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Levi Gilkison, Owner/FounderCensor Commercial Construction has built its business around three principles—doing a good job, taking care of its people, and continuing to grow. Each task is evaluated against a simple question; ‘Is it done right?’
That philosophy has supported substantial growth. After generating $1.4 million in revenue in 2017, it surpassed $10 million by 2020 and is on track to exceed $30 million this year. It is now licensed in more than 40 states, expanding only as quickly as it can maintain quality and talent.
For Founder Levi Gilkison, that foundation began in 2007, when he became a licensed general contractor. He gained hands-on experience in framing, drywall, painting, tile, flooring and acoustic ceilings. His early commercial work included retailers such as Sally Beauty and J.Crew, part of the hands-on period in which he learned the trades. In 2017, William Wallace and Erik Krecu joined as partners to push the limits on what’s achievable.
“We focus on doing a good job and improving the industry standard rather than following it,” says Gilkison.
A full-service, nationwide commercial general contractor, Censor Commercial Construction’s growth has been a consequence of refusing to separate business performance from the quality of work and relationships.
Bringing Ownership into the Team
Its approach is shaped by its people. Employees have the autonomy to make decisions and take on responsibility without relying on a traditional chain of oversight. It does not track vacation time or hours in the traditional way. Employees are trusted to be accountable for what they deliver.
Rather than considering conventional qualifications as a measure of fit, it hires people who genuinely want to grow through practical experience and skill development. About 95 percent of the office staff and project managers did not attend college. Multiple project managers built their careers through field positions such as a superintendent.
By giving employees opportunities to develop those skills, Censor Commercial Construction allows advancement to come through experience, initiative and increasing responsibility.
That ownership matters in retail construction, where project teams often need to respond quickly to changing site conditions, client requirements and schedules. Its employees keep projects moving rather than waiting for issues to travel through layers of oversight.
Going the Extra Mile
Censor Commercial Construction's client relationships extend beyond executing a defined scope. Its teams actively seek feedback on what could be improved, then use those conversations to identify problems and create more value for clients. The staff is always willing to explore an unfamiliar request rather than dismissing it simply because it falls outside existing standards.
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We focus on doing a good job and improving the industry standard rather than following it.
In addition to routine engagement, Gilkison himself travels across the country to meet clients over lunch and ask what the company could be doing better. Its willingness to invite candid feedback helps understand client needs and strengthen relationships over time.
That approach was tested when a 30-location restaurant chain with no internal construction department needed to remodel their aging locations. Censor Commercial Construction supported the client beyond construction, helping with engineering, architecture, planning and value engineering. The relationship has since grown into a long-term partnership. With another 20 locations planned, Censor has worked for nearly three years without competitively bidding against another contractor.
As Censor Commercial Construction continues to grow, it takes a measured approach, expanding at a pace that allows attracting and retaining the right talent and executing projects well. It aims to provide project managers and superintendents with more exclusive opportunities, including major retail, restaurant and public-sector projects.
This expanding capability is evident in its project portfolio. It recently completed a more than $5.5 million José Andrés restaurant, adding further depth to their proven proficiency. The project demonstrated its ability to take on more complex opportunities while creating new growth paths for its team.
The continued focus on building capabilities without losing sight of the quality and trust behind each project has earned Censor Commercial Construction recognition as the Top Retail Space General Contractor 2026.
What Retail Projects Demand From a General Contractor
Retail construction becomes difficult when a rollout has to move quickly without letting field execution drift from the brand’s standards. Store openings and remodels often span different jurisdictions, subcontractor markets, landlord conditions and permitting environments, yet the work still has to feel repeatable from site to site. A contractor that performs well on one location but loses consistency across a broader program can create schedule friction and rework.
Geographic reach matters only when it is backed by disciplined project coverage. Executives should look beyond the number of states a contractor serves and examine how teams are built and how growth is controlled. Fast expansion can weaken supervision if headcount is added simply to absorb more work. A more useful signal is whether the contractor can add capacity without lowering the standard of execution that won the work in the first place. Field experience inside the project management group can also reduce the gap between what is promised and what is practical on-site.
Retail programs rarely stay inside a clean original scope. Existing conditions surface, design decisions change, permit timing moves and opening dates remain fixed. That makes flexibility a meaningful buying factor. But flexibility should not mean casual change control. The stronger model is a contractor willing to work around the client’s timing while still tracking cost and scope consequences. Businesses should listen to how a firm handles a difficult request, whether it defaults to refusal or works through what has to change to make the request achievable.
Relationship quality has a practical role as well. National programs create distance between owners and field teams, which makes weak communication expensive. Contractors who actively ask where they are falling short can identify slow closeouts and coordination gaps before those issues spread across multiple locations. The useful distinction is not friendliness. It is whether the relationship is strong enough for the client to give direct criticism and whether the contractor acts on it.
“Censor Commercial Construction invests heavily in client relationships and uses feedback to correct specific process weaknesses rather than treating closeout or coordination problems as routine.”
Preconstruction judgment can become equally important when the client has limited in-house construction depth. A general contractor may need to help shape planning and design decisions before crews mobilize. Buyers should examine how early the contractor can identify unnecessary costs and where value engineering enters the process. Separate scrutiny belongs to whether those recommendations protect the intended function of the space. That ability is especially relevant when a retailer is remodeling older locations or developing a repeatable format that still has to account for local conditions.
Censor Commercial Construction supports retail programs across more than 40 states while controlling growth around the people it brings into the business. Its project managers largely come from field superintendent roles, giving office-side coordination a direct construction perspective. It also invests heavily in client relationships and uses feedback to correct specific process weaknesses rather than treating closeout or coordination problems as routine.
When scope shifts, it favors a flexible response and can extend into planning, engineering coordination, architectural support and value engineering where the client needs help shaping the work. For buyers balancing national reach with hands-on execution, Censor Commercial Construction merits consideration as a retail general contractor.
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Retail Space General Contractors Info
Q1
What Do Retail Space General Contractors Manage During Commercial Store Development?
Retail Space General Contractors coordinate the construction activities required to turn commercial spaces into functional retail environments. Their responsibilities can extend from early planning and design coordination to construction execution, scheduling and project completion. These responsibilities become more demanding when businesses operate across multiple locations, where consistency, local building requirements and project timelines must be managed together. Retail Space General Contractors may also support architectural coordination, engineering and value engineering to help align project requirements with available budgets. Censor Commercial Construction operates in this broader commercial construction environment, supporting retail projects alongside restaurants, large-scale interiors and other commercial facilities.
Q2
How Does Censor Commercial Construction Support Retail Construction Projects Across Multiple States?
Censor Commercial Construction offers commercial general contracting services across the country and is licensed in over 40 states. This wide reach helps with retail construction projects that need to be managed in different places and under various rules. The company focuses on growing carefully, making sure quality stays high and experienced staff are kept on board. Many of its project managers started in field roles like superintendent, so they understand both planning and on-site needs. For businesses looking for Retail Space General Contractors, this mix of broad coverage and hands-on experience is important for projects that need to be done the same way in multiple locations.
Q3
Why Is Preconstruction Planning Important for Retail Store Development?
Preconstruction planning helps identify project requirements before physical work begins. Architectural coordination, engineering considerations, cost evaluation and value engineering can influence how efficiently a retail space moves from concept to construction. Early planning is particularly useful when an existing property requires remodeling or when the organization commissioning the work has limited internal construction resources. Retail Space General Contractors that contribute during this stage can help identify potential complications, clarify project scope and evaluate alternatives without losing sight of the intended function of the space. Effective planning also gives project teams a clearer basis for managing schedules, budgets and changing requirements during construction.
Q4
What Should Businesses Evaluate When Selecting Retail Space General Contractors?
Businesses should examine a contractor's geographic reach, project management experience, ability to adapt to changing requirements and approach to client communication. Licensing across multiple states can support broader project coverage, but consistent execution also depends on how teams are developed and supervised. Retail Space General Contractors should demonstrate an ability to address unexpected site conditions while maintaining accountability for cost and scope changes. Communication is equally important because decisions made during construction can affect opening schedules and the intended use of a property. A contractor's willingness to seek feedback and respond to specific concerns can also influence the quality of a long-term working relationship.
Q5
How Does Censor Commercial Construction Approach Complex Retail and Restaurant Projects?
Censor Commercial Construction has supported a 30-location restaurant chain that needed to remodel aging properties despite having no internal construction department. Its involvement extended beyond construction to include engineering, architectural support, planning and value engineering. The relationship developed into a continuing partnership, with another 20 locations planned. The company also completed a restaurant project valued at more than $5.5 million for José Andrés. These projects illustrate how Retail Space General Contractors can contribute beyond physical construction when clients need assistance coordinating several stages of commercial development.
Q6
How Do Retail General Contractors Maintain Quality Across Different Project Requirements?
To keep quality high, contractors need to follow set construction standards but also be flexible for each site’s needs. Retail Space General Contractors have to handle different property layouts, project challenges, local rules, and what clients want, all while staying on track. Being accountable, having hands-on experience, and getting regular feedback from clients help spot problems early. Growing the business carefully is important too, so that taking on more projects doesn’t lower standards or stretch the team too thin. These points help businesses decide if a contractor can handle both single projects and bigger retail expansion plans.
