Interesting results from this, our fourth consecutive year of Top Contractor listings based on sales volume within each service category. First there are the Paving 75 and Sealcoating 75 listings which, after almost stunning increases in sales volume last year (read the introductions to each section), saw significant declines this year.
And while sales in those two lists declined, the Striping 75 continued its steady growth and the Pavement Repair 75 can claim the unusual distinction of declining in repair-only sales despite growing from 50 to 75 companies!
Then there are the sweepers, an industry segment that, for whatever reason, has never embraced this research and listing effort. This year fewer than a handful of true sweeping companies – those that generate 50% or more of sales from sweeping – elected to participate in the survey, and while never this weak the response has been similar each year. The list peaked last year at 25 companies – but even that list included eight companies who generated only 1% of sales from sweeping and another three companies that generated 5% from sweeping – and it’s hard to call those firms “sweeping contractors.” So, reluctantly, we have eliminated the sweeping list from our Top Contractor results. Because so many companies generate at least some portion of their sales from some type of sweeping we’ll continue to include sweeping in our Sales Composition mix, and if it ever gets to the point where we can again develop a meaningful list of sweeping top contractors we’ll bring it back.
But what do this year’s results tell us? Well, we doubt 2015 (the fiscal year on which the lists are based) was a lackluster year, so perhaps the Paving 75 and Sealcoating 75 are working toward their own level. Perhaps the Striping 75 represent the most stable segment of the business, and its possible more contractors are better identifying in their bids and revenue the difference between paving and pavement repair. Time and future lists should tell.
