The Specialty Contractors Making Epic Universe A Reality
An interesting article this week in Construction Briefing shines the spotlight on the wave of new theme park construction worldwide and the simultaneous demand for specialty contractors and civil engineers to turn the vision of these massive parks into a reality.
And while the UK-based publication is primarily interested in the fact that Universal may soon build Europe’s largest theme park in a remote village one hour north of London, Construction Briefing looks across the pond to Orlando to better understand who the specialty contractors are that make a theme park like Epic Universe a reality.
Author Lucy Barnard says Universal divided the construction work at Epic Universe into 8 parcels for the major themed park areas like Celestial Park, Dark Universe and Super Nintendo World. Construction contracts were then awarded to 8 specialty contractors with previous theme park experience including 4 from Florida, 3 from other states, and 1 from the UK.
The 8 companies building Universal Epic Universe and their headquarters are as follows:
- CTG Development Company (Orlando)
- Finfrock (Apopka)
- Hubbard Construction Company (Winter Park)
- Jr. Davis Construction (Kissimmee)
- DPR Construction (California)
- Hensel Phelps (Colorado)
- Whiting Turner (Maryland)
- Balfour Beatty (UK)
CTG Development Company
Given Orlando’s reputation as the Theme Park Capital of the World, it’s not surprising that half of the specialty contractors building Universal Epic Universe are based in the Orlando area.
The first, CTG Development Company, is a privately owned, Florida based development and construction company that was founded in 1990 and has completed over 250 commercial, education, entertainment, military, municipal and industrial/transportation projects.
According to the company’s corporate profile, previous theme park experience prior to Epic Universe included the construction of major new attractions and resorts at both Universal Studios Orlando (Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster, Spiderman Ride) and Walt Disney World (BET Soundstage Club, Coronado Springs Resort).
FINFROCK
FINFROCK is unique in that the Apopka-based company combines the best of manufacturing and construction under one roof thanks to their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility which makes use of high strength precast/prestressed concrete.
FINFROCK’s in-house design, manufacturing and construction process allows the company to engineer and deliver large-scale components that can be assembled quickly on large job sites like hotels, apartment complexes, office buildings and massive parking garages which they have built as far south as Sawgrass Mills and the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood.
FINFROCK is no stranger to large-scale development projects at Universal Orlando having built the 750-room Surfside Hotel and the 2,050-room Dockside Inn & Suites at Universal’s Endless Summer at the intersection of Universal Blvd. and International Drive.
Using their patented building system, FINFROCK was able to complete the Surfside Hotel in 15 months, the fastest and most efficient construction project the company had ever completed. In addition to the hotels, FINFROCK also built much of Endless Summer’s elevator, parking and water plant infrastructure.
Hubbard Construction
Hubbard has been a recognized leader in the Florida construction and paving industries since the company’s founding in 1920 and the opening of Orlando Paving Company in 1954. In the early days, the company played a pivotal in building out highway infrastructure in Florida with the construction Phase II of Florida’s Turnpike in the 1960s.
Expansion-minded Hubbard pursued an aggressive series of mergers and acquisitions over the past half century culminating in their merger with UK-based Eurovia in 2000. Hubbard is the founding company of the Eurovia USA network which today stretches from Texas to Florida to Maine.
Some of Hubbard’s more recent, large-scale projects in Florida include the paving rehabilitation at Orlando International Airport, the construction of I-95 Express Lanes in Broward County, and the widening of State Road 528 in Orlando.
Jr. Davis Construction Company
Founded in 1985, Jr. Davis Construction is a full-service heavy highway and roadway contractor based in Central Florida with offices in Kissimmee, Maitland and Melbourne.
For the past forty years, Jr. Davis Construction Company has been working with FDOT, local municipalities, local developers and engineers to tackle a wide variety of large-scale earthwork projects with major dewatering and demucking components.
Prior to working as a specialty contractor focused on large-scale earthwork and roadways for Epic Universe, Jr. Davis has completed projects for Universal’s main competitor in the increasingly competitive Orlando theme park arena.
Jr. Davis’ project portfolio includes Buena Vista Drive (2018) and World Drive North, Phase 2 (2023) which were both completed from the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the governing jurisdiction for the land at Walt Disney World Resort.
Click here to learn more about the various worlds and supporting infrastructure that these talented specialty contractors are building at Universal’s Epic Universe which is scheduled to open in 2025.
Contact CII Today
If you own an established specialty contractor business in Florida or Georgia and would like to get a better understanding of the current market value of your company and important steps you can take today to maximize that value, get in touch with a CII business advisor today.