Oltmans Construction Co. Named ‘BEST’ L.A. County Industrial Contractor By Leading Business Journal

March 1, 2008
Oltmans Construction Co. Named ‘BEST’ L.A. County Industrial Contractor By Leading Business Journal

WHITTIER, CA – Oltmans Construction Co., a perennial leader in the Southland’s general contracting industry currently celebrating its 75th Anniversary, achieved another benchmark last week when the respected LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL named the firm the “Best Construction Company” within Los Angeles County’s industrial real estate sector.

Charles Crumpley, editor of LABJ, made the presentation to Gerald Singh, vice president of business development for Oltmans Construction Co., during a standing room only awards reception March 4 at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. It was one of several awards presented for various disciplines within the industrial real estate industry.

“This year, we decided to give awards to people, projects and companies – and in one case, a city – that are involved in industrial space in Los Angeles County. Why did we select that topic? Well, L.A. County’s industrial market may be the most sophisticated in the United States. It is home The county is by far the largest. It is home to the country’s largest port complex. It has diverse international businesses and it still is the biggest county for manufacturing.

“What’s more, L.A. County has the lowest vacancy rate in the country at 1.5 percent. Demand for that space has held for a long time. The vacancy rate one year ago was 1.5 percent. All of that means if you want to be a player in the industrial market here, you’ve got to be one of the best in the United States. Tonight we’re honoring what we think are L.A. County’s towering figures in the industrial real estate community – and they may well be some of the country’s best,” Crumpley said.

In making the presentation to Oltmans, Crumpley added, “This Whittier-based company has been around since 1932. It was one of the first companies to use tilt-up construction and, over the years, it has innovated other methods that have allowed it to speed up construction time. It has taken on mammoth projects including the Port of Los Angeles Distribution Center and the Inland Empire Gateway. Perhaps most importantly, Oltmans enjoys a great reputation. Everyone we talked to spoke highly of this family-run company.”

In accepting the award, Singh said, “We thank the Los Angeles Business Journal and our clients, and appreciate the long-term relationships we’ve enjoyed with clients. We consider this a coveted award because of the strong competition within our peer group and the fine reputation of the business journal.

Among the other awards presented by LABJ were best industrial development, best infill development, best small industrial project, best rehab, best design, best city, best broker, and best developer.