suite #425, Ontario, CA 91761
Millie and Severson has been in business since 1947—it is a full-service general contractor that extends its services throughout Southern California. Since its establishment, it has completed more than 4,000 projects for an extensive list of project types. That list includes office, healthcare, medical office building, industrial, and cultural projects. The firm is no stranger to acclaim and has been featured in publications like the Los Angeles Business Journal, Building Design + Construction, and the San Francisco Business Times.
The featured photo showcases the firm’s work for IQAir. Located in La Mirada, this project entailed having to work on its tenant improvement and new mezzanine floor. The firm’s team also added new mechanical units and updated its electrical service, in addition to designing and constructing a full chef’s kitchen in its break room, a large gym, and a patio area.
Sierra Pacific Constructors
22212 Ventura Boulevard, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Sierra Pacific Construction offers its clients a complete range of general contracting services. The firm operates out of its office in Woodland Hills and is known for completing all of its projects on time and within the agreed-upon budget. Now in its fourth decade of construction work, the firm prides itself on its stellar reputation and its 85% repeat clientele. Since its establishment, Sierra Pacific has completed over 3,200 successful projects throughout Los Angeles. The firm has completed projects for clients and brands like LinkedIn, Netflix, Google, and NBCUniversal.
The team worked on the new Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine in Los Angeles. In cooperation with the Rios Clementi Hale Studios, MEP Engineering by CRB, Lab Consultant R2A, and Savillis, the structure offers vast oncology care departments and a ful wellness center.
DEB Construction, LLC.
2230 E Winston Road, Anaheim, CA 92806
With over four decades of industry experience, DEB Construction specializes in constructing and managing commercial projects across the Western United States. It is proud to be a certified minority-owned business and has completed projects throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. The firm’s portfolio depicts an extensive range of financial, corporate, critical facilities, and healthcare projects, which have enabled it to win acclaim throughout its years in business. The firm is also an active member of the US Green Building Council (USGBC), assuring its clients that each of its projects is crafted with the latest and best green building methods. Doing so ensures that its spaces are highly sustainable and efficient. It comes as no surprise that the firm is the recipient of several noteworthy accolades. In 2017, it was even recognized by the INC. 5000’s as one of the country’s fastest-growing companies for the fourth time.
The photo above is a glimpse of the firm’s work for JP Morgan Chase. Located in Lake Balboa, this project was a three-phased construction of interior tenant improvements in an existing building. The existing structure was remodeled to expand and move to the adjacent vacant space. The firm’s work also included architecture, electrical work, and plumbing.
Esplanade Builders, Inc.
23820 Hawthorne Boulevard, Suite #100, Torrance, CA 90505
Esplanade Builders provides end-to-end commercial tenant improvement services and extends its services throughout Torrance and the nearby area. It assists its clients throughout the entire process, from planning and design to material procurement to execution. The firm has been in business since 2003 and has had the opportunity to work in some of the best commercial districts throughout Southern California. Aside from its tenant improvement work, the firm’s portfolio also showcases several impressive industrial and manufacturing spaces, laboratories, medical offices, retail, and mixed-use projects.
Completed for Far Out Toys, this project entailed having to work on an expansion which consisted of several new executive office spaces, an open work area, and a new conference room. Some other elements include its new retail showroom. The Esplanade team also installed various control upgrades.
McCormick Construction
2507 Empire Avenue, Burbank, CA 91504
Founded in 1914, McCormick Construction operates out of its office in Burbank and offers its clients a diverse array of commercial renovation and construction services. It assists its clients through every step of the process, from preconstruction and general contracting to finish and construction management. The firm is also known for its great design-build approach, which allows it to keep the entire process in-house. Outside of the company’s office work, its portfolio includes several educational, museum, healthcare, hospitality, and residential projects. The company has also taken on various creative spaces and religious projects.
The featured project was completed for Bristol Capital. On this project, the firm’s team worked in collaboration with the architects at JAWS. Located in California, the project spans over 3,000 square feet. The firm’s team was tasked with the project’s interiors, ductwork, demolition, and structural floorplan to create its all-new open-concept space.
Intertex Companies
25134 Rye Canyon Loop, #300, Valencia, CA 91355
Founded in 1982, Intertex Companies offers its clients a complete range of general contracting services and has since grown into one of the largest construction companies in the Santa Clarita Valley. It credits its success to its service-oriented team that is experienced in every aspect of the entire process. The firm also offers its work at highly competitive prices. It can handle any project regardless of size or scale. Its portfolio showcases a great range of new facilities, extensive remodels, and impressive tenant improvements. The project above is an excellent example of the firm’s talent and expertise.
Completed for Henry Mayo Wellness, this project spans around 36,000 square feet. The project was finished in 2016 and cost $3.2M. For this project, the firm’s team was tasked with the overall tenant improvement, build-out, and the installation of new elevators.
Angeles Contractor, Inc.
783 Phillips Drive, City of Industry, CA 91748
Angeles Contractor was founded in 1998 and incorporated in 2005. It has since been recognized as one of the country’s fastest-growing general contracting firms and noted for its cost-effective building solutions. The firm offers its services to both public and private sector clients. It adheres to the highest industry standards and can handle anything from small interior renovations to high-profile commercial facilities and educational institutions. The chosen project depicts the firm’s work for Inland Empire Health Plan.
Located in Rancho Cucamonga, this project required the firm to work on various office spaces and new partitions. Its team also designed and constructed all-new restrooms. Several upgrades to its electrical work were also introduced.
Reaume Richardson
442 S Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA, 91105
Reaume Richardson has been extending its services throughout the Los Angeles area for over 20 years and has been responsible for the revitalization of countless tenant improvements throughout California’s best cities. It assists its clients with everything, from pre-construction and management to completion and does so with a highly hands-on approach. At the firm’s helm is its CEO, Bryson Reaume. He is the professional behind the firm’s overall strategic direction and executive management. He is experienced in every aspect of the entire process and makes sure that each of the firm’s projects benefits from his deep knowledge.
The featured project was completed for RIOS, a multi-disciplinary design and architecture studio. The firm had already constructed the company’s headquarters. The firm’s team went back and completed a new tenant improvement for RIOS, which became a canvas for an Aaron Kai mural.
Dynamic Builders, Inc.
633 West 5th Street, 26th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071
With over five decades of industry experience, Dynamic Builders is one of the leading industrial and commercial real estate developers working in Los Angeles. Since its establishment in 1964, the firm has completed over 700 facilities. It makes use of a comprehensive design-build process, which allows it to keep the entire project in-house. Doing so lessens the burden for clients in terms of having to look for additional subcontractors. The firm is also well-known for its build-to-suit developments, food industry work, industrial spaces, and retail build-outs.
The firm is the product of the vision of its chairman Ramon Bonin and president Blaise Bonin. Ramon has built millions of square feet of industrial, commercial, cold storage, and food processing facilities in the greater LA area. Blaise, on the other hand, has been with the firm ever since its inception and is experienced in all aspects of the business.
