Hang Tough

Multiple Gulf Coast construction businesses lined up for a revenue growth parade over the past year.

For starters, 71 of 100 construction firms on the 2014 Gulf Coast 500, the Business Observer's ranking of the largest companies by revenue in the region, reported a sales increase. Some reported revenue increases of more than 10%. Others, like Palmetto-based Zirkelbach Construction and Sarasota-based Kellogg & Kimsey, grew by more than 30%.

But one company is distinctly absent from the growth list: Willis Smith Construction.