C.W. Driver Companies

What C.W. Driver Companies does

C.W. Driver Companies is a privately held, multi-faceted commercial construction firm founded in 1919 in Los Angeles by Clarence Wike Driver and John MacDonald. Headquartered in Pasadena, California, it is the oldest active licensed builder headquartered in Southern California and is currently ranked by Engineering News-Record in both the Top 150 General Contractors and Top 100 Construction Managers categories. The company provides General Contracting, Construction Management, and Design/Build services across multiple delivery methods (Design-Bid-Build, CM/Advisor, CM/Multi-Prime, CM/At-Risk, IPD, Lease/Leaseback, and Lean) to public and private sector clients, with primary concentration in California K-12 and higher education and growing exposure to hospitality, healthcare, senior living, commercial, and civic markets. Operations span five Southern California offices (Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga, Anaheim, San Diego, Carlsbad) and two wholly-owned affiliates: Driver SPG (Special Projects Group, formed 2010, Anaheim) for tenant improvements and small-to-mid scale work, and Good & Roberts, LLC for design-build/design-assist special projects.

The firm's core technology stack is built around Building Information Modeling (BIM), including a proprietary BIM Accountability Dashboard, in-house 3D coordination and clash-detection procedures that reportedly halve clash detection time, 5D BIM estimating that extracts quantities and costs from models, and a post-construction digital O&M manual product. Preconstruction services include constructability reviews, value engineering, cost control management, and scheduling, with documented savings exceeding $850,000 and three months of time on recent constructability reviews. The company maintains 25+ LEED AP accredited staff and DBIA-designated professionals and has delivered projects certified from LEED Gold to LEED Platinum.

C.W. Driver generates revenue through project-based contracts across its five service streams: General Contracting (lump-sum or hard-bid), Construction Management (Advisor, Multi-Prime, At-Risk), Design/Build (single-source), Preconstruction (design-phase services), and the Driver SPG affiliate line for smaller-scale work. Pricing is determined per project via competitive bidding for public works, negotiated contracts for private clients, and Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) arrangements; no standard pricing tiers are publicly disclosed. Projects are secured through direct business development, repeat-client relationships, and competitive public-works bidding, targeting enterprise buyers including school districts, the California State University and University of California systems, healthcare systems such as Cedars-Sinai, tribal nations (e.g., Jamul Indian Village), and private developers. The reported K-12 book alone exceeds 150 projects across 23+ districts totaling close to $2.2 billion over 30 years.

Name

C.W. Driver Companies

Legal name

C.W. Driver Companies

Website

https://cwdriver.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

C.W. Driver Companies is a privately held, Southern California-based general contractor and construction manager founded in 1919, serving public and private clients in education, healthcare, hospitality, commercial, and civic markets via general contracting, construction management, and design-build delivery methods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. General Contracting Services: Traditional lump sum or hard bid contracting where C.W. Driver assumes direct responsibility for all construction phase activities based on contract documents provided by the owner. Common for public works and private sector projects.
2. Construction Management Services: CM services where the company manages and oversees planning, design, and construction processes for owners, including contract awards, material procurement, cost and schedule monitoring. Can be CM/Advisor, CM/Multi-Prime, or CM/At-Risk delivery methods.
3. Design/Build Services: Single source contracting for both design and construction services at predetermined cost and schedule. Company subcontracts architectural and engineering services and partners with architects to deliver projects.
4. Preconstruction Services: Design phase services including constructability reviews, cost control management, value engineering, budget estimates, and scheduling provided as part of project contract or as standalone services.
5. Special Projects Group (Driver SPG): Affiliate company specializing in tenant improvement, renovation, and new construction projects for smaller-scale and specialized projects serving Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire, and Ventura Counties.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

C.W. Driver Companies is a multi-faceted builder providing General Contracting, Construction Management, and Design/Build services across the Western United States, with primary focus on Southern California. Services span preconstruction planning, BIM-enabled construction execution, and close-out for K-12, higher education, healthcare, hospitality, civic, commercial, and senior living projects. The firm operates through affiliates Driver SPG and Good & Roberts to serve tenant improvement and smaller-scale special projects.

Product overview

C.W. Driver Companies is a multi-faceted builder providing General Contracting, Construction Management and Design/Build services to the Western United States. Originally founded in Los Angeles by Clarence Wike (C.W.) Driver and John MacDonald over a century ago, C.W. Driver is the oldest active licensed builder headquartered in Southern California. The company operates through its core services (General Contracting, Construction Management, Design/Build) and specialized service modules (Preconstruction, BIM, Close-out). The company also operates through two affiliates: Driver SPG (Special Projects Group) for tenant improvements and specialized projects, and Good & Roberts for design-build/design-assist focused work. The company offers multiple project delivery methods including Design-Bid-Build, Negotiated, Construction Management variants (Advisor, Multi-Prime, At Risk), Integrated Project Delivery, Lease/Leaseback, and Lean Construction Delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Contracting

Quantifiable outcome

• Constructability reviews saved over $850,000 and 3 months of time on recent projects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Driver SPGcoreOthersDriver SPG (Special Projects Group) is an affiliate of C.W. Driver Companies formed in 2010, headquartered in Anaheim. Specializes in tenant improvement, renovation, and new construction projects in Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire, and Ventura Counties. Backed by over 100 years of construction experience with extensive resources and financial strength.
• Good & Roberts, LLCcoreOthersGood & Roberts, LLC is a special projects group and subsidiary of C.W. Driver Companies. Specializes in design-build and design-assist projects with emphasis on solution-oriented collaboration, cost efficiency, and relationship building. Handles estimating and business development in addition to operations.
• HGA ArchitectsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner on multiple CSU Dominguez Hills projects including Center for Science & Innovation and Innovation & Instruction Building. Also partnered on CSU Fullerton Visual Arts Campus.
• LMN ArchitectsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner on UC Santa Barbara Interactive Learning Pavilion project, a 95,000 SF, 4-story facility with LEED Gold certification.
• Harley Ellis Devereaux Architects & EngineersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture and engineering partner on MiraCosta College Chemistry & Biotechnology Building project ($35.1M, 25,000 SF).
• NAC ArchitecturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner on Malibu High School expansion project ($110M, 70,000 SF) for Santa Monica-Malibu USD.
• A.C. Martin PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner on CSU Northridge student housing project (Buildings #22 & #23, $55.7M, 60,290 SF, 198 beds).
• SCB ArchitectsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner on Pomona-Pitzer College Rains Athletic Center (LEED Platinum) and CSU San Bernardino Coyote Village projects.
• JCJ ArchitecturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partner on Jamul Hotel project ($270M, 16-story, 254,000 SF, 200 rooms) for Jamul Indian Village.
• House & Robertson ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm on 1650 Euclid Street creative office project in Santa Monica ($33M, 65,000 SF, 3-story).
• PJHM ArchitectsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner on Solis Park K-8 School for Irvine USD ($52.5M, 108,000 SF) and Menifee Union School District projects.
• DLR GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner on Mt. San Jacinto College STEM Building ($38M, 57,400 SF) and Menifee Elementary #15 project.
• Gelson'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-site market operator at Rove EV charging centers built by Driver SPG, offering curated selection of quality foods, drinks, and convenience items.
• National Builders AllianceminorOthersIndustry association affiliation for construction industry advocacy and networking.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Clark Construction Group: Major ENR-ranked contractor with deep higher education, healthcare, and hospitality practices. Frequently bids against C.W. Driver on large West Coast institutional projects.
• PCL Construction: Employee-owned general contractor with strong education, healthcare, and civil practices. Overlaps with C.W. Driver in higher-education and civic markets across North America.
• Turner Construction Company: Largest domestic general contractor with significant education, healthcare, and commercial portfolios. Competes for major higher-education and institutional projects across Southern California at a scale well above C.W. Driver.
• Skanska USA: Global construction firm with a substantial U.S. higher-education, healthcare, and civic portfolio. Competes for marquee California institutional projects at the upper end of C.W. Driver's bid range.

Direct peers

• Swinerton: 100% employee-owned California-headquartered general contractor serving commercial, education, hospitality, and multifamily markets. Direct peer on SoCal institutional and education projects and a competitor for Driver SPG-sized special projects.
• McCarthy Building Companies: Privately-held national general contractor with major Southern California presence across education, healthcare, and commercial markets. Direct competitor for the same higher-education and K-12 opportunities that anchor C.W. Driver's pipeline.
• Webcor: California-based general contractor with a strong higher education and commercial portfolio. Directly comparable on California institutional work and overlapping customer base among CSU, UC, and large developers.
• Sundt Construction: Employee-owned general contractor with California offices competing in education, healthcare, and industrial markets. Comparable mid-sized Top-150 GC competing for a similar SoCal project mix.
• Hensel Phelps: Employee-owned national general contractor specializing in higher education, healthcare, aviation, and public assembly. Direct competitor for CSU/UC and large institutional builds where C.W. Driver competes.

Regional players

• Bernards: Employee-owned Southern California general contractor focusing on commercial, healthcare, and education projects. Direct competitor for mid-sized SoCal institutional and Driver SPG-scale work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cwdriverco
• Facebookfacebook.com/cwdrivercompanies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/c-w--driver

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 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 C.W. Driver Companies