Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc.

Commercial Construction Serviceswillissmith.com

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. is a privately held Sarasota, Florida-based construction management and general contracting firm, founded in 1972, delivering commercial, institutional, municipal, healthcare, and sustainable building projects across Southwest Florida's Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Company typePrivate
Founded1972
HeadquartersSarasota, United States
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. does

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. is a privately held commercial construction management and general contracting firm headquartered at 5001 Lakewood Ranch Blvd N, Suite 100, in the Lakewood Ranch area of Sarasota, Florida, with operations concentrated in Sarasota and Manatee counties in Southwest Florida. Founded in 1972, the firm provides construction management, preconstruction consulting, design-build delivery, and LEED-certified sustainable building services, serving education, municipal/government, healthcare, cultural/community, hospitality, industrial, commercial/mixed-use, and custom residential clients. Project scale ranges from custom homes to large public-sector builds such as the $200 million Wellen Park High School for Sarasota County Schools and the $132 million Mote Marine Science & Education Aquarium (SEA) joint venture with Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.

The firm operates a vertical-segmented, relationship-driven go-to-market motion, targeting public procurement processes (competitive bidding for government, county, and school district work) and negotiated contracts for private institutional clients. Its marketing presence is regional and reputation-led, combining earned media coverage in outlets such as SRQ Magazine, Business Observer, and the Herald Tribune with active organic social channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook) and community involvement through local chambers and the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance. Project delivery is supported by a deep local subcontractor network, a recurring ecosystem of regional architecture firms (Zyscovich, TVS Design, SweetSparkman, Fawley Bryant), and preferred-supplier relationships with specialty vendors such as Butler Manufacturing Company for pre-engineered metal building systems.

Revenue is generated through project-based construction management fees and general contracting mark-ups on individual construction projects, with the firm reportedly growing from approximately $10 million annually to approximately $143 million annually as of 2024, an expansion that coincides with its relocation from Sarasota to Lakewood Ranch. The firm is closely held with no external private equity or venture capital ownership disclosed, and is led by Chairman David Sessions and President & CEO John LaCivita, with VP/Project Executive David Otterness serving as a senior operator and 2024 board chair of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc.
Legal name: Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc.
Website: https://willissmith.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1972
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. is a privately held Sarasota, Florida-based construction management and general contracting firm, founded in 1972, delivering commercial, institutional, municipal, healthcare, and sustainable building projects across Southwest Florida's Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. industry classification

Industry

Product category: Commercial Construction Services
NAICS: Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)
SIC: General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)
akta.pro primary industry: Retail & Mixed-Use Commercial Construction (IMAFACAB)
akta.pro secondary industries: Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA), Healthcare Facility Construction (Hospitals, Clinics, Labs) (IMAFACAD), Justice & Corrections Facility Construction (IMAFACAG)

Keywords

Commercial construction services
Construction management
Design-build construction
LEED certified building
Municipal construction projects

Where Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Sarasota
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

Construction Management Services: The company generates revenue through construction management fees, general contracting services, and design-build project delivery for commercial, institutional, and municipal clients. Projects are typically one-time engagements with budgets ranging from thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Willis A. Smith Construction provides commercial construction management, preconstruction planning, design-build, and general contracting services for institutional, municipal, healthcare, educational, cultural, and commercial clients in Southwest Florida. The firm delivers end-to-end project execution with specialized expertise in LEED-certified sustainable building, historic restoration, and phased construction in occupied facilities. Projects range from multi-million-dollar municipal facilities to $200 million educational campuses, primarily in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Product overview

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. is a privately held construction management firm based in Sarasota, Florida, providing comprehensive construction services since 1972. The company operates as a single, unified construction management service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services include Construction Management, Preconstruction Services, and Design/Build Services, with specialized expertise in sustainable/green building (LEED-certified projects). The company serves diverse market sectors including Education, Healthcare, Municipal/Government, Cultural/Community, Hospitality, Industrial, Commercial/Mixed-Use, Custom Homes, and Special Projects throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties in Southwest Florida.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Construction Management Services
Preconstruction Services
Design/Build Services
Sustainable/Green Building Services

Quantifiable outcome

Multiple testimonials confirm projects delivered on time and within budget
+2 more outcomes

Companies that use Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc.

Customer profile

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major/joint venture, project-specific and preferred supplier.

Whiting-Turner Contracting Companymajor/joint ventureStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Whiting-Turner Contracting Company for the Mote Marine Laboratory Science & Education Aquarium (SEA) project. This is a joint venture arrangement for a major $132 million aquarium construction project at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, FL.
Zyscovich Architectsproject-specificStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm designing the Wellen Park High School project. Zyscovich is the design architect for this 300,000+ square foot high school project.
TVS Designproject-specificStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm for the Mote Marine Science Education Aquarium project in partnership with builders Willis Smith Construction and Whiting-Turner.
Butler Manufacturing Companypreferred supplierTechnology or IntegrationPreferred building system partner for pre-engineered metal buildings. Used for multiple projects including warehouses, churches, and commercial facilities. Includes MR-24 standing seam roof systems and various Butler building solutions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Brasfield & Gorrie: Top-30 U.S. general contractor with significant Florida presence in commercial, healthcare, education, and public sector projects. Comparable in delivery model and project types, though larger in scale and geographic reach.
Whiting-Turner Contracting Company: National ENR Top 20 general contractor with broad commercial, institutional, and healthcare portfolio. Joint venture partner with Willis Smith on the $132M Mote Marine SEA project, making it the most directly comparable in terms of delivery model, customer base, and mega-project capability.
The Haskell Company: Jacksonville, FL-based design-build firm with strong commercial, healthcare, and cultural/institutional portfolio. Comparable in Florida presence, integrated design-build delivery, and emphasis on large institutional projects.

Direct peers

Robins & Morton: Top-ranked healthcare and commercial general contractor with significant Florida operations. Closely comparable in healthcare (hospitals, medical office) and institutional delivery, with overlapping LEED/sustainability expertise.
Welbro Building Corporation: Florida-based commercial general contractor with expertise in education, healthcare, hospitality, and cultural projects. Direct competitor in the Florida institutional and commercial construction market with similar mid-size regional profile.
Hoar Construction: Mid-size commercial construction firm specializing in healthcare, higher education, and civic projects. Comparable in size, project types, and relationship-driven institutional business model.
Charles Perry Partners, Inc. (CPPI): Gainesville, FL-based construction management firm serving education, healthcare, and commercial clients. Comparable in customer mix (universities, schools, healthcare) and CM-at-risk delivery model across Florida.
AJAX Building Company: Florida-based general contractor serving education, healthcare, commercial, and government clients across the state. Comparable in customer segments (K-12, higher education, public sector) and project delivery model (CM-at-risk, design-build).
Moss & Associates: Fort Lauderdale-based commercial construction management firm specializing in commercial, hospitality, education, and cultural projects across Florida. Most directly comparable Florida-headquartered competitor with similar vertical mix and project scale.
Kast Construction: Florida-headquartered construction management firm with strong presence in commercial, hospitality, healthcare, and cultural sectors. Similar scale, Florida geographic focus, and preconstruction/design-build delivery approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance12 records

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc.

What does Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. do?

Is Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. a public or private company?

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. founded?

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. was founded in 1972. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. based?

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. is headquartered in Sarasota, United States, in the North America region.

How does Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. make money?

One revenue line is on record: construction Management Services.

Who are Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc.'s main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Brasfield & Gorrie, Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and The Haskell Company. Direct peers are Robins & Morton, Welbro Building Corporation, Hoar Construction, Charles Perry Partners, Inc. (CPPI), AJAX Building Company, Moss & Associates and Kast Construction.

Does Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. have an API?

No public API is recorded for Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc..

What industry is Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. in?

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc.'s product category is Commercial Construction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFACAB, Retail & Mixed-Use Commercial Construction, with a secondary code of IMAFACAA, Office & Corporate Building Construction. Its NAICS code is 23622 and its SIC code is 1540.