LOCAL CONTRACTORS SCORED STRONG IN 2007, EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME IN '08
Wichita Business Journal - by Chris Moon
Wichita general contractors last year continued to experience the upswing in the local economy. The city's 20 largest commercial builders reported completing $1.1 billion in jobs during 2007, according to the Wichita Business Journal's general contractors list, published today (Page 12). That's up from $860 million in 2006 and from $792 million in 2005.

Some of those jobs were out of the local metro. Contractors such as Key Construction and The Law Co. continued work with national retail and hotel clients. But most of Wichita's mid-range and small contractors reported strong gains on local projects.

Simpson & Associates Inc. completed the first phase of the El Dorado High School expansion and renovation, a $12 million job. Hutton Construction completed the $9.2 million Newton Surgical Center. Dondlinger & Sons Construction Co. finished the 56,000-square-foot, $8.2 million Dugan Library and Campus Center at Newman University.
More work is to come.
Dondlinger is in the early stages of the $138 million downtown arena.  Simpson is slated to begin construction this year on Via Christi's new $75 million west-side hospital.  Both firms have partnered with national companies on those jobs.  "I think everybody's pretty upbeat about commercial construction in Wichita," says Gregg Oblinger, executive vice president of Simpson & Associates. 
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