Engineering News-Record (ENR) has recognized Lexington-based Gray Construction among the nation's leading contractors in its annual Top 400 Contractors report, with the company achieving a significant rise to the top 15 in the telecommunications sector fueled by surging demand for data center construction. Gray earned the #15 ranking in Top Telecommunications Contractors, #7 in Top Industrial Contractors, and #30 overall among the nation's 400 largest contractors.

The rankings reflect Gray's deep involvement in the booming data center market, where investment is reaching unprecedented levels. According to ENR, the telecommunications market for Top 400 contractors grew more than 86% year-over-year, surpassing $100 billion in revenue as hyperscale data center development expands nationwide. The growth comes as artificial intelligence adoption accelerates demand for computing infrastructure at industrial scales. The top 5% of contractors in this year's rankings saw a nearly 20% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Gray, headquartered in Lexington since 1988, provides integrated design-build solutions spanning construction, professional services, specialty equipment, and real estate across six core markets. Rebekah Gray, president and CEO of Gray Construction, said the recognition reflects her company's ability to execute complex projects with precision. "As demand for digital infrastructure continues growing across the country, our teams are delivering highly complex projects with excellence," Gray said in a statement. "This recognition reflects the expertise and commitment of our team members and the trust our customers place in Gray to deliver critical projects."

The company's focus on data centers aligns with massive industry trends. Hyperscale data center capacity is expected to double by 2028, driven by AI growth and cloud expansion. Gray's integrated design-build approach allows infrastructure planning and power allocation to be addressed early, helping customers avoid costly delays that plague data center projects facing power grid constraints and rapid technological change.

Gray has also partnered with fellow Lexington-based Valvoline Global to address emerging challenges in data center cooling, releasing guidance on liquid-cooled infrastructure in March 2026 as high-density AI computing drives new thermal management demands. The company previously received recognition from ENR for its work on a large-scale data center campus for Amazon Web Services in Mississippi, identified as one of the Southeast region's Top Starts in 2024.

Founded in 1960, Gray has grown from a regional contractor into a nationally ranked leader serving top companies in industrial construction, manufacturing, and digital infrastructure. The company's rise in the ENR rankings comes as the broader data center construction market accelerates, with industry analysts projecting the global data center sector will expand at a 14% compound annual growth rate through 2030.