Commercial & Industrial contractors

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Executive Summary

Commercial and industrial builders continue their comeback from the industry doldrums of the mid-’90s. The total value of commercial projects in L.A. County jumped by nearly 20 percent in 1999, over the previous year, while the total local value of industrial projects rose by 17.4 percent.

Going further back, the numbers look even more dramatic. The value of commercial projects in the county last year was $1.3 billion a 231.5 percent increase over the decade-low level of 1995.

In 1993, the value of industrial projects in L.A. was a mere $54.7 million, jumping to $361.1 million last year a 560.5 percent increase.

Three projects dominated the industry in 1999: Santa Monica’s office complexes (the Water Garden and the Arboretum), the Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, and the massive mixed-use development at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. Developed by the Canadian real estate giant TrizecHahn, the $567 million Hollywood project will permanently house the Academy Awards theater.


The Pacesetters

Tutor-Saliba Corp.

Logging more than 40 years on major construction and engineering jobs and more than $5 billion in completed projects, Tutor-Saliba of Sylmar is not only L.A. County’s biggest general contractor, it ranks as one of the biggest in the nation.

Several of L.A. County’s most important construction contracts have been awarded to the company, including the Alameda Corridor and large portions of the Metro Rail subway project. But while Tutor-Saliba has won considerable prestige by landing these contracts, it has also been tarnished by charges of mishandling pension funds, falling short of promised hiring goals, inadequate planning that led to sinkholes during subway construction along Hollywood Boulevard, and other problems.

Still burrowing its way up Alameda Street toward downtown L.A., the Alameda Corridor is one of the nation’s largest transportation projects. When completed, it will stretch 20 miles along Alameda Street from the harbors to transcontinental rail hubs near downtown. The corridor is expected to hasten the movement of cargo to and from the ports, and is slated for completion by February 2002.

Meanwhile, Tutor-Saliba anticipates completion in July or August of close to $1 billion worth of work it’s performing on the massive expansion of the San Francisco International Airport. This includes $500 million for the renovation of the international terminal, $95 million for boarding area G, $125 million for concourse H and the light rail system, $85 million on incoming bridges and viaducts, and $55 million each for the rental car area and south parking garages.

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