Who are the top painting contractors in 2022? The list has posted some significant changes since last year. As reported by Isaac Barzso, a writer for Levelset, some contractors who last year weren’t even in the top 20 rocketed their way up into the top ten. He ascribes this to some serious hard work as well as diversification. “These contractors often have experience with protective coatings and sealants, abrasion and blasting, and site preparation as well as with standard painting, and many also provide services in emergency protection such as waterproofing and fireproofing,” he wrote.

The rankings are originally determined and reported by Engineering News-Record, which regularly features list of the top contractors in a variety of trades. BrandSafway, headquartered in Kennesaw, Georgia, heads up the list; it’s going to be a hard company to catch as its $337 million in annual revenue is over twice as much as the nearest competitor. The company ranks in the top ten of various other contracting lists and boasts projects on several large oil refineries both nationally and overseas.

ASRC Industrial, a collection of companies that offer a variety of services, repeats in the second spot; Barzso noted that the company and its affiliates provide services in industrial coatings, inspection, marine coatings, shop coatings, tank linings and coatings, and specialty coatings. The company has in interesting history, as it’s a subsidiary of the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, an Alaska native-owned company based in Utqiaġvik, and the largest locally owned and operated business in the state.

Number three, Champion Painting Specialty Services Corp., based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has painted some major bridges, Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and other major projects.

TOP JOB winner breaks into the top 10
APC is particularly proud of number four, as Cherry Coatings, based in Texas, has been a TOP JOB winner several times over and occasionally contributes to articles. Cherry was unranked just last year and entered the fray at number four. The Leverlset article points out some of the company’s larger projects including the 2022 TOP JOB winner of its work at Austin ISD Performing Arts Centers in Austin, Texas. 

In the past two years, Cherry has expanded to over 1,000 employees and opened offices in Nashville, San Antonio, Phoenix, and Raleigh.

Another previously unranked company is Hartman Walsh Industrial Services, a St. Louis based organization which vaulted into the number ten spot by offering services such as fireproofing, corrosion protection, abrasion and paint removal. “Despite their basis in Missouri and a small number of locations when compared to other companies on this list, Hartman Walsh works around the country,” Barzso reports, listing major projects in Kentucky, Arizona, and Minnesota.

As you can see, you’ll mainly find companies with a national or international reach that get involved in major industrial and projects.

The full list, followed by revenue, is as follows:
1      BrandSafway — $337.8 million    
2      ASRC Industrial — $166.2 million    
3      Champion Painting Specialty Services Corp. — $131.3 million    
4      Cherry Coatings — $72 million    
5      Graydaze Contracting Inc — $66 million    
6      Ascher Brothers Co. Inc. — $51.6 million    
7      Thomas Industrial Coatings Inc — $47.7 million    
8      Thomarios — $42.3 million
9      Harrison Contracting Co — $41.5 million
10    Hartman Walsh Industrial Services — $41.1 million

Supply chain issues plague largest companies
Even the largest construction companies, according to ENR, were reporting supply chain issues. An article published in late spring stated that many on the list of the publication’s top 400 firms were having supply chain difficulties, which forced them to come up with some creative ways to source product and also required them to work farther ahead than usual to meet customer deadlines. Still, the article reported, revenue for these companies rose for the 11th straight year, to $421 billion in 2021.