U.K.-based company tapped as contractor of the year

Aggregate Industries Southwest Region was named Contractor of the Year Tuesday for its $34 million upgrade of Sahara Avenue for express bus lanes from Hualapai Way to Boulder Highway.

United Kingdom-based Aggregate Industries got off to a "rocky start" after acquiring Southern Nevada Paving, Frehner Construction, Bardon Materials and Southern Nevada Ready Mix in January 2008, area manager Paddy Murphy said at the Nevada Contractors Association awards luncheon at The Orleans.

"As we say in Ireland, 'Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about dancing in the rain,' " Murphy said. "We've thoroughly enjoyed coming to Las Vegas."

Aggregate Industries picked up a couple of big projects to carry it through the first half of 2012, but Murphy said he's not sure about the second half of the year. If the European economic crisis continues, it may defer projects due to start construction and influence capital sitting on the sidelines, he said.

Building Project of the Year went to McCarthy Building Cos. for the
$121.7 million Terminal 3 parking garage at McCarran International Airport.

Starting in December 2008, McCarthy logged more than 300,000 man hours on the eight-level, 6,000-space parking garage, one of the largest parking facilities in the United States. Along with employee, valet, and both short- and long-term public parking, the structure has a single-story office building, toll plaza and roadway for passenger pickup and drop-off.

Las Vegas Paving Corp. won Heavy Civil-Highway Project of the Year for the $41.5 million ACE Green Line, which includes 23 bus stations along a 15-mile stretch of Boulder Highway from downtown Las Vegas to Horizon Ridge Parkway.

Wells Cargo, the asphalt paving and grading company that built the second phase of the Bonanza Trail, won Safest Contractor of the Year.

In other awards, Stewart and Sundell Concrete was named Subcontractor of the Year; Thomas Petroleum was Associate Member of the Year; Werdco B.C. was Supplier of the Year; and Las Vegas Paving was Recruiter of the Year.

Contact reporter Hubble Smith at hsmith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0491.