Known as “The Industrial City,” the city of South San Francisco, California is characterized by its sprawling valleys and lovely views of the Bay. The city offers people a place to work in more than 2,800 firms and businesses in the area, including biotech companies like Genentech, earning the area the title of “Birthplace of Biotechnology.”

If you’re looking to develop or build your company in the area, we’ve gathered a list of the best commercial contractors in South San Francisco, California. We created this list after considering each firm’s experience, the quality of their projects, the principals’ history, and the recognition they have earned in the field.

DPR Construction

945 Front St, San Francisco, CA 94111 

When it comes to technically complex and sustainable projects, DPR Construction has it all covered. Established in 1990, DPR is a forward-thinking, self-performing general contractor and construction manager with a thick portfolio that ranges from large-scale new construction to small tenant improvements and special projects. 

The company was founded by Doug Woods, Peter Nosler, and Ron Davidowski, hence the name DPR Construction. All three were construction veterans when they started the company, and they were determined to do something different. Doug has over 35 years of technical experience and has served on DPR’s Board of Directors as CEO until his passing in May 2021. As the CEO, he steered strategic planning and took care of customers and employees, earning him and his co-founders the Most-Admired CEO award from the San Francisco Business Times. He was joined by Peter, who now serves on the DPR Foundation board where supports organizations that aid under-resourced youth to gain the skills and perspective needed to guide them to their fullest potential. Last, but definitely not the least, is Ron, who is the ace when it comes to building and maintaining relationships that were instrumental during DPR’s early days and earned them the financial base that DPR needed to start.

Over 30 years later, DPR has become one of the top 3 biggest contractors in the area according to  ENR. The firm has a massive list of recognitions both for its outstanding technical work and the service the company provides. These awards include the 2020 AIA Design Excellence Award, the 2020 Bentley Systems Infrastructure Award, the 2020 DBIA National Design-Build Award, the 2020 ENR Mid-Atlantic Best Projects, the 2020 USGBC Innovation Award for New Construction for the Commercial category, and the firm is also on ENR’s 2021 list of Top 400 Contractors.

During its time in the business, it also serviced big-name clients such as eBay and its great work has been featured in publications like Washington Business Journal, BD+C Giants, and The Washington Post. DPR’s commitment to building resilient and efficient structures can be seen in many of its projects, including the Net-Zero Energy San Francisco Regional Office featured here. The goal was to create a healthy environment that respects DPR’s employees, customers, partners, vendors, and the community at large. The new office space supported Net Zero Energy through daylighting, natural ventilation, and daylight harvesting in the urban setting. On top of that, the very working area itself honors the DPR culture and brand with the way it’s designed to feel “alive” — as a creative space should.

Webcor

207 King Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94107 

With 50 years of experience serving California clients, Webcor has built a name for its innovative and collaborative approach to construction, cutting-edge techniques, its skill in construction, and its iconic projects.

The firm is currently led by President and CEO Jes Pedersen. He’s a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona of Construction Engineering Technologies and served as a Project Director for Koll Construction. This gives Webcor its direction towards making buildings that bring exceptional value to its public and private clients, all while operating in a safe, quality-driven environment. That approach has earned Webcor awards like the 2020 National Award of Excellence for Construction Approach, the 2020 ENR Regional Best Project Award, the 2017 Infrastructure Journal Global Award, the 2016 P3 Award a Public Sector Champion Award from the Performance-Based Building Coalition, and the 2017 award for P3 Social Infrastructure Project of the Year.

Webcor also takes social responsibility for the people and the communities it affects. Its CSR is focused on People, Planet, and Performance. It fulfills these commitments by aligning the work it does to effective, influential, and time-bound strategic goals. Webcor has worked with brand names like Hyatt, Imax, Salesforce, and The InterContinental—the project featured above. 

The InterContinental is a LEED Gold certified four-star hotel project. It totals 564, 614 square feet and has 30 levels above grade and two levels below grade. The hotel has valet parking, 21 meeting rooms with flexible configurations, an indoor swimming pool, a 12,000-square-foot health spa, two ballrooms, a Michelin Star restaurant, and a six-floor podium. To top it all off, the exterior of the building shines with a glass curtain wall system and a faceted and stepped façade.

GCI General Contractors

147 Beacon Street, 2nd Floor, South San Francisco, CA 94080

With a sharp focus on sustainability and LEED, GCI General Contractors is a commercial general contracting firm known for using small, nimble teams and consistent open communication with clients and designers to build projects effectively. GCI was established in 1992, and for 29 years, it has been servicing the Bay Area with general contracting services while specializing in building and site renovation, infrastructure, labs, and tenant improvements. GCI has offices in San Francisco, South San Francisco, and Mountain View.

The firm has worked with the big names including Salesforce, Ford, and Cisco. It also won Best Interior Award in 2019 from the Silicon Valley Business Times. GCI’s lovely work can also be seen in the pages of Blueprint Magazine, US Builders Review, Architectural Record, Dwell Magazine, The Registry, Contract Magazine, Metropolis, Interior Design, and Contract Magazine.

GCI is currently led by Jon Helman, who has a Construction Engineering & Management degree from Purdue University. His experience spans decades; he’s been estimating and managing projects in the Bay Area since 1999. Since he joined GCI in 2002, he has successfully managed its largest and most complex projects for clients like Covington and Burling, and worked on multiple tenant improvement projects at Embarcadero Center.

Above, we’ve featured a building renovation and tenant improvement project for a confidential client in San Bruno. The addition of a bridge and stairs across a 50-foot atrium connects two previously independent buildings, allowing users to wander throughout the 120,000 square foot space without utilizing the elevator banks. A full-service café sits on the ground floor, while a self-service kitchen can be found on every floor. Showers, meditation rooms, a library, quiet room, and game room complete with a ping pong table and gaming consoles ensure their staff has no shortage of amenities. A new MEP system, boiler plant, and service upgrades were also included.

BCCI Construction

1160 Battery Street, Suite 250, San Francisco, CA 94111

Since its establishment in 1986, BCCI has remained a leading commercial general contractor in the San Francisco and Palo Alto areas. It has been ranked as a top contractor by ENR California and the San Francisco Business Times and has always been known for providing comprehensive construction services from concept to completion. 

The firm’s portfolio includes new construction, major building renovations, historic restorations, seismic upgrades, and tenant improvements. Currently, BCCI is led by Michael Scribner, a 40-year veteran of the construction industry who now takes charge of BCCI’s construction operations and with his keen eye, provides strategic vision, oversight, and coordination of all services. With BCCI’s unique range of services and skills, it has been lauded with recognitions like the 2011 Lauds ERC’s Award for Excellence and the 2010 Commercial Interiors Contractors Award. Over the years, it’s also been featured in the Bay Area Middle Market 50, the ENR California Top Contractors list, and the San Francisco Business Times.

BCCI Construction has also built for clients like McAfee, Adobe, Google, and CBRE, which is the featured project for this section. CBRE wanted a new high-performing Workplace 360 office concept located in San Francisco’s tallest skyscraper, the Salesforce Tower. What BCCI built was a LEED-CI Gold certified office, designed to transform how people work and connect by optimizing the use of the physical space with a focus on choice and flexibility with no assigned desks or private offices. The new two-floor office had open workspaces, executive boardrooms, a bunch of huddle and conference rooms, focus rooms, a lovely pantry and breakroom, and even lounge areas with breathtaking views of the city.

McCarthy Building

1265 Battery Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111

With over 150 years of experience in the realm of construction, McCarthy Building stands out on this list as the most established thanks to its decorated portfolio and a workplace that maintains a focus on equality. 

Since its establishment, McCarthy Building has been building America by building the projects the communities need. In its practice, McCarthy Building hopes to positively impact the industry and it takes pride in surpassing client expectations every time. Through its decades of service, it has built projects in nearly every state in a variety of markets and has amassed a wide range of awards including the 2020 Innovator of the Year award from NEXT Coalition, the 2020 Premier Award for Client Satisfaction from PSMJ Resources, Inc.,  the 2020 Diamond STEP Award for Excellence in Safety from ABC of Georgia, the 2020 Safety Award for the General Contractors Category from ASA North Texas Chapter, and many others. It’s also been featured in the pages of Constructech Magazine, Training Magazine, ENR, Medical Construction & Design Magazine, Dive Magazine, IQ Magazine, BIC Magazine, Fortune Magazine, Constructor Magazine, and D Magazine.

Featured here is one of the firm’s great creations, the Li Ka-Shing Center, a new 200, 000-square-foot science building at UC Berkeley. The building ended up being certified LEED Gold and includes a vivarium, a brain imaging center, a teaching lab, a 300-seat auditorium, an 80-seat classroom, small conference rooms, interaction spaces, and faculty and staff offices. Aside from the state of the art research components of the building, McCarthy also added in high-end architectural finishes like terrazzo floors, glass guardrails, reclaimed wood wall panels, back-painted glass panels, custom stainless steel trim, and the classy mix of complex wood and fabric wrapped panel ceilings. It also has a striking façade made of a mix of concrete, curtain wall, terracotta rain screen, stainless metal shingles, aluminum sunshades, and multiple green roofs on different levels.

Dome Construction

393 East Grand Avenue South, San Francisco, CA 94080

Dome Construction was built more than 50 years ago on a foundation of integrity, transparency, and a strong commitment to doing things right. It reflects the company’s work today where it remains one of the most recognizable construction companies in the Bay Area, specializing in healthcare, tenant improvements, life sciences, and biotech construction. 

Dome believes in developing relationships, whether it’s with its own employees or with its clients. Dome recognizes that its employees are its most important asset and provides for their well-being by promoting individual growth through education, respect, recognition, encouragement, and support. This care allows the staff to be better team players that can understand and provide creative solutions to their client’s needs.  What makes Dome Construction even more special is that it specializes in work safety and has 17 years of CEA Safety Awards and has been awarded the NAWIC Safety Award three times as well. The firm has also been featured in the San Francisco Business Times, Architectural Trade Magazine, and The Atlantic Journal and has worked with clients like LinkedIn, Patreon, and Pixar.

One of its great commercial projects in San Francisco would be the Gott’s Roadside project, which was a build-out of the interior and exterior restaurant space on the patio level of The Chase Center. Dome built it with interior modifications like a full commercial kitchen, 3 unisex bathrooms, and extensive millwork and structural upgrades. It even has new plumbing and electrical infrastructure for the permanent, self-contained Airstream trailer bar, new fixed and movable seating, and new service stations.

Nibbi Brothers General

1000 Brannan Street, Ste 102, San Francisco, CA 94103

Founded in 1965, Nibbi Brothers General remains one of the strongest, most respected construction companies in the Bay Area, and is currently building some of the most iconic structures in Northern California. 

As a family company, Nibbi Brothers understands the value of forging great partnerships and maintaining lasting relationships. The firm is currently led by Larry Nibbi, the second generation of Nibbi Brothers. He has a passion for client service, 55 years of experience in the construction industry, and a degree in Business Management from the University of San Francisco. 

Nibbi Brothers General is focused on green building. In 2002 the firm began requiring its Project Managers and Preconstruction Managers to be LEED Accredited Professionals. The firm has since built some of the greenest buildings in the Bay Area. With every project, the firm seeks to make a positive social, environmental, and economic impact on the community. Nibbi Brothers General has also been named one of Engineering News Record’s Top 100 Green Contractors from 2013 to 2016 and again in 2018 to 2020. 

One of its green projects in the San Francisco Area is the Boudin Bakery, located in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf, an invaluable contribution to the continued vitality of the area. Nibbi Brothers General replaced the existing 1-story Boudin Bakery with a structural steel, 2-story, 25,000-square-foot building, complete with a demonstration bakery that provides a walk-through history of San Francisco sourdough, the Bistro Boudin, a full-service restaurant, and a traditional Bakery-Cafe.

Pankow Builders

1 Sutter Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94109

Since its inception in 1963, Pankow Builders has remained committed to its company culture of being a master builder. This passion for building great structures has led the firm to focus on safety, sustainability, and client service.

Pankow Builders was established to combine the curiosity behind engineering and the keen sensibilities of a craftsman. Doing so has earned the firm the 2020 Education and Healthcare Building Award from the Los Angeles Architectural Awards, the 2018 San Francisco Collaborative Partnering Award, and the 2017 Outstanding Performance in Renovation and Restoration for Ford Theaters. 

Pankow Builders is known for building large and high-rise projects, and even working with brands like Hyatt. The Hyatt Place in Downtown San Francisco is an eleven-story, 230 room hotel in the South Beach district of San Francisco. Pankow partnered with Stonebridge Companies to build this hotel that has a ground floor courtyard, a restaurant and bar, a tech center, and retail space. It also has amenities like a fitness studio, a roof terrace, and a second bar for maximum comfort.

Cahill Contractors LLC

425 California Street, Suite 2200, San Francisco, CA 94104

With 110 years of experience in the business, Cahill Contractors LLC is an expert when it comes to technical know-how and trade partner relationships. The team strives to execute each project in all types of construction with quality and efficiency. 

Cahill has built a trustworthy reputation banked on quality and integrity. Above all, it fosters a very healthy workforce development, offering paid internships to disadvantaged college students so that they can reach their full potential. It has an established track record of successful and proactive partnerships with small local businesses through the construction process in order to support their success and growth. 

The firm’s work has earned Cahill Contractors recognitions like the 2018 Construction Excellence Awards and the 2014 Real Estate Deals of the Year, on top of being featured in Business Wire, AP News, and Yahoo! Finance. One of its great projects in the commercial market is the San Francisco Towers, a build-out of a marketing and sales office in a senior living community at Pacific Heights. The project was a conversion of a former retail space on the ground floor into an elegant office suite.

Zone 4 Construction

338 N Canal Street, # 10, South San Francisco, CA 94080 

Zone 4 Construction has a unique origin. Before becoming a fully turn-key construction company, Zone 4 was an electrical contractor. Its focus was primarily on electrical and data work throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area. 

Now, 38 years later, Zone 4 is known for providing quality construction and management services for office renovations, exterior renovations, retail, medical, and dental office renovations, and structural upgrades. On every project, Zone 4 ensures that it commits the highest level of time and resources—along with its combined years of experience—to provide the highest standard of excellence and safety. Featured here is the front desk of a renovation project in Mills Square for the Bay Area Endodontics.