Burns & McDonnell has been recognized as a 2026 Top Performer by Associated Builders and Contractors, highlighting the company’s strong performance in safety, quality and construction excellence.
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The annual ABC Top Performers list honors contractor members that demonstrate outstanding achievements across several operational metrics, including safety programs, project quality and workforce performance. Companies are ranked largely based on the number of hours worked, reflecting both scale and operational productivity.
The recognition places Burns & McDonnell among the leading contractors in the United States that have demonstrated a commitment to delivering projects safely while maintaining high construction standards.
“We’re honored to be named to ABC’s Top Performers list,” said Brett Williams. “This achievement belongs to our craft, engineers and construction teams who consistently deliver safe, high-quality projects for our clients.”
Burns & McDonnell earned Platinum status in ABC’s STEP Health and Safety Management System, one of the construction industry’s leading safety benchmarking programs.
According to ABC’s Health and Safety Performance Report, contractors participating in the program can achieve incident rates nearly seven times safer than the U.S. construction industry average, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The company has also long participated in ABC’s Accredited Quality Contractors Program, which recognizes firms that demonstrate high standards in quality, safety, talent management and project performance.
These programs are designed to encourage construction firms to adopt strong safety cultures, continuous improvement processes and workforce development initiatives.
ABC’s collaboration with Burns & McDonnell also played a role in establishing the Burns & McDonnell Construction Academy, the company’s workforce training center in Pearland.
The academy prepares craft professionals for field assignments through hands-on training programs designed to support the construction industry’s growing workforce needs.
The company’s commitment to training and workforce development has also earned recognition at the regional level. In 2025, Burns & McDonnell received a Construction Excellence Award from the ABC Greater Houston chapter for outstanding project performance.
Industry leaders say training initiatives like these are increasingly important as contractors across the U.S. face labor shortages and rising demand for skilled craft professionals.
The ABC Top Performers list, now in its eighth year, highlights leading contractors across multiple sectors of the construction industry.
The rankings include categories such as:
Companies are evaluated using data from their STEP safety applications as well as workforce hours reported for the previous year.
The rankings also highlight contractors performing across 19 construction market segments, including:
These categories showcase firms delivering projects across some of the most complex and rapidly growing sectors in the construction industry.
Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is a global engineering, architecture and construction company headquartered in Kansas City.
The company operates from more than 75 offices worldwide and provides services including engineering, construction, architecture, environmental consulting and project management.
Burns & McDonnell is also notable for being 100% employee-owned, with a workforce that includes engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists and planners focused on delivering complex infrastructure projects.
The firm supports a wide range of industries, including energy, transportation, manufacturing, water infrastructure and mission-critical facilities.
Through continued investments in safety programs, workforce training and project excellence, the company aims to maintain its position as a leading builder of critical infrastructure projects in the United States and globally.
Originally Reported by Burns & McDonald.
