Williams Brothers Construction

[brunsonpark08]

For as long as I can remember Williams Brothers Construction has been around ripping up Houston. What is their story? I would assume construction projects in the city would constantly go up for bid. However that WB logo is commonplace and it seems so for decades. Are they very good or is it like the mafia and the mayor might end up with a horse head in his bed?

[MaxConcrete]

You can find a history of Williams Brothers and its owner Doug Pitcock in the Houston Freeways book, see page 55 in the link below.

 

http://dallasfreeways.com/dfwfreeways/pdf/CH1_building_the_system_pp1-91_150.pdf

 

To answer your question: they win all their jobs in the competitive, low-bid-wins bidding process (usually TxDOT and occasionally toll road agencies), so they are very good. Doug Pitcock is a living legend in the Houston construction industry. He has managed the firm so that it seems like it can win any job it wants, although Williams Brothers doesn't necessarily always bid low, since they can be very busy with ongoing jobs.

 

Pitcock will be 91 years old this year. As of around 2014 I know he was still actively running the company. I think he still has that role, but I don't know for certain.

 

Which brings up an interesting question: what happens to Williams Brothers when Pitcock retires, dies, or is no longer able to run the company? Will Williams Brothers still keep its edge?

 

Also, I'm thinking it would be nice if Pitcock lives long enough to see the North Houston Highway Improvement Project completed. It would be a nice crowning achievement to his life. However, the main downtown work is slated to be design-build, and Williams Brothers usually does not do design-build jobs, so WB might only bid on contracts which are not design-build (such as the IH 69 work in Midtown).