As the seat of Bexar County, the center of the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan statistical area, and the anchor of the Texas Triangle, the bustling city of San Antonio is one of the most populous both in Texas and the Southern U.S. Home to River Walk, Six Flags, and the South Texas Medical Center, the city draws in over 32 million tourists each year. This list presents some of the best commercial contractors in San Antonio–contractors who are behind many up-and-coming destinations and beloved landmarks in the city.
Stalwart Contracting, LLC
2030 Ceegee St., San Antonio, TX 78217
The San Antonio-based Stalwart Contracting was established by University of Texas at Austin Architectural Engineering graduate President Alex Whittington in 2009. Whittington brings 18 years of industry experience to the firm, serving in roles from field engineer to project manager since earning his degree. The firm has since lived up to its name, finishing projects strong and building a reputation for reliability, always striving to exceed clients’ expectations
Stalwart built the Bulverde Retail Center with a sleek gray exterior wrapping around the structure. Cream flagstone softens the tone where the building meets the greenery around it. Glass walls line the shops, with deep suspended awnings shielding the interior from the sun. White encased tube lights illuminate the perimeter at night.
RamRoc Construction, LTD., L.L.P.
2008 S. Brazos, San Antonio, TX 78207
In 2001, President Joe Ramirez, Jr. and Executive Vice President Jeffrey Rochelle set out to deliver high-quality construction services in San Antonio, starting with the foundation of the Torch of Friendship. Since then, RamRoc Construction has performed more historic renovations, new constructions, and finish-out services for projects in the retail, commercial, and hospitality industries. Ramirez brings over four decades of construction experience as he and Rochelle direct the company’s operations.
This two-story late 19th-century building was transformed into a modern conference center, the Hilton Palacio Del Rio Pavilion, part of the hotel complex on River Walk. RamRoc renovated the stone façade as well as the entire interior. The structure retains the charm of the historical structure with rustic wood finishes, flagstone walls, and wide arches lining the spaces inside. RamRoc also installed an elevator and a new kitchen.
F.A. Nunnelly Company
2922 N. Pan Am. Expressway, San Antonio, TX 78208
Sharing a space with the Bonnie Conner Park, the John Igo Branch Library preserves the natural landscape and history of the area around it. Window walls allow visitors to enjoy views of the surrounding greenery as they read. Breezeways and stone paths connect to the rest of the park, curving through the South Texas wildflower meadows and the Texas Hill Country live oaks. Double-height vaulted ceilings further open up the interior, which continues the brick red and white tones from the façade. Drop lamps further illuminate the window-side reading nooks as well as the many rows of bookshelves. A rotunda pond offers a quiet place to reflect on the edge of the courtyard.
Principals Philip and Doug Nunnelly continue the legacy of their grandfather, Floyd Nunnelly, founder of the F.A. Nunnelly Company, the firm behind this structure. Serving San Antonio and South Texas since 1922, the company has completed hundreds of projects for the City of San Antonio and a broad roster of other clients, such as Pearl Brewery, Frost National Bank, HEB, and the Baptist Hospital System. F.A.’s experienced team of professionals continues to keep abreast of the latest technology in a commitment to meeting the needs of its clients today.
Structura Inc.
1862 West Bitters, Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78248
Founded by Texas A&M University Construction Science alumni CEO Rusty Morgan and COO Kevin Jones, Structura Inc. has been building commercial spaces in Texas since 2006. The firm brings mindful innovation to its projects, crossing the banking, corporate, education, healthcare, restaurant, and retail and entertainment industries. Morgan and Jones have managed over $2 billion worth of these technically challenging and fast-tracked projects. Structura has three offices throughout Texas including Austin, Houston, and most recently San Antonio. “Each office has a slightly different focus in terms of business pursuits, but I can speak for San Antonio. We are making healthcare, higher education, and k-12 key pursuits. Between our shared resources throughout our offices along with our new staff members’ vast experience in these industry sectors gives us a higher degree of expertise that is paramount with success in our business approach,” says San Antonio Regional Leader Armando Aguilar.
Structura built the iFly indoor skydiving facilities in Austin, Memorial and Woodlands in Houston, and San Antonio — the first of their kind in the state. The state-of-the-art facilities make use of vertical wind tunnels made by SkyVenture that yield wall-to-wall airflow in the flight section. An aircraft-quality stainless steel trampoline lines the floor of the flight chamber. The tunnel fans can reach wind speeds of up to 160 miles per hour, slowly increased until participants and instructions are airborne. Each facility, ranging from 5,000 to over 10,000 square feet, has private room rentals for meeting space and team-building activities.
Metropolitan Contracting Company
990 Isom Rd., San Antonio, TX 78216
Sitting on the quiet end of River Walk, The Westin River Walk is a stone’s throw away from the dining, shopping, and entertainment options at the Pearl District. Metropolitan Contracting Company performed a multi-floor tenant improvement on the hotel, from the rooms to the meeting spaces. The corner suite keeps its work area separate from the bedroom through a half-wall divider, while the King Guest room has a sitting area by the window. Textured walls frame the clerestoried archway to the Zocca Cuisine D’Italia restaurant from its alfresco area. The Camino conference room sits beneath coffered ceilings from which hang wire chandeliers, illuminating the room along with the lights in the ceiling trays and the window wall. The off-white spa interior is lit by warm lights, and French doors open to the pool.
Metro has been building throughout San Antonio since 1986 and has completed more than 4,000 projects, extending to 25 other states as well. The firm was co-founded by Chairman Tim Swan and President Steve Schuetze, who have both served the San Antonio building industry for many years. Joining them in leading the 70-strong team is CEO Jane Feigenbaum, who brings over 25 years of construction experience to the firm.
Keller-Martin Construction, Inc.
4930 Enterprise Drive, San Antonio, TX 78249
Since 1977, Keller-Martin Construction has built thousands of commercial projects throughout South Texas, going across the athletic, educational, medical, corporate, religious, and retail industries. The firm has also performed historic restorations of landmarks such as The Playhouse San Antonio, now known as The Public Theater of San Antonio. Serving as President is Rick Smith, who worked his way through the ranks since he joined the firm in 1980. His extensive hands-on experience from pre-construction to project management now informs his leadership of the company. He is also the former chairman of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) South Texas chapter and served on the Board of Directors of both the local and national bodies.
Keller-Martin has done a lot of work on St. Mary’s University, including the sprawling Founder’s Hall, the brick-lined Information Technology Building, as well as its Barret Memorial Bell Tower and gateway. Clients appreciate the wealth of knowledge, organization, and the best choice of materials that go into delivering artistically beautiful structures on schedule and on budget.
Middleman Construction Company
9631 McCullough Ave., San Antonio, TX 78216
Bringing a taste of Italy to North Central San Antonio is the La Arcata Retail Center. Middleman Construction Company built this 91,466-square-foot mixed-use development in a combination of old brick, stone, and mottled tone stucco topped by barrel clay tile roofs. The main entrance to the two-story center features flagstone-clad Tuscan archways leading to a succession of trimmed openings with the same finish on the first floor. The structure forms a courtyard parking area for the travelers that come through this busy area.
Mark Middleman brings over three decades of experience in all phases of commercial construction to the company he founded in 1998. The firm has since established itself as a go-to contractor for high-profile retail and office construction for clients who want to keep projects done on time and within budget. Middleman’s San Antonio portfolio includes industrial, healthcare, and religious projects as well. The firm has been recognized multiple times by both the ABC South Texas Chapter and the American Subcontractors Association San Antonio Chapter.
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors
8706 Lockway St., San Antonio, TX 78217
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors has been serving Texas for more than six decades. Working out of five offices across the state, including one in San Antonio, the firm is committed to creating spaces that enhance the communities around them. CEO Jerry Hoog leads the 500-strong employee-owned company, bringing with him more than 40 years of experience in the industry. Joining him is President James Anderson, who began with the firm as an intern, and has since managed some of its largest and most complex projects.
Winner of the 2020 Outstanding Construction Award from the Associated General Contractors San Antonio Chapter, the CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital project was a transformation of an existing 400,000-square-foot structure originally built in 1959. Creating this fully functional state-of-the-art 195-bed facility required the revitalization of the existing infrastructure. Currently the only stand-alone children’s hospital in San Antonio, this campus includes all new patient wings, including an imaging suite (1.5T MRI, 3T MRI, CT Scanner, Ultrasound, & X-ray), surgical suites, bone marrow transplant, Hematology/Oncology, Nuclear Medicine, a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, labor/delivery/recovery, a post-anesthesia care unit, a Pediatric & Internal Medicine Center, a Polysomnography Laboratory (Sleep Lab), and a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.
