Whiting-Turner
Over a Century of Construction Excellence
“G.W.C. Whiting and LeBaron Turner founded The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company in 1909 on the belief that integrity, engineering talent, and a dedication to our customers would make us the very best in the construction industry. For more than a century, our success and reputation in the marketplace have been testaments to their wisdom.
As a young graduate engineer, Mr. Whiting instilled in me and everyone around him the conviction that hard work and honest dealing would result in what we value most: the trust, loyalty and respect of our clients.
As you can see below, Whiting-Turner has progressed from our beginnings as builders of tunnels and bridges to the construction of every conceivable type of facility, regardless of complexity. I can only imagine the pride and joy Mr. Whiting and Mr. Turner would have in seeing the firm today.
On behalf of our people, I thank you for making us successful, and for future opportunities to demonstrate our devotion to our founders’ principles.”
Willard Hackerman, President and CEO
1909
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company is founded by G.W.C. Whiting and LeBaron Turner, classmates at MIT.
1910
The company’s first project: utility and road work at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.
1914
First project by Whiting-Turner at The Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus.
1920
Lester Phillipy, the firm’s first graduate engineer from The Johns Hopkins University, begins a 57-year career with Whiting-Turner.
1922
Construction of the Loch Raven Dam creates a new reservoir for Baltimore City.
1924
City of Richmond Filtration plant completed (renovated by Whiting-Turner 63 years later).
1929
Whiting-Turner field forces exceed 1,000 employees, and the company is focused on bridge construction.
1938
Willard Hackerman, engineer from The Johns Hopkins University, joins the company as a superintendent.
1939
Mr. Hackerman’s first project, the Cambridge Creek Bridge.
1942
First of many projects for Procter & Gamble.
1946
Company performs post-war industrial work for Dupont.
1947
Ralph Pass and Harold Cohn begin their successful careers at Whiting-Turner, setting new market directions.
1950
Whiting-Turner places the original deck on the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
1953
Charles Irish, current senior executive vice-president and chief operating officer, joins the company.
1955
Willard Hackerman is named president of Whiting-Turner.
1961
Whiting-Turner builds 360,000 SF Maryland Paper Cup facility in eight months.
1964
Stephen Duffy, current executive vice-president, joins the firm.
1969
Daniel White, current executive vice-president, joins Whiting-Turner.
1970
Whiting-Turner awarded second major project for IBM - a relationship that stands to this day.
1975
Whiting-Turner completes the Bank of Virginia Headquarters and opens the Richmond, VA office.
1979
Whiting-Turner opens the Ft. Lauderdale, FL office in response to work for Best Products and construction of the Galleria Mall.
1980
G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering is dedicated at The Johns Hopkins University.
1985
The Irvine, CA office opens, establishing a decades-long relationship with Disney. Washington, D.C. office also opens.
1988
IBM Southbury results in the opening of Whiting-Turner’s Northeast office in Shelton, CT.
1993
A job for Progressive leads to the opening of the Cleveland, OH office. Offices in Somerset, NJ, and Newark, DE also open.
1994
Whiting-Turner builds the Olympic Aquatic Center and opens the Atlanta, GA office. The Pleasanton, CA office also opens.
1996
The Frito-Lay warehouse is one of many new projects for the new Dallas, TX office. The Orlando, FL office also opens.
1997
A project for Oracle marks the opening of the Boston, MA office. Also opened are the Las Vegas, NV and Allentown, PA offices.
2000
Projects such as the Aladdin - Desert Passage in Las Vegas, mark Whiting-Turner’s perennial dominance in retail construction. Working for such prominent clients as Rouse, Mills, Target and J. C. Penney, the firm establishes itself as a nationwide specialist in the new construction and renovation of everything from anchors to regional malls.
2001
Further solidifying the firm’s presence in both higher education and life sciences, Whiting-Turner completes the Whitehead Biomedical Research Building for Emory University—one of the first research laboratories in the nation to achieve the LEED® Silver rating.
The firm tops $2.0 billion in revenue, and opens offices in Tampa, FL, Charlotte, NC and Chantilly, VA.
2002
Baltimore’s first skyline addition in more than a decade, 750 E. Pratt, home to Constellation Energy, is constructed above the electrical substation built by Whiting-Turner in 1990.
Whiting-Turner enhances its southwest presence with the opening of its Denver, CO office.
2003
Whiting-Turner completes IBM’s first 300mm computer chip manufacturing and development line, which leads to a subsequent award of the 300mm Annex. The Annex project team exceeds established performance goals, and is formally recognized in January of 2007 for special achievements by a core supplier.
2004
The completion of this 125-acre, 11-building, 1.25 million SF campus is another dramatic example of Whiting-Turner’s dedication to notable companies such as IBM, Sun Microsystems, MBNA, Capital One and Dell.
The firm’s operations expand to include new offices in White Plains, NY and San Diego, CA.
2005
The St. Francis Medical Center is indicative of Whiting-Turner’s expertise in healthcare construction. Replacement facilities for clients such as Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic and Kaiser-Permanente represent a large percentage of its backlog.
The firm tops $3 billion in revenue and opens offices in Raleigh, NC and Cambridge, MD.
2006
Completion of Saint Coletta’s School of Greater Washington marks Whiting-Turner’s growth in both private and public primary and secondary education, as well as its work with renowned architects including Michael Graves, Cesar Pelli, Rafael Vinoly and Frank Gehry.
Whiting-Turner tops $4 billion in new business, and opens offices in San Antonio and Houston, TX, and Norfolk, VA.
2007
Whiting-Turner receives Target Corporation’s prestigious 2006 Partner of Excellence Award for exemplary efforts on store and distribution center construction across the nation.
According to Target: “Whiting-Turner’s commitment to the brand went unmatched. ...”
2008
Passion for customer delight continues to be the hallmark of Whiting-Turner as evidenced by its abundance of repeat work. This exciting, new student residence project is one of many for the Maryland Institute College of Art.
The company continues to set internal records and opens offices in Los Angeles, CA and Sacramento, CA.
2009
The Lou Ruvo Alzheimer’s Institute serves as a fitting milestone in the magnificent growth and transformation of Whiting-Turner over a century of construction. From its beginnings in tunnels and bridge work to cutting-edge facilities featuring world-class architecture, the legacy of excellence and customer devotion continues.