Строительные подрядчики Оранж Каунти зафиксировали рост объемов работ на 11% в 2025 году

IRVINE — Orange County’s tenant improvement contractors posted a double-digit rebound in 2025 due to renewed office investment, defense-related projects, industrial demand and healthcare modernization, several executives told the Business Journal. The 29 contractors ranked on this year’s Business Journal list reported a combined $1.6 billion in tenant improvement work completed in Orange County in 2025, up 11% from $1.4 billion in 2024. The companies also completed 17.2 million square feet of projects, a 9.7% increase from the 15.7 million square feet reported in 2024, according to the self-reported list. Employment numbers dropped 4.7% to 3,105 people working for local companies as of May. Close Look at Top Five Howard Building Corporation took the top spot on this year’s list, reporting $198 million in Orange County tenant improvement work in 2025, up nearly 34% from the previous year. The Costa Mesa contractor, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, completed about 2.1 million square feet of projects. That’s up 141% from the 870,000 square feet finished in 2024. Last year’s top ranked firm, Irvine-based RAM Construction LLC, dropped to No. 2, reporting $181 million in tenant improvement work, up 11% from 2024. Among the projects the company worked on in 2024 were the construction and renovation of Westcliff University’s new nursing school facility and early learning academy. Brea-based KPRS Construction Services LLC kept its No. 3 spot with $143 million in work, with a few office repositioning projects. Concord-based Swinerton Builders, which has local offices in Santa Ana, followed with $142.3 million in local projects, which included work on OCVibe’s parking structure D. The massive multi-color parking garages can be seen along the (57) Freeway. Making its debut on the list is Redwood City-based DPR Construction, which has offices in Newport Beach. It ranked No. 5, with $132 million in Orange County tenant improvement work. Meanwhile, No. 17 ranked Morris Inc. in Irvine experienced a 36% year-over-year drop to $21.6 million. Newport Beach-based KNR Builders saw its local work projects fall by almost 40% to $8.7 million. Experiencing Growth Several executives said that having long-term relationships with clients and experience working on their facilities has helped drive business. “There has been an increase in project volume driven by repeat clients and expanded relationships in our core markets,” Bryan Howard, president of Howard Building Corp., told the Business Journal. Anaheim-based DEB Construction LLC Director of Project Personnel Justin Sandoval said they also received a lot of repeat business. Many organizations are opting to renovate and update their current spaces rather than relocate, “especially in the financial and healthcare industries where maintaining operational continuity is essential,” he told the Business Journal. “Clients are investing in workplace modernization, technology upgrades, security enhancements, and tenant improvements that support their evolving strategies,” Sandoval said. With Orange County experiencing a defense and aerospace boom, led by Anduril Industries, Howard said that industry, along with healthcare and life sciences, industrial office buildouts and office upgrades as more employees return to in-office work, are fueling tenant improvement demand. Nick Curci, vice president of operations at Newport Beach-based DBaC Inc., told the Business Journal that its TI growth of 91% was driven by strong demand in the medical sector. “This has been the case for us for a few years now, dating back to the pandemic. We have executed multiple projects for CHOC/Rady’s, Providence, and we recently completed the new Be Well campus at the Great Park,” he said. “We think that medical will continue to be the leading force in the TI market over the next few years.” Continued Challenges Even with more projects, tenant improvement contractors still face several challenges. “Construction costs continue to rise to new levels,” Doug Bassett, president of Brea-based Caliber Construction Inc., told the Business Journal. “The general economy has created a ‘wait and see’ posture for a lot of our client real estate decision makers.” Caliber reported an 11% decline in local projects. Overall, executives said that ongoing labor shortages, delays in obtaining permits, and uncertainty about tariffs are still putting pressure on contractors. Howard described the labor issue as “tight but manageable with strong subcontractor relationships and consistent pipeline.” Sandoval added: “It is becoming more competitive on trade labor availability, skilled craftsmanship and recruiting qualified field superintendents.” The Future Looking ahead, Howard expects demand to stay strong as landlords keep upgrading office properties to attract tenants. Owners are also placing greater emphasis on speed, cost certainty and adaptive reuse projects. Bassett also thinks technology will play a bigger role. He said artificial intelligence could eventually change how companies estimate and deliver projects, though his company is taking a careful approach to using new tools. Meanwhile, DEB Construction has been using AI in basic office administrative tasks such as document review, meeting summaries and research. In the field, the team also uses it to translate languages, draft Requests for Information and perform drawing and photo markups. “These incorporations allow our project teams to spend more time dedicated to serving our clients and project execution,” Sandoval said. Research Director Desmond Celo contributed to this report.