Experience HITT

Work Hard, Stay Humble

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A Strong Foundation

From a small family house in Arlington, VA to offices across the country, our steady growth over the past eight decades can be attributed to the longstanding relationships we develop with our clients. Scroll through our timeline to see how we've evolved.

1935

Chairman Russell Hitt is born April 12, 1935. Pictured here: HITT co-founders Warren and Myrtle Hitt with Russell, age three.

1930–1939

W.A. HITT Decorating Co. began as a small, family-owned business run from the dining room table of Warren and Myrtle Hitt's home in Arlington, VA.

1937

W.A. Hitt Decorating Co. started out of the Hitt home with six employees. The first job for the company was an enclosed porch at the residence of Grayson Ahalt in Falls Church, Virginia.

Warren & Myrtle

W.A. Hitt Decorating Co. earns its first $100,000 year and reaches 20 employees by 1939.

1940–1949

HITT Decorating—Contracting Co. continues to grow and is incorporated in 1943; the effects of wartime are felt with continued labor shortages in the workplace.

1948

W.A. HITT Decorating Co. changes to HITT Decorating - Contracting Co. Inc. and moves to 1400 Wilson Boulevard.

1940

Lewis Baker, HITT's longest tenured employee of 52 years, is hired.

HITT B-25 Mitchell

From 1939 to 1945, many HITT employees left work to fight in World War II. A North American B-25 Mitchell hung in the warehouse of HITT's former headquarters as a tribute to past employees who served in World War II. This plane was also used in the film Forever Young starring Mel Gibson and Jamie Lee Curtis.

1944

A plaque at the entrance of HITT's headquarters office commemorates all of the HITT employees who served during World War II.

1950–1959

HITT Decorating—Contracting Co. Inc. begins house construction in the northern Virginia area and the industry moves from plaster to drywall.

1954

The peanut M&M is introduced.

1955

HITT Decorating—Contracting Co. Inc. reaches $1 million in revenue and the company grows to nearly 60 employees.

1956

Russell Hitt starts in the office full-time after working in the field since he was 10 years old.

1960–1969

HITT Decorating—Contracting Co. expands its reach to Baltimore, MD and moves its office to a new location at 921 North Quincy Street.

HITT graph

1969

Neil Armstrong walks on the Moon; HITT would later build the NASA HQ in 2014.

HITT Van

HITT Decorating—Contracting Co. Inc. is awarded its first large-scale commercial projects for Quadrangle Development at 2023 M Street in 1972.

1970–1989

HITT Contracting Inc. reaches $50 million in revenue and grows to more than 100 employees. For the first time a receptionist, labor director, safety director, marketing director and a project accountant are hired.

1977

Page Communications in Vienna, VA becomes HITT's first $1 million project.

1978

Founder Warren Hitt passes away.

1982

Co-President Jim Millar starts as a laborer.

1984

Co-President Brett Hitt starts in the office as an assistant project manager.

1ST SUB DAY

The first annual Subcontractor Appreciation Day is held in 1984.

1989

HITT Decorating—Contracting Co. Inc is changed to HITT Contracting Inc.

1990–1999

HITT Contracting Inc. opens two new regional offices in South Carolina and Georgia while headquarters expands its own campus with the addition of a Paint Department.

1991

HITT Contracting Inc. completes the first "dirt-to-done" project, Dulles Airport Midfield Terminal.

1993

HITT Contracting Inc. moves to 2704 Dorr Avenue in Fairfax, VA in 1993.

1996

HITT Contracting Inc. breaks ground on its first campus project for AOL in Dulles, VA.

1999

Subcontractor Relations Department is created; HITT reorganizes teams into market sectors.

1998

HITT opens regional offices in Atlanta, GA and Charleston, SC.

2000–2009

At 530 employees and 96 cars and vans, HITT Contracting Inc. outgrows its former location and relocates to 2900 Fairview Drive in Falls Church, VA.

ENR Top 100

HITT makes ENR's Top 100 General Contractors List in 2001.

2001

Co-founder Myrtle Hitt passes away. To commemorate her legacy and contributions to the commercial construction industry, the American Subcontractor Association of Metro Washington named its lifetime career achievement award “The Myrtle Hitt Pinnacle Award.” Each year, the association honors those who have followed in Myrtle's footsteps in lifetime advocacy of the construction industry.

2003

HITT Institute holds its first training class.

2004

Revenues grow to more than $500 million.

2005

HITT is named a "Best Place to Work" by the Washington Business Journal and a "Great Place to Work" by Washingtonian Magazine in 2005.

2005

HITT opens a regional office in South Florida.

2006

HITT Headquarters moves to its new, green building at 2900 Fairview Park Drive in Falls Church, VA.

2010–2019

With ten office locations nationwide, HITT Contracting Inc. continues to expand from a family-owned and managed firm to become one of the 50 largest general contractors in the United States.

2011

HITT rolls out its Hospitality sector focused on construction of some of the world’s most recognizable luxury hotel brands.

2012

HITT celebrates its 75th anniversary.

2012

HITT opens a regional office in Denver, CO.

2013

HITT wins ABC National Eagle Award for Kaiser Permanente.

2013

Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic's 7000th Wish Time-lapse

2013

2013

Atlantic Plumbing is named Washington Business Journal's 13th Largest Construction Project.

Brett Hitt

Brett Hitt is 1 of 5 leaders recognized as a Most Admired CEO by Washington Business Journal in 2013.

2014

HITT celebrates its 20th anniversary of Subcontractor Appreciation Day.

2014

HITT wins CREBA Award for Service Provider of the Year.

2014

HITT wins Washington Business Journal's Best Places to Work for the 10th year in a row.

2015

The Washington Post names HITT Contracting Inc. the DC area's #6 Top Workplace in the large companies category.

2015

Russell Hitt was honored with the Virginia Tech Myers-Lawson School of Construction Award and selected for induction into the 2015 Arlington Business Hall of Fame.

2015

HITT Contracting receives a Pyramid Award in the Healthcare - Less than $10 Million category of ABC’s Excellence in Construction Awards for the GWU Hospital Breast Care Center in Washington, DC.

2016

HITT acquires Trademark Construction in Texas. The new office operates as Trademark HITT, continuing the traditions of quality construction held by both companies.

2016

HITT takes on The Big Apple! After an acquisition of Americon Construction in New York City, the newly formed Americon HITT is poised to serve Clients in Manhattan and beyond.

#1 in 2016

HITT earns the title of #1 Top Workplace among large companies by The Washington Post.

2017

16 HITT projects earn Excellence in Construction Awards from the Associated Builders and Contractors

1000 Employees

For the first time, HITT grew to 1,000 team members nationwide.

2017: 80 Stories

HITT celebrates its 80th year in business, toasting to the hard work and dedicated team members and partners that got it there.

California Expansion

HITT expands westward with a new office in San Jose, CA. Poised to tackle corporate interiors and mission critical construction, the team is expanding our reach even further.

2017: New Leadership

HITT ends its 80th year with a history-making transition in leadership. From here, we’re looking ahead to tackling new challenges and elevating the business of building.

2018

HITT opens two new offices and breaks into ENR's Top 50 General Contractors list for the first time.

Building the Commonwealth

HITT opened its Richmond office to serve the capital city’s diverse needs in both historic and urban settings.

Co|Lab Breaks Ground

HITT announces the groundbreaking of Co|Lab – a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to bringing ideas to life and building change within our industry.

ENR Top 50 General Contractors

HITT breaks into ENR's Top 50 General Contractors List for the first time, ranking at #43.

Best Corporate Responsibility Program

HITT awarded Best Corporate Responsibility Program by NAIOP DC.

Raleigh is on the Map

HITT Raleigh was founded to meet the growing demand for construction work in the region.

2019

HITT opens Co|Lab, grows by two new offices, and is named ENR Mid-Atlantic's Contractor of the Year.

Top Workplace

For the fifth year in a row, HITT was ranked as a Washington Post Top Workplace by our team members.

ENR Mid-Atlantic Contractor of the Year

ENR Mid-Atlantic named HITT Contractor of the Year in recognition of our continued success and expansion over the last decade.

Innovation Brought to Life

Co|Lab, HITT’s innovation space, opened as the first LEED v4 BD+C Platinum Commercial Project in the Washington, DC area.

Celebrating Our Subs

HITT celebrates its subcontractors by hosting 13 Subcontractor Appreciation Days across the country.

HITT Grows to 12 Offices

HITT's growing list of office locations expands to 12 with the addition of Dallas and Los Angeles.

I've always had a passion for this business ever since I was a little boy, I didn't want to do anything else.

Russell Hitt
Chairman Emeritus

Our Culture

Love Your Job

View from the Top

Consistently name a Top Workplace amongst large companies by The Washington Post, we see our people as one of our greatest assets.

Shared Passion

What We Aim For

The HITT Way and Mission are on our walls so we see them every time we walk by. For service to client and community, they are our guide for everything we do.

HITT Way

The HITT Way #1

Always take the high road, no matter how difficult the circumstance.

The HITT Way #2

Good enough is never enough, if we can do better.

The HITT Way #3

Produce a work ethic that continually reflects positively on HITT.

The HITT Way #4

Our words and actions are a reflection on us; be gracious and humble.

The HITT Way #5

Lead by example for those that come after us to carry forward.

The HITT Way #6

Manage aggressively and stay flexible.

The HITT Way #7

Your customer doesn't know how much you know until they know how much you care.

The HITT Way #8

Done is Done!

HITT Mission

Buzz Board

HITT Institute quote

Knowing that I am going to hang out with these guys all day. That is why I get out of bed in the morning. Well, that and my love of coffee.

Ronnie Holmes
HITT Institute Safety Instructor

Community Contribution

As one of the five pillars of our Corporate Responsibility Program, we take our commitment to the community seriously. As part of our program, we've identified causes centered on education, health and wellness, and community building that align with our values and allow us to maximize our impact.

Eli's Escape

Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic: Eli's Escape

South Florida run

HITT South Florida has participated in the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run for the past three years. As one of the largest corporate races in the United States, the event is a fun way to promote running and walking as a means to a fit, healthy lifestyle.