Big-D Construction

What Big-D Construction does

Big-D Construction is a privately held, family-of-companies construction services firm headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, founded in 1967 by Dee "Big Dee" Livingood. The company delivers construction management, design-build, and general contracting services across 18 market sectors including commercial, healthcare, government, industrial and mining, food and beverage processing, hospitality and resorts, mission critical, warehouse and distribution, multi-family residential, and educational facilities. Operations span 18 regional offices across the Mountain West, Southwest, Midwest, and West Coast, supported by 1,800+ associates and self-perform concrete capabilities that include tilt-up, structural, and architectural concrete work.

The business is organized as a unified holding company with four national specialty focus groups — Big-D Mission Critical (data centers), Big-D Heavy Industrial (mining and heavy industrial), Big-D Food & Beverage (processing facilities), and Big-D Signature (luxury mountain resorts and residences) — alongside regional commercial brands Martin-Harris Construction (Nevada/Colorado), McAlvain Companies (Idaho), and strategic partner Dovetail Construction (Montana). The company has scaled primarily through acquisitions and partnerships (Martin-Harris 2014, Johnson Carlier 2017, Dovetail 2018, McAlvain 2019) and has delivered landmark projects including the new Salt Lake City International Airport via a Holder | Big-D joint venture. Self-reported metrics include $3.5 billion+ in average yearly revenue, a 0.61 EMR rating, 90% customer retention, and 35+ years ranked among top builders in the nation.

Revenue is generated through project-based construction contracts with enterprise developers, government entities, healthcare systems, industrial operators, and luxury hospitality clients; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The customer base includes Amazon, Kroger, the IRS, Freeport-McMoRan, Tyson Foods, Auberge Resorts, and University of Utah Health and Intermountain Health. Leadership transitioned from the founding Livingood family to professional management, with Cory Moore serving as CEO, Rob Moore as Executive Chairman, and Jack Livingood as Chairman of Big-D Companies.

Name

Big-D Construction

Legal name

Big-D Construction

Website

https://big-d.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Big-D Construction is a privately held, family-of-companies construction services firm founded in 1967, delivering design-build, construction management, and general contracting across 18 regional offices and specialty divisions serving enterprise, government, healthcare, industrial, food and beverage, and hospitality clients nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Industrial Building Construction (23621), Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Operative Builders (1531), Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Healthcare Facility Construction (Hospitals, Clinics, Labs) (IMAFACAD), Government & Civic Building Construction (Courthouses, City Halls, Public Safety) (IMAFACAF), Food & Beverage Processing Plant Construction (IMAFADAH), Automotive & Heavy Manufacturing Plant Construction (IMAFADAK)

Keywords

• Commercial construction services
• Design-build construction
• Construction management services
• Food and beverage processing construction
• Mission critical facility construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Construction Services Revenue: Project-based revenue from construction services including commercial construction, design-build, and construction management across multiple sectors including healthcare, education, government, industrial, manufacturing, hospitality, and warehouse/distribution. Revenue is generated through one-time project fees rather than recurring contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Big-D Construction provides commercial construction management, design-build, and general contracting services across sectors including healthcare, education, government, industrial, manufacturing, hospitality, warehouse/distribution, food & beverage processing, mission-critical/data centers, and multi-family residential. The company delivers projects through regional offices and four national specialty focus groups, with self-perform concrete capabilities and expertise in active operating environments.

Product overview

Big-D Construction is a nationwide construction services firm organized as a family of companies offering general contracting, design-build, and construction management services. The portfolio includes the core Big-D Construction brand and four national specialty focus groups: Big-D Mission Critical (data centers), Big-D Heavy Industrial (mining and industrial facilities), Big-D Food & Beverage (processing plants), and Big-D Signature (luxury mountain residences). Regional commercial operations are supported by acquired companies Martin-Harris Construction (Nevada/Colorado) and McAlvain Companies (Idaho), plus strategic partner Dovetail Construction (Montana). The company serves 18 market sectors spanning commercial, concrete, data centers, educational, food & beverage, government, healthcare, hospitality, industrial/mining, manufacturing, multi-family, religious/cultural, residential, sports/entertainment, tilt-up concrete, transportation, warehouse/distribution, and water/wastewater construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big-D Mission Critical: National focus group specializing in data center and mission critical facility construction.
• Big-D Heavy Industrial
• Big-D Food & Beverage
• Big-D Signature
• Martin-Harris Construction
• McAlvain Companies
• Dovetail Construction

Products and services

• Big-D Construction (Commercial Construction) Full-service commercial construction delivering design-build, construction management, and general contracting services across commercial, concrete, educational, healthcare, industrial, manufacturing, multi-family, religious/cultural, sports/entertainment, warehouse/distribution, and water/wastewater sectors for enterprise developers, corporations, and government clients.
• Big-D Mission Critical National focus group of Big-D Construction specializing in data center and mission-critical facility construction requiring high reliability and uptime for enterprise and government clients.
• Big-D Heavy Industrial National focus group of Big-D Construction handling complex industrial and mining construction projects including ore handling, processing facilities, and heavy civil infrastructure for industrial and mining operators.
• Big-D Food & Beverage National focus group of Big-D Construction providing specialized construction services for food and beverage processing facilities including dairy, meat, and beverage processing plants for enterprise food processor clients.
• Big-D Signature Luxury mountain resort and high-end residential construction brand of Big-D serving Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming markets with high-end custom homebuilding and resort development.
• Martin-Harris Construction Regional construction company operating in Nevada and Colorado markets within the Big-D family of companies, providing commercial and industrial construction services.
• McAlvain Companies Idaho-based regional construction company within the Big-D family of companies specializing in commercial, concrete, hospitality, and water/wastewater construction.
• Dovetail Construction Montana-based construction company specializing in mountain resort and luxury residential construction, operating as a strategic partner brand within the Big-D family of companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% customer retention rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• Holder Construction Group (Joint Venture)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2020Holder | Big-D Construction, A Joint Venture (HDJV) partnered for the New Salt Lake City Airport project. Big-D Construction worked as part of this joint venture to deliver the new airport on time, on course, and on budget. The project opened September 15, 2020.
• Johnson CarliermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2017Big-D Construction acquired Arizona general contractor Johnson Carlier in October 2017. Founded in 1921, Johnson Carlier had established a reputation in Phoenix area markets including automotive, food & beverage, distribution, higher education, hospitality, and healthcare construction.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Holder Construction: National commercial general contractor with strengths in data centers, mission-critical, and large commercial work. Holder was Big-D's joint venture partner on the new Salt Lake City International Airport (HDJV), making them a direct and validated peer.
• DPR Construction: Privately held national commercial GC with deep technical building, data center, healthcare, and life sciences expertise. Comparable in scale, family/employee-ownership culture, and specialty-division structure to Big-D.
• Mortenson Construction: Privately held national GC with strong data center, renewable energy, and sports/entertainment portfolios. Highly comparable in privately-held ownership, regional/national operating model, and mission-critical vertical focus.
• McCarthy Building Companies: Privately held national commercial GC with strong healthcare, higher education, and industrial portfolios. Comparable scale and similar reliance on specialty divisions and repeat enterprise clients.
• JE Dunn Construction: Privately held national commercial GC of comparable size with strong healthcare, mission-critical, and commercial portfolios. Similar family-influenced culture and acquisition-driven regional expansion history.
• Hensel Phelps: Privately held national commercial GC with aviation, healthcare, and government expertise. Similar size, comparable design-build delivery model, and family-influenced ownership culture.

Broad incumbents

• Turner Construction: Largest commercial GC in the US (subsidiary of HOCHTIEF). Competes with Big-D across virtually every commercial vertical but with materially larger bonding capacity and national footprint.
• Clark Construction: Large privately held national GC with major commercial, healthcare, and government work. Competes with Big-D in large-scale design-build projects and federal/civic markets.
• Walsh Group / Walsh Construction: Large privately held national builder with both commercial building and heavy civil divisions. Competes with Big-D in commercial work and overlaps with Big-D Heavy Industrial on complex industrial projects.
• Skanska USA: US arm of global construction major Skanska. Competes with Big-D on commercial building and heavy civil/civil engineering projects, with materially larger capital base and global procurement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big-D Construction