Wharton-Smith Makes Fast 50 List!

Wharton-Smith was No. 38 on the Central Florida Fast 50: Top Fastest-Growing Companies.

The list recognizes the 50 fastest growing private companies headquartered in Central Florida’s four-county region: Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola. They were ranked based on the percentage of consistent revenue growth from 2016-2018. Wharton-Smith averaged 44.05 percent over the last three years.

The rankings were revealed and the honorees recognized at the Fast 50 event hosted by Hilton Orlando on June 6. Darin Crafton, EVP–Commercial, accepted the award for Wharton-Smith.…

Read More...

The Carolinas Region Rises On Best Employers List!

Wharton-Smith was recently named as one of the 2019 Best Employers in North Carolina. This program was created by Business North Carolina, NC SHRM and Best Companies Group.

This survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize, and honor the best employers in North Carolina, benefiting the economy, workforce, and businesses in the state of North Carolina. Wharton-Smith placed No. 2 on the list in the large-company category.

Companies from North Carolina entered the two-part survey process to determine the 2019 Best Employers in North Carolina. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy,…

Read More...

Media Spotlight on Virgin Trains USA Expansion

Wharton-Smith logo

Railway Age penned an article regarding the announcement of contractors—Hubbard Construction Company, Wharton-Smith Inc., The Middlesex Corporation, Granite and HSR Constructors—for the Virgin Trains USA expansion.

According to the article, these five contractors will develop 170 miles of track into the “new South Terminal at the Orlando International Airport (MCO), representing a total private investment of $4 billion.”

Patrick Goddard, President of Virgin Trains USA, remarked, “For a project of this scope and magnitude, a world-class construction team has been assembled to undertake this tremendous assignment and we congratulate them helping us make history.”

Within the article, our President…

Read More...

Wharton-Smith Construction Group to Celebrate 35th Anniversary This Week

Wharton-Smith logo

April 1, 2019 – Sanford, FL – Wharton-Smith Construction Group will celebrate their 35th Anniversary this week at the Sanford Florida Headquarters by hosting a Corporate Reception on April 4 for clients, community leaders and industry partners.

Wharton-Smith was established in 1984 by George Smith, who remains the Chairman of the Board, and the late Bill Wharton. Over the last 35 years, Wharton-Smith has built a reputation for honesty, integrity and quality construction and is among the leading contractors in the South. Headquartered in Central Florida, and with seven branch locations (Gulfport, MS, Baton Rouge, LA, Charlotte, NC, Houston,…

Read More...

Gerry Kelly Named Director of Operations for Wharton-Smith South Florida Commercial Division

Wharton-Smith logo

Wharton-Smith Construction Group recently welcomed Gerry Kelly as Director of Operations for their South Florida Commercial Division in Jupiter, FL.   Mr. Kelly brings with him three decades of construction experience and an extensive history of success in winning and managing large multi-million dollar projects.  Most recently, he worked as a Project Executive for The Weitz Company in West Palm Beach, Florida where he was responsible for operations oversight, client relations, project budgets and the quality assurance. Prior to that, Gerry held the position of Vice President of Operations at the Morganti Group, a general construction firm with diverse market…

Read More...

Students Sign the Steel

On Feb. 12, Wharton-Smith project team members invited students, teachers and staff at Cypress Ridge Elementary School to sign their name on pieces of structural steel that will become part of their new 17,000-square-foot “cafetorium” (cafeteria and auditorium). See more photos.

What started out as a small group quickly turned into an event for the entire school with nearly 600 students—kindergarten through fifth grade— signing their names. This also provided an opportunity for teachers to take a photo with their class all while wearing Wharton-Smith hardhats.

The $5 million cafetorium project includes science and music classrooms and the demolition…

Read More...

Wharton-Smith Supports ACT Program

Wharton-Smith has been supporting the Academy of Construction Technologies (ACT) for 15 years.  Most recently, Wharton-Smith team members participated in two annual events – the Clay Shoot at Blackjack Sporting Clays and the ACT Membership Breakfast at Orange Technical College. Proceeds from these events benefit the ACT Program, which prepares high school students for the vocational trades within the construction industry. After they graduate, many of the students continue their vocational development in adult apprenticeship programs.

The Program works closely with Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake County high schools to utilize curricula developed by industry professionals. Beginning in their sophomore…

Read More...

Ribbon Cutting at Three Oaks Water Reclamation Facility

On Jan. 17, Wharton-Smith joined with representatives from Lee County, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, CDM Smith Engineering and facility staff to celebrate the completion of the Three Oaks Water Reclamation Facility Improvements project. See more pictures.

During the ceremony, Lee County Project Manager Lyssa Lott complimented the Wharton-Smith team for finishing on time and under budget, despite some really challenging construction obstacles, most notably very difficult dewatering constraints.

“I was very proud of our team for enduring 20 inches of rain in 40 days and a tropical storm followed by Hurricane Irma, yet still pushing forward barely…

Read More...

Wharton-Smith Breaks Ground on the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Performing Arts Center

On Nov. 28, the Gulf Coast Commercial Division joined with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) leadership, local government officials, students, and faculty to celebrate the official groundbreaking of the Immersive Media Performing Arts Center. During the ceremony, Dr. Mary Graham, President of MGCCC, said, “We have multiple ongoing projects across different campuses and I have to say Wharton-Smith is one of the best contractor’s we have worked with so far.”

The 54,508-square-foot, three-story facility will be home to two new programs – Live Entertainment Technology and Simulation and Game Design Technology. It will also have an auditorium built to…

Read More...

Wharton-Smith Honored as one of Charlotte Business Journal’s Best Places to Work for 2018

Charlotte, NC – On November 16, Wharton-Smith team members were honored at the Charlotte Business Journal’s Best Places to Work for 2018. CBJ created a fun-filled event for the 80-plus local employers at Topgolf, where they revealed the official rankings and presented the awards. Wharton-Smith’s Charlotte office moved up the list from No. 12 to No. 4 for mid-sized companies!

For this unique awards presentation, CBJ reserved seventy golf bays. The goal was to honor recipients while creating a team outing that would “strengthen camaraderie.” Our Charlotte office had an open bay for eight participants. Team members hit micro-chipped golf…

Read More...