Table 1. Many firms in the Top 50 remained successful despite the slow economy due to project backlog and closing out large projects begun before the recession.

Factors That Influenced Financial Results for 2008 (in order of most number of responses)
Economic conditions
Strong markets
Existing backlog
Improved efficiency
Larger projects
Diversity of markets

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Table 2. Although many Top 50 firms report plans to expand into the renewable energy market, only three report currently being active in that field.

Markets in Which the Top 50 Electrical Contractors Report Being Most Active in 2008 (in order of most number of responses)
Health care
Commercial
Industrial
Mission-critical (data centers)
Utility/governmental or military
Markets in Which the Top 50 Electrical Contractors Report Being Least Active in 2008 (in order of least number of responses)
V/D/V and home networking
Oil and mining
Security
General manufacturing
Residential/photovoltaics or wind power

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Table 3. Design-assist and design-bid-build were at a close tie for most number of responses from the Top 50 firms.

Most Popular Project Delivery Methods (in order of most number of responses)
Design-bid-build
Design-assist
Performance-based design-build
Prescriptive-based design-build
Job task order contracting
Program management
Construction management at risk
Construction management multi-prime

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Table 4. Some Top 50 firms reduced their workforce in 2008 while others struggled with recruiting during the ongoing labor shortage.

Top Reasons for Laying Off Workers in 2008 (in order of most number of responses)
Less availability of work
Project closeouts/cancellations and delays
Restructuring/managing overhead
Seasonal work
Top Reasons for Hiring Workers in 2008 (in order of most number of responses)
Increased demand
Backlog work
Expansion into other markets/geographical areas
Growth in renewable energy sector

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Table 5. The uncertain economy proved troublesome in 2008 to many of the Top 50 firms.

The Greatest Challenges Firms Faced in 2008 (in order of most number of responses)
Slowdown in the economy
Recruiting well-trained workers and project managers
Maintaining backlog
Delay or cancellation of projects
Rising costs of labor and materials/managing overhead
Meeting budgets/maintaining margins
Increased competition

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Table 7. The firms in the 2009 Top 50 are preparing themselves for a further slowdown in the construction industry.

Challenges Firms Expect to Face During the Remainder of 2009 and into 2010 (in order of most number of responses)
Procuring work/lack of project funding
Increased competition for fewer projects
Recruiting well-trained workers and project managers
Slowdown in the economy
Acquiring a backlog
Meeting budgets/maintaining margins
Training and growth for employees

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Table 8. Many of the Top 50 firms are branching into new markets to offset decreases in sales expected for the remainder of this year.

Top Strategies Firms are Implementing to Offset or Minimize the Decrease in Sales for Electrical and Datacom Services in 2009 (in order of most number of responses)
Diversifying markets
Expanding geographic territory
Managing overhead/margins
Reducing staff and field workforce
Increasing efficiency
Increasing marketing efforts

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