A handful of private companies in the state have reached “blueprint” status in Colorado, a designation author David Thomson gives to rapidly growing firms that cross $1 billion in sales.
Besides seven public “blueprint” companies in Colorado, TIC Holdings Inc., MWH Global Inc. and ap Inc. have all reached – or are approaching – annual revenues of $1 billion.
A few other local companies, including CH2M Hill of Douglas County and PCL Construction Enterprises of Denver, generate annual revenues of more than $3 billion.
While these privately held firms lack the visibility of some public or consumer-focused companies, they each employ hundreds locally and thousands worldwide.
A look at how these companies reached their current positions:
TIC Holdings
This global construction giant is almost unknown in the state, but its more than $1.2 billion in annual revenue ranks it among the largest industrial contractors in North America. TIC, which stands for The Industrial Company, was founded more than 30 years ago by Ron McKenzie and a group of construction pros. The Steamboat Springs company today employs 9,000 worldwide, including about 1,150 in Colorado.
MWH Global
With its lineage tracing to 1840, MWH Global ranks as the state’s second-largest environmental-engineering firm behind CH2M Hill. MWH, which moved from Pasadena, Calif., to Broomfield in 2001, posted $1.1 billion in revenue last year. The company employs about 400 workers in Colorado and 6,400 worldwide.
ap
Founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton, the Denver-based newspaper company has grown largely through acquisitions. The company, which owns The Denver Post, last year became the nation’s fourth-largest newspaper publisher after it purchased a slew of papers from McClatchy Co. MediaNews had $1.1 billion in revenue during its 2006 fiscal year.
Staff writer Will Shanley can be reached at 303-954-1260 or wshanley@denverpost.com.
