After a year of economic uncertainty, many of the largest specialty contractors in ENR’s new East region managed to increase their revenue while navigating a market that is increasingly shaped by infrastructure modernization, energy transition and cautious private investment.
The East list represents $8.2 billion worth of 2024 revenue reported by 62 firms working in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
The inaugural East ranking of the largest regional specialty firms reflects the consolidation of ENR’s U.S. regions into five new ones: East, Midwest, Mountain States & Southwest, Southeast & Texas and West.
The top 10 firms on the East list accounted for $4.1 billion in revenue, half of the total from all 62 firms. The No. 1 firm, E-J Group, posted $1.36 billion in regional specialty contracting revenue, followed by Rosendin Electric at $547 million and BOND Civil & Utility Construction at $437 million. Several other revenue leaders, including Wayne J. Griffin Electric, E.M. Duggan and C.A.C. Industries, each reported more than $250 million in revenue. No. 7 ranked C.A.C. Industries was named New York’s Specialty Contractor of the Year (see p. E26), while No. 10 W.L. French received the firm of the year award for the New England region (see p. E28) and No. 11 Southern Air Inc. was honored in the MidAtlantic region (see p. E24). The two latter firms reported $185.8 million and $187 million in revenue in their respective subregions.
Chart by ENR
The top 15 ranked firms working in the MidAtlantic states combined to report $1.94 billion in revenue, down 23.3% from the $2.53 billion the top 15 posted on last year’s ENR MidAtlantic survey. The top 15 firms working in the New England states reported $2.03 billion compared with $1.96 billion reported by the top 15 firms in New England last year, a 3.57% increase.
Specialty firms working in New York and New Jersey saw the largest improvement year over year, a 14.1% increase, accounting for $3.31 billion in revenue compared with $2.90 billion posted by the top 15 firms in 2024.
AEG is finishing work on the 2Life Opus project in Newton, Mass., a 351,000-sq-ft, $100-million senior living facility with 174 apartments and numerous amenities for residents.
Photo by Dellbrook/Justin Valadez
Utility Players
“The largest opportunities continue to come from water infrastructure enhancement and replacement.”
—Dan Evans, CEO, Skoda Contracting
Power and utility infrastructure has become the strongest growth engine for many firms, a sector in which “the most significant growth has been in electrical transmission,” says Kane Cuddy, president of BOND Civil & Utility Construction. The leader of the Boston-area firm cites converging forces reshaping the market: aging grid systems, more climate-related disruptions and surging demand from data centers and other big power users. “Taken together, these factors are creating a sustained wave of opportunities in the electrical transmission sector,” he says. “For companies like ours, this means not just maintaining aging assets, but also playing a central role in reshaping the region’s energy landscape for reliability, resilience and future growth.”
Dane Evans, CEO of No. 36 ranked Skoda Contracting, points to similar demand drivers on the utility side. His Flanders, N.J.-based firm reported $88 million in revenue.
“The largest opportunities continue to come from water infrastructure enhancement and replacement, driven by aging systems and regulatory requirements for lead service line replacement and water quality improvements,” he says.
Chart by ENR
Distribution electric work is expanding rapidly as utilities “invest in system upgrades to handle load growth and prepare for increased electrification,” Evans adds, while the rapid rise of AI and data centers is “fueling demand for power access and related infrastructure, creating new opportunities for utility contractors.”
Even as some power and utility markets surge, others have slowed due to politics and budget constraints, with Cuddy pointing to offshore wind development and higher-education energy projects in recent months.
BOND Civil & Utility has been contracted by the New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection to deliver critical infrastructure upgrades at three wastewater pump stations in Queens, N.Y.
Photo courtesy BOND Civil & Utility
Evans sees similar caution in site development and heavy civil markets, where “opaque federal policy, interest rate volatility, tariff concerns and broader macroeconomic uncertainty” have made developers more selective about large, multiyear projects.
Both executives expect modest near-term growth but strong long-term fundamentals. Cuddy forecasts continued momentum in battery energy storage systems, electrical transmission and water-wastewater infrastructure, while Evans anticipates “significant investment” in electrical grid hardening, continued pipeline replacement in both gas and water and upgrades to water and wastewater treatment facilities over the next three to five years.
