Wharton-Smith

What Wharton-Smith does

Wharton-Smith is a privately held, full-service construction group headquartered in Sanford, Florida, that provides general contracting, construction management at risk (CMAR), design-build, preconstruction, and self-perform construction services across the Southeastern United States. Founded in 1984 by Bill Wharton and George Smith, the firm operates through 10 regional offices spanning Florida (Sanford, Tampa, Jacksonville, Palm Beach Gardens, Fort Myers, North Port, Rockledge, Pensacola), the Carolinas (Charlotte), Louisiana (Baton Rouge), and Texas (Sugar Land/Houston), employing more than 700 people including over 120 in-house craftsmen who self-perform site work, concrete, masonry, underground utilities, earthwork, piping, and mechanical installations.

The company's revenue is generated primarily through project-based fixed-price and CMAR contracts, with delivery structured around competitive bidding on public-sector work and negotiated design-build or CMAR agreements on private and institutional engagements. Wharton-Smith serves a diversified set of public and private end markets — water and wastewater treatment, K-12 and higher education, municipal and public safety facilities, entertainment and theme-park attractions, community centers, senior living, and corporate interiors — with leadership organized into dedicated Commercial and Water divisions. Customer relationships include JEA, Rollins College, University of Central Florida, SeaWorld Orlando, NBC/Universal, and Orange County, and the firm has cumulatively completed over $1.5 billion in CMAR projects and over $1 billion in design-build projects. The company was led by Ron Davoli from 2005 until Tim Smith (likely a founder family member) was named President and CEO in April 2023.

Wharton-Smith makes money by bidding on and executing construction projects under multiple delivery methods, charging owners either a fixed contract sum, cost-plus-fee with a guaranteed maximum price, or professional fees for preconstruction and construction management services. Its go-to-market is exclusively direct field sales via regional offices pursuing enterprise and municipal clients, supported by industry association membership, community involvement, and brand recognition earned over 40 years of operation including a place on the ENR Top 400 Contractors list and a consistent ENR Southeast ranking as the top water-supply contractor in the region.

Name

Wharton-Smith

Legal name

Wharton-Smith Inc.

Website

https://whartonsmith.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Wharton-Smith is a privately held, full-service construction group providing general contracting, CMAR, design-build, and self-perform construction services across the Southeastern US. The firm serves public and institutional clients in water/wastewater, education, municipal, entertainment, and community facility segments via 10 regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Industrial Building Construction (23621), Site Preparation Contractors (23891), Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors (2381)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Modular/Offsite General Contracting & Installation (IMAFAAAK)

Keywords

• Commercial construction services
• Construction management at risk
• Design-build construction
• Water and wastewater infrastructure
• General contracting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. General Contracting: Traditional design-bid-build project delivery through competitive bidding for owners and clients, overseeing specialty contractors, subcontractors, and vendors.
2. Construction Management at Risk (CMAR): Contractor has significant input during design phase, working collaboratively with design team and owner. Operating under open-book philosophy during GMP development with accurate cost updates. Completed over $1.5 Billion in projects using this delivery method.
3. Design-Build: Single entity performs both design and construction under one contract, offering owner single point of responsibility. Completed over $1 Billion in Design-Build projects.
4. Preconstruction Services: Estimators evaluate needs versus wants with goal of providing highest value. Provide life cycle analysis, up-front costs versus long-term paybacks, and constructability reviews.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wharton-Smith is a construction group that delivers construction management, design-build, general contracting, and preconstruction services for commercial, institutional, municipal, and infrastructure clients. Its offerings are augmented by 120+ in-house craftsmen who self-perform site work, concrete, masonry, underground utilities, earthwork, piping, and mechanical equipment installations. The firm executes projects via General Contracting, CMAR, Design-Build, and Preconstruction delivery methods across verticals including water/wastewater, K-12 and higher education, municipal/public safety, community, entertainment, senior living, and corporate interiors.

Product overview

Wharton-Smith is a general contractor and construction management firm offering construction services through multiple delivery methods (General Contracting, Construction Management at Risk, Design-Build, and Self-Perform) plus preconstruction planning. The company serves diverse market segments including water/wastewater treatment facilities, K-12 and higher education institutions, municipal/public facilities, community centers, entertainment/recreation/sports venues, senior living, corporate interiors, and continuing services contracts. With over 40 years in business and over 120 in-house craftsmen, Wharton-Smith operates as a single unified construction service offering rather than a platform with modular products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Contracting Traditional design-bid-build project delivery in which Wharton-Smith serves as the primary builder, overseeing specialty contractors, subcontractors, and vendors for commercial, institutional, and infrastructure projects.
• Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) Project delivery method enabling significant contractor input during the design phase, operating under an open-book philosophy during Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) development with accurate cost updates, value engineering, and schedule management.
• Design-Build Single-entity project delivery system for both design and construction under one contract, offering a single point of responsibility with DBIA-certified employees.
• Preconstruction Services Estimating and planning services evaluating project needs versus wants, providing life cycle analysis, up-front cost versus long-term payback analysis, constructability reviews, scheduling, phasing, and seasonal issue identification to deliver accurate GMPs.
• Self-Perform Construction In-house labor force of over 120 craftsmen who self-perform site work, concrete, masonry, underground utilities, earthwork, piping, and mechanical equipment installations, providing schedule and budget control.
• Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Construction Construction of water treatment plants, water reclamation facilities, wastewater treatment plants, pump stations, reverse osmosis additions, oxidation ditch improvements, and biosolids facilities for municipal utility clients.
• K-12 Education Construction New greenfield K-12 school construction and complex renovations on occupied campuses, including elementary, middle, high schools, charter schools, cafetoriums, gymnasiums, and athletic facilities for public and charter school districts.
• Higher Education Construction College and university construction of stadiums, athletic facilities, fine and performing arts centers, dormitories, research facilities, student centers, and campus-wide continuing services contracts.
• Municipal and Public Safety Construction Government and public facility construction including fire stations, police stations, city halls, corrections facilities, medical examiner offices, and municipal operations centers for government agencies and municipalities.
• Community Facility Construction

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced chemical usage by up to 79 percent at David L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility using Suspended Ion Exchange technology
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Habitat for Humanity Seminole-ApopkaminorOthersWharton-Smith committed $1 million to support the development of Legacy Point, a 19-home affordable housing community. The project aims to provide stable housing for low-to-moderate-income families and is expected to contribute over $14 million to the regional GDP.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brasfield & Gorrie: Birmingham, AL-based general contractor and construction manager of similar scale, deeply rooted in the Southeast, with comparable multi-delivery model (GC, CMAR, Design-Build) and self-perform capabilities across commercial, industrial, healthcare, education, and water.
• Manhattan Construction Group: Tulsa, OK-based construction group operating across the Southeast and other US regions; comparable scale, multi-delivery model, and verticals (commercial, sports, education, government) with self-perform capabilities.
• Hoar Construction: Birmingham, AL-based general contractor with strong Southeast presence across commercial, education, healthcare, and multifamily; comparable project delivery methods and client profile to Wharton-Smith.
• Haskell: Jacksonville, FL-based design-build firm operating across the Southeast with comparable vertical mix (commercial, education, water, industrial) and integrated architecture, engineering, and construction delivery similar to Wharton-Smith's CMAR/Design-Build approach.
• Robins & Morton: Birmingham, AL-based Southeast-focused general contractor with similar vertical coverage in healthcare, education, commercial, and water/wastewater; comparable mid-to-large regional scale and self-perform construction capabilities.
• B.L. Harbert International: Birmingham, AL-headquartered general contractor with comparable Southeast footprint plus international work; offers GC, CMAR, and Design-Build across commercial, government, healthcare, and industrial markets similar to Wharton-Smith.
• Barton Malow: Southfield, MI-based construction firm operating across the Southeast with comparable CMAR and Design-Build delivery across sports, education, healthcare, and industrial markets; similar self-perform trade base.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM (Construction Services): Global infrastructure firm with a large construction services arm covering water, transportation, and municipal projects; directly competes with Wharton-Smith's water/wastewater vertical while operating at much larger scale.
• Gilbane Building Company: Large national construction manager and general contractor with significant Southeast presence; offers similar delivery methods across education, water, healthcare, and municipal markets but at greater scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Turner Construction Company: One of the largest US general contractors with substantial Florida and Southeast operations; competes for the same education, municipal, and commercial projects as Wharton-Smith but with national scale and broader service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wharton_smith
• Facebookfacebook.com/whartonsmithinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 Wharton-Smith