The Best Commercial Contractors in Rochester, New York

Last updated on June 21st, 2024 at 07:58 am

When planning a big construction project for your business in Rochester, New York, picking the right contractor is crucial. These projects typically cost between $100,000 and $900,000, sometimes even $1 million, depending on their size, intricate designs, and material choices. They can take around 56 weeks to finish, especially when unexpected challenges arise.

Rochester has a population of 209,352 people and a median home value of $179.9K. So, you can imagine how important it is to find an experienced and dependable contractor. With the right contractor, you can easily avoid headaches, delays, or extra costs, making all the difference in your construction journey.

Finding a contractor who aligns with your project’s vision and budget is essential. Whether you’re constructing a retail space or an office complex, you need a contractor who possesses the necessary skills and shares your passion for bringing your vision to life. To help you navigate this important choice, we’ve curated a list of the best construction companies in Rochester. These contractors are known for their high-quality work, professionalism, and ability to deliver projects on time and within budget, ensuring your project is successfully delivered.

Overview: The Best Commercial Contractors in Rochester, New York

See Ranking Methodology at the bottom of this article to learn more.

Thompson Builds, Inc.

410 Sanford Road S, Churchville, NY 14428

Thompson Builds, Inc. provides design-build and general contracting services for commercial, industrial, residential, and institutional clients. It specializes in new construction and renovations, from repairing damage to adding beauty and value to a facility. The company is accustomed to self-performing site work, masonry, and rough and finish carpentry. 

Paul Thompson is the President of Thompson Builds. Having over 30 years of experience, Paul maintains strong connections with the American Institute of Architects Rochester Chapter. Under his leadership, Thompson Builds, Inc. was awarded a Civic Beautification Award by the Greater Churchville-Riga Chamber of Commerce. Paul oversees coordination between the company’s design and construction professionals to control costs and deliver consistent schedules as they did with Liberty Pumps.

Thompson Builds, Inc. renovated the interior of the building, adding new mezzanines and offices. They also added a warehouse, a shed, and a new testing lab for their pumps, as well as a new marketing and sales department and a full showroom.

DGA Builders, LLC

1170 Pittsford-Victor Road Suite 100, Pittsford, NY 14534

DGA Builders, LLC is a construction management and general contracting firm offering general contracting, construction management, design-build, and preconstruction consulting services. Based on clients’ needs and budgets, Full-service Agency Construction Management or Clerk of the Works services are available. With over forty years in business, DGA Builders has developed in-depth medical, commercial, multi-unit, institutional, and industrial construction specialties. As a LEED and BER accredited business, it has completed thousands of new construction, expansion, and renovation projects.

Gregory P. Craig is the President of DGA Builders, LLC, and has been managing healthcare projects for 25 years. He has led the company in advancing its prowess in healthcare construction, focusing on high-intensity phased occupied renovation, major building additions, and facilities infrastructure modernization. Moreover, DGA has done departmental phased re-organizations, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Operating Theater construction, and all imaging and radiation suite construction phases.

One of the firm’s most challenging projects was the Rochester General Hospital Emergency Department and Rochester Heart Institute. The expansion was a multi-phased project consisting of a new three-story addition of the adult and pediatric emergency departments, ICU, and relocation of cardiac catheterization labs. The follow-up renovation phase included extensive support space for these departments. The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle named them one of Rochester’s Top Workplaces in 2023.

Nichols Construction Team

75 Highpower Rd. Rochester, NY 14623

A full-service multidisciplinary general contractor and construction management firm, the Nichols Construction Team brings more than 30 years of experience. It can assist clients in needs assessment, process equipment inventory, schematic site planning, and budgeting approvals. The team conducts a continuous value engineering process throughout preconstruction, design, and on-site construction to recommend new construction techniques. The company can self-perform many of the disciplines of a general construction project, which allows it to control quality, cost, and schedules more efficiently, positioning itself as one of the most reliable construction companies in Rochester.

John Nichols, the Founding Partner, has worked in the construction industry for over 40 years. John manages all preconstruction services, evaluates the client’s needs, develops project delivery strategies, and obtains all necessary approvals. He leads the Nichols Construction Team with Clay Carpenter and Ric Carley. Clay specializes in construction cost accounting, while Ric has focused on strategic planning and operational leadership for over 35 years. The Partners supervise the team in achieving clients’ strategic objectives and a product of their integrity and teamwork is the Commons at Harley.

A core element of the building is the frame of a 15,000-square-foot recycled Western New York barn. The structure is known as a “living building” because it generates its energy, heats and cools with renewable, nontoxic resources, and captures and utilizes water and carbon in its greenhouse.

LeFrois Builders & Developers

1020 Lehigh Station Rd, Henrietta, NY 14467

For over 65 years, LeFrois Builders & Developers has delivered exceptional design, planning, and construction capabilities, encompassing space planning, site design, development, finance, leasing, and property management. Its in-house workforce is skilled in all aspects of earthmoving, utilities, masonry, and concrete, as well as carpentry, drywall, and steel erection as a Certified Butler Builder. Before construction, LeFrois arranges for permits and necessary inspections and is on-site regularly once construction begins to ensure the project finishes on schedule and within budget.

Rich LeFrois, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LeFrois Builders and Developers, has been recognized by the New York State Commercial Association of REALTORS (NYSCAR) Rochester Area Chapter with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Rich has driven the company to earn membership with the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Webster Chamber of Commerce. He has cultivated the firm’s experience with automotive dealerships and know-how around the specific challenges of auto facility construction.

This is reflected in Vision Automotive Group’s Hyundai dealership, which includes a showroom with a reception area, sales offices, a service drive, and parts sales and storage. The exterior comprises large glass walls facing the showroom wrapped in aluminum composite panels.

Taylor, The Builders

2580 Baird Road, Penfield, NY 14526

Taylor has designed and built a portfolio of diverse projects, including multi-family housing, institutional work for non-profits, healthcare, and educational projects. Taylor’s 30 years of construction management, general contracting, and design-build experience has allowed it to deliver an accurate cost and scheduling framework, total communication, and continuity from start to finish. Taylor ranked third in Rochester Chamber of Commerce’s Top 100 list of fastest-growing companies. Its strong track record of consistent financial and project management meets the standards of the Builders Exchange of Rochester and Tompkins Chamber.

James Taylor teamed up with Karl Schuler to lead the company in expanding its services to better attend to clients’ needs. Founder and CEO James was the Vice-Chair at the Heritage Christian Foundation Board and the President at RJ Taylor General Contractors. Meanwhile, Karl is certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). James and Karl guided their team in developing the Courtyard by Marriot. The four-story hotel contains 126 rooms, in addition to below-grade and surface parking spaces. A testament to being one of the leading commercial contractors in Rochester NY is its 2023 feature in Rochester First article.

LeChase Construction Service, LLC

205 Indigo Creek Drive, Rochester, NY 14626

LeChase Construction Service, LLC is a full-service construction management and general construction firm accredited by the Fails Management Institute (FMI), Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), and the American Contractors Insurance Group (ACIG). It has partnered with clients in the healthcare, education, commercial, and industrial sectors, offering preconstruction consulting, sustainable building, Virtual Design, Construction, and commercial development management services. The company can independently perform specialized activities and trades such as masonry, demolition, concrete, and site work. On top of this, LeChase carries expertise in real estate, covering financing, site acquisition and development, and leaseback.

Inducted into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame, Chairman R. Wayne LeChase Construction Service, LLC is a former member of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and the former chairman of Greater Rochester Enterprise. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Builders Exchange of Rochester and the Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), for which LeChase built the Global Cybersecurity Institute.

This three-story research facility features a first-floor simulation lab that allows students to experience real-world cybersecurity situations and exterior windows designed to reflect binary code. The LeChase team addressed the logistical challenge of having occupied and functional buildings surrounding the site by working with RIT on a phasing plan to relocate underground utilities and keep a central loading dock open.

Holdsworth Klimowski Construction

101 Victor Heights Pkwy, Victor, NY 14564

Holdsworth Klimowski Construction (HKC) has provided design-build, construction management, and general contracting for over two decades as a Lead EPA-certified renovation Firm. The BER has recognized it for its work on hospitals, commercial construction projects, historic buildings, and schools. HKC is capable of shouldering preconstruction planning, bidding, estimating, and budgeting, along with carpentry tasks involving project supervision, concrete, and masonry.

Standing as President and co-founder of HKC, Ted Holdsworth’s skill in business and construction was nurtured at a young age and has been a driving force in expanding the company’s expertise. Ted is in charge of operational management and financial systems. Under his supervision, HKC has gained command over healthcare facility construction. The firm has done intensive care units, operating rooms, scan rooms, emergency departments, outpatient surgical facilities, cancer centers, and patient care units. As one of the trusted construction companies in Rochester, HKC received the AIA Award of Merit for Building Systems Integration in 2017.

An excellent example is the Highland Hospital, for which HKC completed a two-story addition to the Imaging Science Department and an expansion of the Maternity Department and Emergency Department. The team also renovated the Ambulatory Procedure Center, the Orthopedic Department, and the Breast Cancer Center, among many others.

Christa Construction, LLC

64 Commercial Street, Suite 401, Rochester, NY 14614

With accreditation from the Better Business Bureau and BER, Christa Construction uses its prowess in construction to provide clients with “executive-level” involvement in every project. The firm’s in-house team supports its abilities in construction, project and facilities management, design-build, and real estate development work. Christa can turn over accurate cost estimates, innovative financing alternatives, and value engineering, scheduling, and phasing plans. The company gives back to the community by participating in Leader’s Build Habitat for Humanity and in environmental initiatives by achieving LEED certification for its projects.

David Christa is the CEO of Christa Construction and runs the business alongside Mike Seaman. Seaman grew up working for his father’s general contracting company and pursued an education in Construction Management and Construction Engineering. David and Mike’s efforts, along with those of their team, resulted in the addition to and renovation of the Hyatt Regency.

The 25-story Hyatt hotel now includes a full-service Starbucks, a high-end restaurant, and a fourth-floor lounge opening to a rooftop garden bar. The Christa team updated the guest rooms, banquet rooms, indoor pool, and hotel lobby. Christa Construction continues to build value for its clients and the facility’s end-users with buildings that have won awards from the Commercial Real Estate Development Association Upstate New York and the Construction Specifications Institute.

DiMarco Constructors

1950 Brighton Henrietta Town Line Road, Rochester, NY 14623

DiMarco Constructors is a Gold Star Contractor and Lead Safe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Certified Firm. It offers traditional design-build, construction management, general construction, and preconstruction services. The company’s expansive portfolio includes commercial, educational, industrial, medical, and multi-unit housing projects for public and private clients. Apart from this, it undertakes specialized projects such as occupied rehabilitation and historic preservations. DiMarco Constructors works with clients in hybrid project delivery arrangements such as design-assist. Its customized approach enables it to provide efficient upfront planning and maximizes its internal expertise, gaining the trust of the BER and the Building Performance Institute Inc.

John DiMarco, the President and Chief Operating Officer, is Engineer In Training certified. His more than 25 years of hands-on experience span renovation and new construction projects for mixed-use, multi-residential, and commercial properties. His mastery of the real estate development business, including site design, development, construction, and management, proved useful in the Brooks Crossing Apartments project.

Supported by a pile foundation, the cast-in-place concrete structure is enveloped with a façade built out of brick, a glass curtain wall, and composite panels. The multi-story retail and residential center houses 170 beds for students, a restaurant, student commons, laundry facilities, a boathouse, and a credit union.

Ranking Methodology

To evaluate the performance of contractors, our methodology employs a systematic approach that considers various factors contributing to customer experience and satisfaction. We focused on assessing the commercial contractors in the Rochester, New York area. The methodology involves assigning weightings to specific categories based on their significance in determining customer service quality. Here’s the breakdown of the categories and their respective weightings:

• Average Customer Satisfaction (35%): This metric represents the average rating given by customers across the same review platforms as the Average Customer Satisfaction Score. A higher average rating indicates greater overall satisfaction with the service provided.
• Service Rating Score (25%): We analyze the ratio of high (4-5 stars) to low (1-2 stars) ratings for each business across multiple review platforms: Google, Houzz, and Yelp. A higher percentage of positive reviews contributes to a higher score, reflecting better customer satisfaction.
• Complaint Percentage (25%): We analyze the ratio of complaints to total reviews for each business. A lower complaints ratio indicates better service quality and results in a higher score.
• Business Hours and Availability (10%): The operating hours of each business are assessed to gauge accessibility. Companies with extended operating hours are awarded a higher score, as they offer greater convenience to customers.
• License Status (5%): We verify the licensing status of each contractor with their local licensing board to ensure legal compliance. Companies with valid licenses receive a higher score, reflecting professionalism and adherence to regulations.
• Total Score: We determined the overall rating for every contractor by calculating a weighted average, with the category weight determining the amount the subscore contributed to the total score 

Additional Note: Service Rating Score, Average Customer Satisfaction, and Complaint Percentage are calculated with a Bayesian estimate to account for if the contractor has a low number of total reviews. A Bayesian average is a statistical method used to calculate the average of a set of data points while taking into account prior information or beliefs about the distribution of the data. It combines the observed data with a prior distribution to generate a more accurate estimate of the true average.