About Us

With a focus on building communities, we specialize in building schools (K-12 and higher education), community centers, public safety, parks and recreation, corrections, sports, water and wastewater.

What began in 1984 as a leap of faith for two friends from Ohio has grown into one of Central Florida’s largest general contractor and construction management firms. George Smith and Bill Wharton met in 1966 during their tenure at a construction company in Ohio. The company opened a Florida office in 1975, bringing George and Bill to Central Florida. When the company announced they were moving back to Ohio, George and Bill made an offer to take over the firm’s unfinished Florida work. So, with just a handful of employees, Wharton-Smith was incorporated on April 2, 1984.

George will tell you that Wharton-Smith owes its success to “the employees that we had then and have now…Neither Bill nor I ever dreamed that the company would be what it is today.”

Now 40 years since its incorporation, Wharton-Smith strives to maintain the culture fashioned by its founders. A culture that believes core values like trust and integrity is just as important as business acumen and operations skills. A culture that rewards accountability and hard work. A culture built on meticulous planning, continuous training, standards, protocols, and research.