One of Philly’s largest building contractors, Clemens Construction, is closing as development stagnates

One of Philadelphia’s largest general contractors, Clemens Construction Co., is going out of business amid a continuing downturn in the real estate industry.

“Unfortunately, effective yesterday [Monday, Nov. 9] at the close of business, Clemens is ceasing operations, and Clemens will no longer take on new contracts,” reads an email from the company to subcontractors. “This was a recent decision, and we were not able to foresee this happening.”

The 47-year old company is a well-known union contractor in Philadelphia, where it has worked on an array of projects including public works, higher education facilities, and hotels, but it had a special focus on multifamily construction.

Clemens is not filing for bankruptcy. It will complete its existing contracts, and its subcontractors will be paid for those projects, according to a source familiar with the inner working of the company who declined to be named because they weren’t given permission to speak to the media.

The company’s wind down is expected to last four to six months.

Clemens’ president, Stephen Pouppirt, declined to comment. Other calls to the company were not returned.

Ben Connors, president of the General Building Contractors Association (GBCA), declined to speak about the specifics of Clemens’ situation but said the company’s closure is a symptom of Philadelphia’s sluggardly construction environment.

“Clemens is a good company and has been for the entirety of their existence,” he said. “To my knowledge, none of that changed. What changed is whether or not there was enough work to justify keeping the company going.”

Connors says contractors are also being squeezed by inflation, as material prices are escalating far more rapidly than bid prices. Every year since 2023, there has been less construction work in the Philadelphia region.

“This is the third consecutive year we’ve seen hours drop, so you’re going to see this contraction in the market,” Connors said.

Ed DeAngelis, founder and head of Bensalem-based EDA Contractors Inc., said he heard Clemens was shutting down when the company backed out of bidding on a Temple University job that he is involved with.

“Clemens has been a viable, respectable company, but there’s not enough prospects to keep busy now,” DeAngelis said. “They don’t do data centers. They don’t do giant hospitals. They do middle-of-the-market, multifamily apartment work. And that business just isn’t out there.”

In the last five years during Philadelphia’s residential boom, Clemens built thousands of Center City and University City apartments for developers including Alterra Property Group and Toll Bros.

Some of Clemens’ recent projects include the 410-unit LVL North with Alterra at Broad and Spring Garden and the 344-unit Broad + Noble Apartments at 435 N. Broad for Toll Brothers.

The company also worked on multiple office-to-residential projects with Alterra, including the celebrated 1701 Market apartments that inaugurated the post COVID-wave of conversions.

“They did a lot of good work for us. They were a very good contractor,” said Leo Addimando, managing partner of Alterra.

“It really speaks to the state of construction costs and demand for construction in Philadelphia,” Addimando said. “Contractors like Clemens that really depend upon noninstitutional, non-data center work, they’re struggling right now. They’re all looking for work.”

The same week that news of Clemens’ closure spread through the industry, the company was honored at the GBCA’s “Construction Excellence Awards” for work that included the multimillion-dollar renovations of the Sheraton University City and the Kingsessing Recreation Center.

The company has long been a feature of Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Top Philadelphia General Contractors” list, which ranks the region’s largest construction companies. But in recent years, Clemens had slipped down the ranking.

On its last showing, Clemens had $154.2 million in billings for 2025 and was the 21st largest firm, compared with the last pre-COVID-19 pandemic count when it had $326.2 million in billings and ranked as the region’s eighth largest contractor. (The latter figure is not adjusted for inflation.)

DeAngelis praised Clemens owner Pouppirt and said he didn’t blame him for “not wanting to invest and take the risk when the market is so very soft. He’s doing what I think is honorable — just ceasing operations, finishing up what they have.”

“It is an absolute response to the lag in our market,” DeAngelis said. “I’m worried there’ll be more [contractor closures]. There’s going to be a correction, and we’ll be in the middle of it.”