Jaynes Jumps 52 Spots On ENR’s Top 400

Engineering News-Record released its annual Top 400 Contractors list.

And Jaynes lands in at No. 285th in the nation. That spot represents a jump of 52 spots from last year’s rank of 337th. Two years ago Jaynes was ranked 396th.

See ENR’s top contractors in the United States here (free account creation required to view.)

For many construction firms, rankings day is about numbers. Revenue. Backlog. Market share.

But inside the walls of 80-year-old, employee-owned Jaynes, headquartered far from America’s coastal megacities, the moment carries a different meaning. It is validation that a regional builder can compete nationally while still staying grounded in relationships, culture, and long-term stewardship.

And in 2026, that achievement comes during one of the most volatile and transformative eras the construction industry has seen in decades.

The Industry’s New Reality

According to ENR, Top 400 contractor revenue climbed 11.8% in 2025 to a staggering $671.4 billion, largely fueled by a nationwide surge in data center and AI infrastructure projects.

ENR described an industry balancing unprecedented opportunity against mounting pressure from labor shortages, supply chain instability, and escalating project complexity.

“The workforce challenge facing our industry is real,” Turner Construction leaders told ENR, reflecting a concern echoed throughout the report.

Against that backdrop, Jaynes’ appearance on the Top 400 list represents more than scale. It reflects resilience.

It places Jaynes among a select group of builders operating at the highest levels of commercial construction in the country. Yet the company’s leadership is quick to point out that rankings alone do not define success.

That perspective matters in an industry increasingly consumed by megaprojects and rapid expansion. ENR reported that 136 contractors on the list surpassed $1 billion in annual volume, with many of the nation’s largest firms benefiting from the AI-driven data center boom.

Jaynes sees those market shifts clearly. But rather than chasing every emerging trend, we continue to focus on disciplined growth and balanced markets.

“In our markets, we are seeing more large-scale opportunities, and we are positioned well with our leadership group to have capacity,” Jaynes President and CEO Shad James told ENR.

“I see a good balance currently in our book of work. I do think over the next three to five years we will see some shifts in the makeup of our work, but now we are very optimistic about our future.”

Growth Without Losing Identity

That optimism is rooted in something deeper than revenue growth.

Across the ENR report, contractors repeatedly described an industry struggling to maintain workforce stability while delivering increasingly technical projects on accelerated timelines.

Companies spoke about burnout, labor shortages, and the challenge of developing the next generation of construction professionals.

For Jaynes, those conversations are not theoretical.

Jaynes has spent years investing in employee development, leadership cultivation, and long-term relationships with trade partners and owners throughout the Southwest. That approach has allowed Jaynes to remain competitive in healthcare, education, aviation, multifamily, and mission-critical work without sacrificing the culture that has defined the company since 1946.

In many ways, Jaynes’ Top 400 recognition reflects a broader industry truth emerging from ENR’s reporting: the firms positioned for long-term success are not necessarily those growing the fastest, but those growing sustainably.

ENR noted that today’s leading contractors are increasingly differentiated by their ability to execute reliably amid uncertainty, balancing labor availability, material cost escalation, and shifting market conditions while still maintaining owner trust.

That discipline has become one of Jaynes’ defining strengths.

Coming Full Circle

In Albuquerque, the workday continues long after the rankings are published.

Phones ring. RFIs move through inboxes. Concrete pours are scheduled for dawn. Somewhere in New Mexico, a superintendent walks the project site, preparing for another day of coordination among owners, architects, and trades.

The ENR ranking may last for a news cycle. The work behind it lasts much longer.

For Jaynes, being named among America’s Top 400 contractors is not the finish line. It is another checkpoint in a decades-long commitment to building places that matter and building them The Jaynes Way.

Jaynes is a great place to work. For career opportunities at Jaynes, please visit our Careers section.

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