Jacobs clambers up contracting companies ladder: but Turner Construction retains the leading position.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. of Pasadena has become the second largest commercial and industrial contractor in the county by branching out more into field work, said Bob Clement, vice president of communications.

Jacobs moved up from No. 5 to No. 2 on the Business Journal's List of the 25 largest commercial and industrial contractors in Los Angeles County, based on 1991 contract volume, with a 71.7 percent increase over 1990.

"It is the change in our business mix," said Clement. "We had a number of projects that shifted from engineering only to field work, projects that rolled from engineering work to the construction phase."

Jacobs reported $350 million in Los Angeles County contracts in 1991, compared to $203.8 million in 1990.

The other big success story on this year's List is also a Pasadena-based company -- Ray Wilson Co., which shot up from No. 14 to No. 6, with a 69 percent increase in contract volume.

Spokesman Chris Durkee said 1991 contracts were up $68.8 million over 1990 because of two extraordinarily large contracts won last -- -- the City Walk retail center in Universal City and a Kaiser Permanente laboratory in North Hollywood.

The City Walk complex at Universal Studios, being built by MCA Development, is a $44 million contract, while the Kaiser contract is for $24 million, he said.

"Prior to that, our largest contract was $20 million," Durkee said. "The rest of our contracts (in 1991) were just normal. ... We've been very fortunate in the recession."

Despite a downturn in business, Turner Construction Co. of Los Angeles held on to the top spot on The List, with $388 million in local contracts, compared to $511 million in 1990.

Morley Group Inc. of Santa Monica moved up from No. 13 to No. 10 on The List, but the company said that was because it misreported its 1990 contract volume.

Two companies from last year's List -- SAE/Continental Heller of Long Beach and MH Golden Co. of Arcadia -- dropped off The List because they closed their local offices this year. They were ranked Nos. 17 and 18 on the 1991 List respectively.

Two other companies -- HCB Contractors of Los Angeles (No. 11 last year) and Nuhahn Inc. of Gardena (No. 19 last year) -- declined to supply data for ranking this year.