Known for having one of the most striking skylines in the US as well as its picturesque beaches, Miami is considered a leader in finance, commerce, culture, and the arts. Greater Downtown Miami is home to one of the largest concentrations of international banks as well as many large national and international companies. The Health District is also a major center for the biotechnology and medical research industries.
This list of the best commercial contractors in Miami presents firms that have helped define the city’s landscape. These companies have spent decades building throughout Miami-Dade County and the rest of the state.
Amicon Construction
7448 NE 4th Court, Miami, FL 33138
Established in 1996, Amicon Construction specializes in pre-construction, construction management, and other general contracting services. Headquartered in South Florida, Amicon has expanded its reach with active projects in other markets including all of Florida, Arizona and Maryland. Amicon offers a full suite of integrated services allowing for a customized approach to meeting each client’s goals. The company, led by Adam Mopsick and Ross Adickman, continues to revolutionize the construction industry by focusing on management, leadership, and advocacy for every client.
Among the company’s list of achievements is an Excellence in Construction Awards in 2018 from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Florida East Coast Chapter, an Eagle Award for 5958 South Dixie Highway, and a Pyramid Award for Prada’s Flagship store in Miami’s Design District. This project consists of offices, three restaurants, and onsite parking.
Amicon has demonstrated its commercial building expertise in a number of mixed-use projects. Amicon’s impressive portfolio includes commercial properties such as 1824 Alton Road, 1801 Alton Road, and 1800 Bay Road. These projects helped transform the area attracting retail, dining, and office tenants including Michaels, CitiBank and Dr. Smood.
T&G Constructors
8348 NW 56th Street, Doral, FL 33166
With Fortune 500 clients such as Disney, Marriott, and JC Penney, T&G Constructors has delivered quality workmanship with integrity since 1987. Co-founder and President Rick Gonzalez has maintained this level of service across his team, with repeat business making up most of the firm’s work. T&G now serves the hospitality, entertainment, retail, office, financial, healthcare, education, and government sectors across 23 states, with offices in Dallas, Miami, and Orlando.
As a preferred construction vendor for Walmart in Florida and Texas, T&G has mastered the art of navigating tight schedules, never compromising the end-dates for these projects. With the scope of work including installing new flooring, constructing new restroom facilities, relocating refrigerated cases, assembling deli kitchens, and building pharmacy wings, the firm works closely with Walmart to minimize disruption to ongoing operations.
Civic Construction
4691 SW 71st Avenue, Miami, FL 33155
Founder and CEO William Real has been serving Florida with Civic Construction since 1999. The University of Miami Architecture degree-holder has created a team culture of accountability and professionalism by delivering quality work at competitive rates. The firm serves the multifamily, office, hospitality, and commercial markets.
Civic Construction built the 565,000-square-foot Motion at Dadeland, a mixed-use property with 294 residential units across 25 stories. The building’s ground floor houses retail and office space. It also has pedestal parking, a gym, and a pool deck. The brick red and gray façade is a mix of cement and steel. The vibrant lobby area incorporates marble desks and bright-colored seats, which also appear in the building’s other meeting spaces.
Dade Construction
12240 SW 131 Avenue, Miami, FL 33186
Established in 2012, Dade Construction serves the education, office, healthcare, industrial, and retail markets in South Florida. Jonathan Cuesta leads the team as president and CEO. He holds a Construction Management degree from Florida International University and has over a decade of experience in the industry, as he started out as a project manager for another Florida firm before working with Dade.
Vacillate Wine is a 1,515-square-foot wine bar converted from a vanilla box retail space. Dade provided custom millwork for the location, along with a new bar, floating ceiling, and polished concrete floors. Brick walls add a pop of color to the rustic and neutral motif of the space. A variety of seating options accommodates all kinds of parties: a long row of bar seats, four-seaters, cocktail tables, and couch seating create a more relaxed dining experience.
John Moriarty and Associates Florida
1942 Tyler Street, Hollywood, FL 33020
John Moriarty & Associates was founded in 1985 in Winchester, Massachusetts. President John Moriarty has since guided the firm in serving the hospitality, cultural, office, multifamily, and commercial markets. The firm expanded to South Florida in 1990, to date completing over 250 new construction projects totaling over 65 million square feet.
Moriarty built the 5,100,000 Brickell City Centre, a mixed-use development crossing several blocks in Miami’s financial district. The space includes a 500,000-square-foot open-air mall anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue. There are also two Class A office towers, a 42-story hotel, and two residential towers. A key feature of the development is the Climate Ribbon,® an undulating canopy of fabric-covered louvers that spans 150,000 square feet and harnesses light, channels rainwater, and regulates the breeze.
Suffolk Construction Company
One Biscayne Tower, Suite #2700, 2 South Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33131
Chairman and CEO John Fish founded Suffolk Construction Company in Boston in 1982. He continues to lead what has now grown into a 2,500-strong company serving the transportation, entertainment, healthcare, education, hospitality, life sciences, office, and retail industries across the nation. In 1994, the firm expanded to Florida by launching an office in West Palm Beach; it has since added eight more locations serving the Northeast, the South, and the West. Today, Western Michigan University Construction Management alumnus President Pete Tuffo heads the South Region, with over two decades in the industry, including executive positions with the firm in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-certified CityPlace Doral is a 1,268,050-square-foot mixed-use development with over 300 residential units across two eight-story buildings. It also includes a two-story retail and entertainment building, which features a movie theater, a bowling alley, and a vast selection of dining and shopping options. There’s also a freestanding, high-end grocery store as well as two precast parking structures on the property.
Link Construction Group
5350 NW 77th Court, Doral, FL 33166
President Guillermo Fernandez and Executive Vice President Miguel Cerra established Link Construction Group in 2001 to serve all segments of the commercial market in Miami and the rest of Southern Florida. The firm has since built award-winning education, healthcare, hospitality, industrial, recreational, and retail projects recognized by organizations such as the South Florida Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).
Adjacent to Macy’s on Meridian Avenue is a 44,504-square-foot retail facility on Lincoln Lane North. The structure features a glass façade overlaid by decorative tubing. Alfresco dining areas surround the eatery on the first floor, shaded by roof overhangs beneath the upper levels. Link built the three-story building to complement the surrounding establishments and open up space for new businesses in the area.
Shawmut Design and Construction
10800 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 1000, Miami, FL 33161
Building since 1982, Shawmut Design and Construction has offices in Massachusetts, Illinois, California, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia, Connecticut, and Florida. Leading the team in serving the education, commercial, cultural and historic, healthcare, hotel, life science, restaurant, retail, and sports industries is CEO Les Hiscoe, who has been with Shawmut for 23 years. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire, and his first construction job was as a field engineer on the renovation of a 100-year-old mill building in Manchester. Hiscoe has since held executive positions with Shawmut before assuming his current role. Heading the South Florida operations is Director Tim Barges, who has also been with Shawmut for over two decades, overseeing projects in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Shawmut built out L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon’s 9,500-square-foot space in the Miami Design District. Counter seats facing the open kitchen allow guests to watch the late Michelin Star chef’s proteges at work. This signature design of the brand’s locations all over the world is inspired by the Spanish tapas counter, Japanese sushi bar, and French bistro counter. Shawmut also worked on the more laid-back Le Jardinier bar area downstairs, which features interior and exterior seating for lighter fare.
Brodson Construction
120 NE 27th Street, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33137
Established by father-and-son team Stanley and Barry Brodsky in 1979, Brodson Construction builds high-end commercial, restaurant, and retail spaces in Miami and beyond. The firm knows the city like the back of its hand and has built strong relationships that allow it to expedite the building process. Among its roster of clients are Valentino, Harry Winston, Jo Malone, Versace, Christian Louboutin, Oscar de la Renta, Victoria’s Secret, and Tory Burch.
FTX Arena, formerly known as the American Airlines Arena, is home to three-time NBA champions Miami Heat. Brodson Construction was one of the firms that worked on the construction of the iconic all-white venue, which has also hosted sold-out shows for One Direction, Katy Perry, and Adele. Window walls along the 360-degree dining areas offer breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay; soaring ceilings at the entrance area open up the ingress into the venue.
HITT Contracting Inc.
2501 SW 160th Avenue, Suite 300, Miramar, FL 33027
What began in 1937 as a small business out of Warren and Myrtle Hitt’s home in Virginia has grown into a commercial construction firm with 12 offices across the US. Brett Hitt carries on his family’s legacy as co-chairman together with brother-in-law Jim Millar; they each have over 35 years of experience in the construction industry. Leading the 1,000-strong team is Virginia Tech Construction degree-holder CEO Kim Roy. She first joined the firm in 1999 and has handled more than 6.5 million square feet of complex projects, leads the healthcare sector, and manages corporate groups. Joining her as co-presidents are Jeremy Bardin and Drew Mucci, who draw from over 25 years of industry experience, including well over a decade each managing commercial projects and operations at HITT.
The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater has hosted artists such as Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Sting. In 14 weeks, HITT Contracting completed the demolition of its auditorium floor and the laying of a new concrete dance floor, which required the installation of structural steel for floor support. The firm also built out the orchestra, balcony, and VIP seating and installed a $200,000 state-of-the-art sound system with new curtains and chandeliers.