COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 233320

Office Building Construction

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

38companies1846–1987founding years36still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedJarvis plc
1846
FoundedGilbane, Inc.
1873
FoundedSkanska AB
1887
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedMcCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
1907
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedGeorge Wimpey plc
1919
FoundedTokyu Corporation
1922
FoundedFluor Corporation
1924
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedMitsubishi Estate Company, Limited
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedBalfour Beatty plc
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedH.J. Russell & CompanyFoundedKB Home
1957
FoundedHeery International, Inc.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedThe Yates Companies, Inc.
1964
FoundedLincoln Property Company
1965
FoundedPyramid Companies
1968
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedBilfinger & Berger AG
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedGeneral Growth Properties, Inc.
1986
FoundedCanary Wharf Group Plc
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Jarvis plc →
Active · founded 1846 · United Kingdom
CEO Paris Maoyedi has transformed Jarvis plc from a tiny, money-losing construction firm in the early 1990s to one of…
Jarvis plc →
Active · founded 1846 · United Kingdom
CEO Paris Maoyedi has transformed Jarvis plc from a tiny, money-losing construction firm in the early 1990s to one of…
Gilbane, Inc. →
Active · founded 1873
Gilbane, Inc., located in Providence, Rhode Island, is a privately owned company that has been in the same family for…
Gilbane, Inc. →
Active · founded 1873
Gilbane, Inc., located in Providence, Rhode Island, is a privately owned company that has been in the same family for…
Skanska AB →
Active · founded 1887 · Sweden
After helping to build Scandinavia, Skanska AB is ready to help build the rest of the world.
Skanska AB →
Active · founded 1887 · Sweden
After helping to build Scandinavia, Skanska AB is ready to help build the rest of the world.
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1907
1940s:McCarthy builds U.S.
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1907
1940s:McCarthy builds U.S.
George Wimpey plc →
Active · founded 1919 · United Kingdom
George Wimpey plc ranks among the world's oldest and largest private construction concerns, with operations in the…
George Wimpey plc →
Active · founded 1919 · United Kingdom
George Wimpey plc ranks among the world's oldest and largest private construction concerns, with operations in the…
Tokyu Corporation →
Active · founded 1922 · Japan
Tokyu Corporation operates railways, freight companies, bus companies, and a domestic airline in Japan.
Tokyu Corporation →
Active · founded 1922 · Japan
Tokyu Corporation operates railways, freight companies, bus companies, and a domestic airline in Japan.
Fluor Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Mid-1980s:Fluor divests all of its oil properties, some gold operations, and all its offshore drilling facilities.
Fluor Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Mid-1980s:Fluor divests all of its oil properties, some gold operations, and all its offshore drilling facilities.
Mitsubishi Estate Company, Limited →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
A unit of the Mitsubishi Group, Mitsubishi Estate Company, Limited (MEC) is one of the foremost real estate management,…
Mitsubishi Estate Company, Limited →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
A unit of the Mitsubishi Group, Mitsubishi Estate Company, Limited (MEC) is one of the foremost real estate management,…
Balfour Beatty plc →
Active · founded 1945 · United Kingdom
Late 19th century:Callender's Cable and Construction Co.
Balfour Beatty plc →
Active · founded 1945 · United Kingdom
Late 19th century:Callender's Cable and Construction Co.
H.J. Russell & Company →
Active · founded 1957 · United States
H.J.
H.J. Russell & Company →
Active · founded 1957 · United States
H.J.
KB Home →
Active · founded 1957
KB Home is the largest home builder in the United States, in terms of units built.
KB Home →
Active · founded 1957
KB Home is the largest home builder in the United States, in terms of units built.
Heery International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2002, Heery International, Inc., is an architectural and engineering firm offering…
Heery International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2002, Heery International, Inc., is an architectural and engineering firm offering…
The Yates Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
With its headquarters in Philadelphia, Mississippi, The Yates Companies, Inc.
The Yates Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
With its headquarters in Philadelphia, Mississippi, The Yates Companies, Inc.
Lincoln Property Company →
Active · founded 1965
Lincoln Property Company is one of the top developers of both office buildings and residential apartment complexes,…
Lincoln Property Company →
Active · founded 1965
Lincoln Property Company is one of the top developers of both office buildings and residential apartment complexes,…
Pyramid Companies →
Active · founded 1968
Pyramid Companies is the leading developer of shopping malls in the northeastern United States, concentrating on…
Pyramid Companies →
Active · founded 1968
Pyramid Companies is the leading developer of shopping malls in the northeastern United States, concentrating on…
Bilfinger & Berger AG →
Active · founded 1975 · Germany
Bilfinger Berger AG operates as the second-largest general contractor in Germany, just behind competitor HOCHTIEF AG.
Bilfinger & Berger AG →
Active · founded 1975 · Germany
Bilfinger Berger AG operates as the second-largest general contractor in Germany, just behind competitor HOCHTIEF AG.
General Growth Properties, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1986
General Growth Properties, Inc.
General Growth Properties, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1986
General Growth Properties, Inc.
Canary Wharf Group Plc →
Active · founded 1987 · United Kingdom
London landmark Canary Wharf has seen its share of ups and downs.
Canary Wharf Group Plc →
Active · founded 1987 · United Kingdom
London landmark Canary Wharf has seen its share of ups and downs.
Wilson Bowden Plc →
Active · founded 1987 · United Kingdom
One of the United Kingdom's top home builders, Wilson Bowden Plc has targeted the upper end of the housing market,…
Wilson Bowden Plc →
Active · founded 1987 · United Kingdom
One of the United Kingdom's top home builders, Wilson Bowden Plc has targeted the upper end of the housing market,…
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