Sanford, Florida – November 17, 2017 – It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Wharton-Smith co-founder Bill Wharton on Sunday, Nov. 12, at the age of 95. He is survived by his wife Lina and six children.

Bill and co-founder George Smith met in Ohio in 1966. They worked together at Bay Construction and in 1975 they were part of a team working to grow the Florida office. Nearly 10 years later when Bay announced they were closing the company, Bill and George mortgaged their homes and took the risk of a lifetime. They made an offer…

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Sanford, FL – November 17, 2017 – In celebration of American Education Week, Wharton-Smith employees from our Sanford and Tampa offices participated in the Great American Teach-In, an annual event where members of the community visit area schools to speak to students about their jobs and the role they play in the companies they work for.  The Teach-In introduces students to career options they might not have considered and emphasizes the importance of staying in school.

Project Manager Keri Strawder visited students at Seminole County Public Schools’ Millennium Middle School in Sanford. She shared her story of working her way…

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Sanford, FL – On November 10, 2017, Wharton-Smith’s Commercial Division celebrated the traditional topping out of Seminole County Public Schools’ (SCPS) new Millennium Middle School being built adjacent to SCPS’ Midway Elementary School off S.R. 46 in Midway.

More than 350 subcontractors, team members, members of the SCPS Board, and Superintendent Dr. Walt Griffin were in attendance to recognize this important milestone. Senior Superintendent Matt Kugelmann and Senior Project Manager Paul Fulks welcomed the large crowd and thanked everyone for their hard work in getting the project to this point. “We can do all the planning and design, but…

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Sanford, FL – November 8, 2017 – As part of the Architecture, Construction, Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program of America, Wharton-Smith hosted a construction site tour for more than 40 high school students within the Seminole County Public School District. See more pictures.

As the students arrived at Millennium Middle School—a $43 million performing arts magnet school—they received their safety glasses, vests, hard hats and some important words about safety on a construction site from Senior Project Manager Paul Fulks.

Project team members conducted a full tour of the project site with many stops along the way to explain construction…

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Charlotte, NC – On November 1, 2017, Wharton-Smith was honored as one of the Charlotte region’s “2017 Best Places to Work” by the Charlotte Business Journal (CBJ). Wharton-Smith’s Charlotte office ranked No. 12 for mid-sized companies. Nineteen companies were recognized in the mid-sized category and eighty submitted for the honor.

CBJ’s annual Best Places to Work program recognizes companies throughout the region that have benefits, policies and practices in place that are among the area’s best, based on employee surveys. A festive awards celebration was held at the Charlotte Convention Center with about 600 people attending. Project managers Allen Anthony,…

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Punta Gorda, FL – On October 20, 2017, Wharton-Smith’s Tampa-Commercial Division joined with local law enforcement, county staff and subcontractors to mark a milestone on the new Charlotte County Jail Infirmary project by celebrating the “topping out” of the building’s roof.

In appreciation for a job well done, prizes were raffled to subcontractors on the job and a barbeque lunch was provided. Doug Whisler, Project Superintendent welcomed subcontractors and team members to the celebration. “Thank you for the great job you have all done to get us to this important milestone,” he said.

The three-story, 128-bed facility consists of two…

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Sanford, FL – On October 13, 2017, Wharton-Smith’s Commercial Division joined with representatives from the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) to give appreciation to subcontractors and team members on reaching the 85 percent completion milestone of the new USSSA national headquarters and sports complex in Viera.

Senior Project Superintendent John Janes welcomed and thanked everyone for their hard work on the project. “First and foremost I want to thank everyone for what you do every day,” said Janes. To date we have had over 70,000 man hours with no loss time accidents and we are on target to achieve…

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Sanford, FL – September 15, 2017 – Wharton-Smith joined with the City of Orlando, Tavistock Development Company, and Lake Nona community members on September 7 to celebrate and officially break ground on two new parks for the city’s fastest growing region in Southeast Orlando.

The parks are the culmination of 10 years of negotiation between the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) who owns East Airfield Park land, Tavistock Development Company, and the City of Orlando. Tavistock will build the parks and then be reimbursed by the city from Lake Nona property tax revenues. Once they are completed, they will turn…

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Sanford, FL – September 13, 2017 – Wharton-Smith, Inc., one of Central Florida’s largest locally based general contractors recently received the prestigious Eagle Award bestowed by the Central Florida Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractor’s (ABC) Excellence in Construction Awards program for the Harmony Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion project. The project was recognized in the $10-$20 million Public Works/Environmental category. The Eagle Award is the chapter’s highest recognition across each of the judged categories. Team members will be honored at ABC’s annual awards presentation banquet on October 7th in Orlando.

The Harmony Wastewater Treatment Plant is an important project…

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Sanford, FL – August 28, 2017 – Wharton-Smith, Inc., one of Central Florida’s largest locally based general contractors recently received the prestigious Eagle Award bestowed by the Central Florida Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractor’s (ABC) Excellence in Construction Awards program on two Orange County Public Schools’ (OCPS) projects: Innovation Middle School in the $20-$50 million category, and Windermere High School in the $50-$99 million category. The Eagle Award is the chapter’s highest recognition across each of the judged categories. Team members for both projects will be honored at ABC’s annual awards presentation banquet on October 7th in…

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