What Ellison Construction does

Ellison Construction is a Tampa, Florida-based general contractor founded in 2007 (originally as EWI Construction and later rebranded) that delivers design-sensitive commercial construction across six primary verticals: hospitality, multi-family residential, adaptive reuse, education, office, and athletic facilities, with a particular emphasis on placemaking projects. The firm operates a project-based, one-time contract revenue model, pursuing work through direct sales engagement with developers, institutional clients, and government entities in the Tampa Bay region via early-stage collaboration with architects and design teams. Its core technical capability is general construction and project management, differentiated by adaptive reuse expertise (preserving and revealing historic elements rather than covering them) and a track record of executing under compressed schedules and adverse conditions, exemplified by the on-time delivery of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 100,000 SF indoor training facility during a hurricane-impacted timeline.

The company's customer base spans enterprise developers, professional sports franchises, universities (notably the University of Tampa, for which it has delivered both the 40,000 SF Student Fitness Center and the 92,000 SF Ferman Center for the Arts), K-12 education systems, and hospitality groups such as McKibbon Hospitality. Notable portfolio assets include Armature Works (a 73,000 SF adaptive reuse food hall that won the 2019 AIA Florida Merit Award of Excellence), Hotel Haya (ranked among USA Today's best new hotels), Sparkman Wharf, Oxford Exchange, The Nolen luxury condominiums, and multiple large-scale multi-family developments ranging from 43,000 to 284,000 square feet. The firm employs 51-100 people and is led by founder Casey Ellison alongside a leadership team with over 90 years of combined industry experience.

Ellison Construction has no disclosed institutional funding, operates as a private company, and is currently pursuing expansion through high-profile redevelopment opportunities, including competing for the 86-acre Tropicana Field site in St. Petersburg alongside its affiliate Ellison Development. Its go-to-market relies on a portfolio-driven website, local earned media, industry awards, and direct client referrals, with no app, API, or technology platform products. A voluntary dismissal without prejudice of a lawsuit filed by former partner Backstreets Capital is on record but unresolved in substance.

Name

Ellison Construction

Legal name

Ellison Construction

Website

http://www.ellisonbuilds.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ellison Construction is a Tampa-based general contractor delivering design-sensitive commercial projects across hospitality, multi-family, education, athletic, and placemaking sectors, serving developers, universities, and institutional clients in the Tampa Bay region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Construction of Buildings (236)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management (Agency/Owner’s Rep) (IMAFAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)

Keywords

• Commercial construction services
• General contracting
• Adaptive reuse construction
• Multi-family construction
• Hospitality construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Construction Services: Project-based construction services providing general contracting for commercial, residential, hospitality, education, and athletic facility projects. Revenue is generated through one-time project fees and professional services for construction delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ellison Construction is a Tampa-based general contractor delivering full-service construction management from early design collaboration through project completion. The firm specializes in adaptive reuse, new construction, and high-design build projects across hospitality, multi-family residential, education, office, athletic facilities, and placemaking sectors. Projects are pursued through direct client relationships with developers, property owners, universities, and institutional clients primarily in the Tampa Bay market.

Product overview

Ellison Construction is a Tampa-based construction company offering specialized construction services across multiple categories including Hospitality, Multi-Family Residential, Adaptive Reuse, Education, Office, Athletic Facilities, and Placemaking. Founded in 2007 as EWI Construction, the company rebranded to Ellison Construction and serves as one of Tampa's top builders with over 90 years of combined leadership experience. Their portfolio includes luxury condominium projects (The Nolen), adaptive reuse hospitality projects (Hotel Haya), food hall and entertainment venues (Armature Works, Sparkman Wharf), mixed-use cultural hubs (Oxford Exchange), athletic facilities (Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Facility), educational facilities (University of Tampa Fitness Center, Ferman Center for the Arts, Junior Achievement Finance Park), commercial office spaces (The Factory Ybor, McKibbon Headquarters), and multi-family residential complexes (Notch, Jade at North Hyde Park, Niche, The Artisan on MacDill). The company emphasizes placemaking projects that create community gathering spaces and has delivered several landmark projects in the Tampa Bay area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospitality Construction Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered 100,000 SF Tampa Bay Buccaneers' training facility on time despite hurricane
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• Strategic Property PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic Property Partners (SPP) selected Ellison Construction to reinvigorate the Channelside Bay Plaza as Sparkman Wharf. Ellison handled demolition of existing structures, reconstruction, and creation of waterfront public space with 10 outdoor dining options, beer garden, and entertainment venue. The project anchors the east side of Tampa's Riverwalk.
• Tampa Bay BuccaneersmajorOthersTampa Bay Buccaneers selected Ellison Construction to build their indoor training facility. Ellison delivered the 100,000 SF facility on time despite hurricane and compressed schedule, with room for 3,500 fans.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Brasfield & Gorrie: Large Southeast-headquartered commercial GC competing for institutional, multifamily, healthcare, and adaptive reuse work; comparable on project type but materially larger, often the incumbent Ellison is measured against.
• KAST Construction: Tampa-based commercial general contractor of similar size and market focus, competing for the same hospitality, multifamily, and institutional work in Tampa Bay; one of the closest head-to-head regional GC competitors.
• Moss & Associates: Fort Lauderdale-headquartered Florida general contractor with overlapping commercial, hospitality, and multifamily portfolio; comparable in scale and project types, but operates across a broader Florida geography.

Broad incumbents

• Turner Construction: Largest US commercial GC with Florida operations across hospitality, education, and sports facilities; competes with Ellison on high-profile institutional and athletic builds like the Buccaneers training facility space.
• Skanska USA: International GC with Florida commercial and multifamily activity; competes on larger ground-up and mixed-use work like The Central and Tropicana-class redevelopments Ellison is also pursuing.
• Clark Construction Group: National commercial GC active in sports facilities, higher education, and adaptive reuse — overlapping with Ellison on institutions like University of Tampa and the Buccaneers.
• Suffolk Construction: National commercial GC with strong Florida presence across multifamily, hospitality, and institutional sectors; competes for the same marquee projects but at substantially larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• DPR Construction: National GC with technical-building strength in commercial, healthcare, and higher education; competes for the same University of Tampa / institutional-class work but at enterprise scale with broader service line.

Emerging players

• BDG Architects (Tampa) / 인근 Tampa design-build firms: Tampa-area architecture firms (e.g., BDG) partnering with Ellison on multi-family and hospitality builds; comparable because they collaborate on the same Tampa projects Ellison constructs, influencing design-assist relationships.

Others

• Strategic Property Partners: Tampa-based developer and Ellison's client on Sparkman Wharf; relevant as both a repeat owner (channelside redevelopments) and as a rival bidder context for Tropicana, making them a partner/peer hybrid relationship for Ellison.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ellisonbuilds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Ellison Construction