Nabholz Construction was recently ranked among Engineering News-Record’s Top 400 Contractors of 2026, reaching its highest recorded ranking ever at No. 83. The contractor, headquartered in Conway, broke the top 100 in 2022 and has continued to climb the rankings ever since.

“We are grateful for being ranked No. 83 in the ENR. We were first ranked in the Top 400 in 1986 and have since steadily climbed up the ranks,” said Nabholz Corporation CEO Jake Nabholz. “But what really means the most to us is the opportunity to continue to grow.”

In 1986, Nabholz had 121 employees, and today boasts close to 2,000. That includes several third-generation families and one fourth-generation family, Nabholz said.

“We like to say we are not a family company,” he said. “We are a company made up of families.”

Nabholz was founded in Conway in 1949 and has since blossomed into national, multi-service contractor with nearly $2 billion in annual volume and services in construction, facility maintenance, industrial installation, concrete, energy efficiency, and excavation.

“While the ranking acknowledges our growth over the years, we are most grateful to our long-term clients that place their trust and confidence in us year-in and year-out,” said Nabholz Corporation Vice Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer Brad Hegeman. “Eighty-five percent of our annual volume is with repeat clients, and we will always be committed to serving them at the highest level.”

What started as a small family business more than 75 years ago has grown into a company that spans across eight states with licenses in more than 40. 

“While our scale and reach have grown, at our core, we are still the same company we always have been,” Nabholz said. “More than 75 years ago, our founder Bob Nabholz built this company on integrity and emphasized the need to grow our people, serve our clients, and build our communities. We have preserved that idea in our purpose statement, and we make upholding that culture our top priority, even as we continue to evolve and improve every day.”

Nabholz has seen substantial growth in the last five years, seeing a nearly 50% increase in employees from 2021 to 2025.

“Our goal is to help our clients thrive, and to do that we need to serve them whenever and wherever they need us,” Hegeman said. “As our clients have grown, we have grown to meet their needs, which has fueled our recruiting and retention of the best talent in the industry.”

One example of recent expansion, Hegeman said, is in Nabholz’s rail services. 

“Our clients were increasingly requesting rail equipment maintenance and repairs, and we responded with a dedicated team to match,” he said. “Since 2019, our rail team has expanded our offerings to include Nabholz-designed and -manufactured rail shop equipment customized to meet clients’ specific needs.”

Looking toward the future, Nabholz said the company is focused on preserving its culture.

“Like many companies, we reflect our founder’s values and are committed to preserving that,” Nabholz said. “Second, we are committed to increasing our self-perform capabilities, so we can better serve our clients.”