The contractors behind some of Louisiana’s most high-profile recent construction projects recently presented the inaugural Build Louisiana Awards.
Winners included the firms that worked on casino and sports stadium renovations, interstate improvements and canal restoration.
Presented by Louisiana Associated General Contractors, the awards were modeled on the Build America Awards given out by the Associated General Contractors of America, with categories for each of the four occupational divisions the organizations represent — building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure and federal, heavy and coastal.
Reldon Owens, CEO of the Louisiana AGC, said the timeline for nominations for the new awards was arranged to encourage more applications to the national awards.
In a normal year, only a couple of Louisiana firms submit projects to be Build America awards, but this year — with the application process for the statewide awards mirroring the national one — there were eight to 10.
“It’s a fast-paced industry,” Owens said. “I think sometimes we’re so busy building the future and building tomorrows that we forget to stop and celebrate our wins and our victories.”
Construction contiunes at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium on Thursday, May 29, 2025 in Lafayette, La..
Owens said his organization’s first-ever gala, held at Renaissance in Baton Rouge, exceeded expectations, with about 50% more attendees than anticipated.
The competition for Build Louisiana Awards drew 36 entries — twice as many as Owens anticipated — who were judged by an outside panel of 42 engineers, architects, faculty and neighboring industry professionals.
Projects were divided into small and large-scale categories in each division based on contract value, ensuring a fair comparison between multimillion-dollar infrastructure jobs and smaller-scale improvements.
2025 Build Louisiana Awards Winners
Building (Over $10 million)
Winner: Ryan Gootee — Harrah’s
Merit: JB Mouton — Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium
Building (Under $10 million)
Winner: Ryan Gootee — Board of Trade
Merit: RNGD — Regional HQ Campus
Highway (Over $25 million)
Winner: Gilchrist — Loyola Drive / Interstate 10 Interchange
Merit: Boh — Interstate 10 & Interstate 12 College Drive Flyover Ramp
Highway (Under $25 million)
Winner: RNGD — Globalplex Access Bridge
Merit: Hand Construction — Shreveport Gate Capacity Expansion
Utility Infrastructure (Over $20 million)
Winner: RNGD — St. Anthony Group A
Utility Infrastructure (Under $20 million)
Winner: Boh Brothers — French Quarter ROW Improvements
Merit: Wharton Smith — New Cheniere Water Storage Tank & Duplex Pump Station
Federal / Heavy / Coastal (Over $10 million)
Winner: Cycle Construction — 17th St. Canal
Merit: Primoris — Comite River Bridges
Federal / Heavy / Coastal (Under $10 million)
Winner: Massman — Algiers Lock Dolphin Replacement