Top Contractor Survey Participation Jumps…Why It Should Jump More

2014 Top Contractor Logo 11519879

For the second year of our Top Contractor survey we experienced a significant increase across the board – in overall submitted forms and in the resulting lists which increased substantially in both number of companies and dollars. Our plan is to develop these lists until we are able to list 100 contractors in each industry segment – and we’re well within shooting distance of that. Four of the five lists jumped from 50 to 75 companies and even our sweeping list jumped significantly from 10 to 25 contractors. (Not sure what the concern is among sweepers but we have faith they’ll come around.)

The five 2014 Top Contractor lists, which include contractors based on their sales volume in a specific service segment, are listed in alphabetical order – so they’re not a ranking. And while the lists are certainly valuable to the companies that qualify for them, they are more valuable as part of a process of collecting industry information – information that isn’t available anywhere else. This year more than 150 contractors participated in the survey, up from fewer than 100 contractors in 2013. And we hope that next year even more contractors participate.

But we have been asked, “I’m a small (or mid-sized) contractor who won’t qualify because the lists are based on sales volume. Why should I bother participating?” A legitimate question. We encourage all companies in the industry to participate because any firm that provides us information will receive for free an industry analysis based on the information provided by all companies. We’ll compare information from year to year, all with an eye toward helping readers do a better job at what they do and develop their businesses more profitably. Last year’s report, “2013 Pavement Top Contractor Analysis,” took a close look at the published information but also included information that was only available to survey participants – information on profit margins, on subcontracting and more. As the years pass we will be able to provide even more in-depth discussion of figures – giving contractors a view of their industry, providing a benchmark against which they can compare their own business.

So regardless of size or sales volume, consider participating next year. The survey is brief, the information is fairly easily obtained from your financial records, and the verification process is about as easy as we can make it. Until then, check out what we learned about the paving & pavement maintenance industry beginning on page 10 with the Sealcoating 75. Then, mark your calendar to participate in next year’s survey which will be available online from January 1 through April 30.

 

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