If you’ve ever sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Mercer Street or watched the Seattle waterfront transform from a concrete viaduct into a walkable park, you’ve likely been staring at the handiwork of Gary Merlino Construction. They are basically the silent architects of the city's bones.
While the tech giants get the shiny glass towers, this firm deals with the dirt, the pipes, and the heavy-duty paving that keeps the Pacific Northwest from grinding to a halt. Honestly, most people just see the orange cones and the "Merlino" logo on a backhoe and think roadwork. But there’s a lot more to the story of this local heavyweight than just pouring asphalt.
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The Wheelbarrow That Built an Empire
It sounds like one of those "bootstraps" myths, but Gary Merlino actually started this whole thing in 1961 with a single wheelbarrow. Seriously. Just one. He had a few hand tools and a stubborn Italian work ethic. From those small residential jobs in the sixties, the company ballooned into a massive civil engineering force.
By the time the 2000s rolled around, Gary Merlino Construction Seattle wasn't just fixing driveways; they were the go-to for the City of Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport, and even Boeing. They specialize in "heavy civil." That’s industry speak for projects so big and complicated they’d make a normal contractor's head spin. Think massive utility overhauls and runway reconstructions where the margin for error is basically zero.
Why They’re All Over Your Commute
If you live in Seattle, you’ve felt their impact. Remember the Mercer Corridor Project? That years-long odyssey to turn the "Mercer Mess" into a somewhat functional two-way street? Merlino was the low bidder and the primary force behind that $100+ million transformation.
They don't just do roads, though. They’re deep into the "Waterfront Seattle" revamp. Recently, they landed a $12.6 million contract for the Pioneer Square East-West Pedestrian Improvements. This isn't just laying bricks. They are installing curbless streets and wider sidewalks to make the trek from the stadiums to the water less of a death-defying scramble and more of a "stroll."
What’s interesting is how they operate. Unlike some firms that sub out everything, Merlino self-performs about 85% to 90% of their work. They own the equipment. They employ the crews. They even have a massive sister company, Stoneway Concrete, which provides the literal material for half the skyline.
The 2022 Strike and the Monopoly Myth
You can't talk about Merlino without mentioning the massive concrete strike that paralyzed Seattle a few years back. In 2022, 300 Teamsters walked off the job. It lasted five months. It was brutal.
Critics often point to the Merlino family’s dual role—owning both the construction company and the concrete supply—as a "vertical integration" that gives them a massive advantage (or a "monopoly," depending on who you ask at the local dive bar). During the strike, projects like the West Seattle Bridge repair and the Washington State Convention Center expansion sat frozen. It highlighted just how much the city relies on this one family’s ecosystem.
Real Numbers: The Scale of Operations
To give you an idea of the sheer scale they're working at in 2026:
- They recently filed permits for work at Boeing’s Tukwila facilities valued at over $31 million.
- The company maintains a workforce of somewhere between 200 and 500 employees, depending on the season and project load.
- Their annual revenue estimates usually hover in the $25 million to $50 million range for the construction side alone, though their influence on the concrete supply side makes their total economic footprint much, much larger.
Navigating the Public Perception
Is Gary Merlino Construction perfect? No. Like any massive contractor, they've faced lawsuits over project delays and intense scrutiny during labor disputes. Some people see them as the "old guard" of Seattle—a powerful, family-run entity that has its fingerprints on every public contract.
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But you’ve got to admit, they know the local geology. They know how to work in the rain. They understand the specific, weird municipal codes of the Puget Sound better than some out-of-state firm ever could.
What Most People Miss
People think civil construction is just about brute force. It’s actually a high-stakes game of logistics and technology. Merlino uses intelligent machine control and GPS-guided dozers to hit grades that are accurate within millimeters. When they’re working on a Sea-Tac runway, they’re often working through the night in tiny windows of time because you can't exactly close the airport for a month.
How to Work With or Near Them
If you’re a local business owner or a resident near one of their sites, here is the reality:
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- Check the Seattle DJC: The Daily Journal of Commerce is the best place to track their new bids and contract wins before they hit the mainstream news.
- Impact Mitigation: For projects like the Pioneer Square improvements, the city usually sets up "Business Blast" emails. If Merlino is the contractor, stay on those lists. They move fast, and road closures can change overnight.
- Career Path: They are one of the few places left where you can start as a laborer and actually move into project management without a four-year degree, though they are increasingly hiring specialized civil engineers.
The company is still very much a family affair, run out of their headquarters on 10th Ave South. Gary might have started with a wheelbarrow, but the current iteration of the firm is a high-tech powerhouse that essentially dictates the flow of traffic in the Emerald City.
Actionable Takeaways
- For Property Developers: Understand that Merlino’s scheduling often dictates the availability of concrete in the region. If they have a massive public project starting, expect wait times for "ready-mix" to spike across the board.
- For Commuters: When you see the Merlino signs on the waterfront or near the airport, check the SDOT or WSDOT Twitter feeds. Merlino projects are usually high-priority, meaning they often involve "full weekend closures" rather than months of partial lanes.
- For Subcontractors: They have high "Small Business Participation" goals (often around 35% on Sound Transit jobs). If you’re a certified minority or women-owned business (WMBE), they are actively looking for partners to meet those city and state requirements.
Keep an eye on the Pioneer Square area through late 2026. The curbless street design they’re implementing there is a bit of a pilot for how the city wants to handle "pedestrian-first" zones in the future. If it works, Merlino will likely be the one rolling that same design out across the rest of the downtown core.