Empire Construction

What Empire Construction does

Empire Construction is a privately held, family-founded general contractor established in 1982 and headquartered in Santa Ana, California, with a regional office in San Antonio, Texas. The company is licensed to operate in all 50 US states and delivers commercial construction services across six primary verticals: restaurants/hospitality, retail centers and malls, industrial and manufacturing facilities, medical facilities and clinics, high-rise commercial office buildings, and fitness centers. Its service portfolio spans general contracting, pre-construction services, ground-up construction, tenant improvement, and design-build delivery, with the design-build offering positioned as a single-point-of-responsibility model that integrates design and construction phases.

The company operates a project-based revenue model, earning income through fixed-price contracts, cost-plus arrangements, and construction management fees. It serves enterprise clients including Hilton, Darden Restaurants, Bloomin' Brands, PetSmart, Planet Fitness, Tesla, United Rentals, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Benihana, Hines, and Decron Properties. Empire Construction goes to market through direct enterprise sales, competitive bidding, RFP responses, and long-term client relationships, supplemented by a website portfolio showcase and industry events. It employs over 60 in-house professionals — estimators, project managers, superintendents, and a full-time safety officer — while engaging trusted subcontractors for specialized trades, and reports an Experience Modification Rate of 51% as a safety performance metric. The firm has completed over $500M in cumulative project value across more than 100 locations since founding.

Name

Empire Construction

Legal name

Empire Construction

Website

https://gcempire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Empire Construction is a privately held, family-founded general contractor established in 1982, licensed in all 50 US states, delivering general contracting, design-build, pre-construction, ground-up, and tenant improvement services across restaurant, retail, healthcare, industrial, office, and fitness sectors for enterprise clients including Hilton, Darden, Tesla, and PetSmart.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Industrial Building Construction (23621)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Operative Builders (1531)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial General Contracting (New Build) (IMAFAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA)

Keywords

• Commercial construction services
• General contracting
• Design-build delivery
• Tenant improvement
• Pre-construction services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Ana, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. General Contracting Services: Project-based revenue from managing and delivering construction projects for commercial clients. Revenue earned through fixed-price contracts, cost-plus arrangements, and construction management fees for retail, restaurant, hospitality, healthcare, industrial, and commercial projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Empire Construction is a national general contractor delivering end-to-end construction services including general contracting, pre-construction planning, ground-up construction, tenant improvement, and design-build delivery. The firm serves commercial clients across restaurant, retail, hospitality, healthcare, industrial, fitness, and office-building sectors, operating under fixed-price contracts, cost-plus arrangements, and construction management fees with single-point project responsibility.

Product overview

Empire Construction is a national general contractor offering a comprehensive suite of construction services including General Contracting, Pre-Construction Services, Ground-Up Construction, Tenant Improvement, and Design-Build delivery methods. The company specializes in various project types across retail, restaurant, hospitality, healthcare, industrial, and commercial sectors. Their portfolio includes restaurants (STK Steakhouse, Flemings, Fogo de Chao, Saltwater Social), fitness centers (Planet Fitness, Crunch Fitness), office buildings, medical facilities, and retail spaces. The services function as an integrated offering where the company provides end-to-end project delivery from pre-construction planning through final construction completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Contracting Full-service general contracting for commercial facilities of all sizes and environments, delivering end-to-end project execution from pre-construction through completion for enterprise clients.
• Pre-Construction Services Planning and pre-construction phase services including estimating, project management, and consultation designed to prepare for successful project execution across commercial sectors.
• Ground-Up Construction Complete new construction services for ground-up projects including commercial buildings, retail spaces, and fitness centers, from site preparation through final buildout.
• Tenant Improvement Interior renovation and improvement services for existing tenant spaces, configured to meet specific client operational and brand requirements within occupied or vacant commercial properties.
• Design-Build Integrated design-build delivery method providing owners with a single point of contact for both the design and construction phases of a project, streamlining coordination and accountability.

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure and construction services firm with commercial building delivery capability — broader incumbent that competes for design-build and program management work adjacent to Empire's portfolio.
• Turner Construction Company: One of the largest US commercial GCs, with national offices and deep enterprise relationships across commercial, healthcare, retail, and hospitality — a benchmark incumbent for Empire's core verticals.
• Clark Construction Group: Major US commercial and institutional GC offering pre-construction, design-build, and tenant improvement at scale — competes with Empire for national retail, hospitality, and healthcare build-outs.
• Skanska USA: Global construction firm with major US commercial building operations across office, healthcare, retail, and hospitality — large incumbent competing for the same national enterprise RFPs.

Direct peers

• DPR Construction: National commercial GC delivering ground-up, tenant improvement, and design-build across healthcare, life sciences, commercial, and hospitality — directly competing with Empire for the same multi-unit enterprise client base.
• Whiting-Turner Contracting Company: Privately held national GC serving commercial, retail, healthcare, and industrial clients — closest peer to Empire in terms of private ownership, vertical mix, and enterprise client orientation.
• Gilbane Building Company: Family-owned national commercial GC with strong healthcare, retail, and hospitality practices and integrated design-build delivery — direct comparator to Empire on ownership profile, vertical mix, and delivery model.
• Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company: West Coast-headquartered commercial GC with significant office, hospitality, retail, and healthcare work — most direct geographic and vertical peer to Empire's California base.
• Boldt Company: Privately held commercial and industrial GC with vertical specialization in manufacturing, healthcare, and commercial — comparable to Empire in private ownership, vertical depth, and design-build capability.
• O'Neil Industries (W.E. O'Neil Construction): Privately held national commercial GC with strong retail, restaurant, hospitality, and office practices and a multi-region office footprint — directly comparable mid-size private competitor to Empire.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empire-construction-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Empire Construction