____________________________________________________________________________ Champion Specialty Services
From a bold South Florida startup to a half-billion-dollar national powerhouse, Champion Specialty Services’( Champion) rise has been anything but ordinary. Built on an uncompromising commitment to safety, quality, and accountability, the company has carved out a reputation for excellence across some of the most demanding sectors in construction. Champion stands as a true multi-disciplinary contractor, trusted to deliver complex, high-profile projects across markets where the standard must be nothing short of exceptional, and its continued success is powered not only by scale and capability, but by a deeply rooted culture that places people, performance, and purpose at the heart of everything it does.
To learn more about the drivers powering Champion’ s perpetual strive for excellence, Construction Today sits down for an interview with Kyle Hough, Champion’ s Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Gibbons, Chief Business Development Officer, and Katie Lecy, Marketing Manager, who share exclusive insight into the company’ s current operations, successes, and core values. Kyle begins by sharing the history behind Champion and its journey thus far.
“ Champion was founded in 2006 in South Florida by a world champion kickboxer and dear friend of mine. He and I got together and brought in our friend, Carlos Hernandez, and started to grow an industrial coatings business in the Southeast,” Kyle details.“ Shortly after that, we looked to expand into other coatings-related services but in different industries. Jeff, who is another dear friend and mentor of mine, then brought his staff and craft over to the Champion brand and started up our nuclear operating group.
“ After that, we just continued to grow the business. I moved to New York to open our locations there, and we quickly expanded into the specialty construction company that we are today, employing around
2500 people and turning over more than $ 450 million in annual revenue. We’ re a true national contractor with offices in California, Washington, and on the East Coast, and are now opening another office in Houston, Texas.”
People, performance, and purpose
Today, Champion is a company synonymous with integrity, innovation, and, of course, exceptional standards. Over the years, it has delivered exceptional projects across a diverse scope of market sectors. From the industrial, commercial, and environmental markets to specialty nuclear and infrastructure, Champion’ s broad service offering knows no bounds, spanning painting, coating, drywall, flooring, metalizing, demolition, remediation, roofing, and beyond.
In 2026, the business is proud to celebrate its 20th anniversary – a tremendous milestone marking two decades of safety, quality,
▲ The founders of Champion Specialty Services: Carlos Hernandez, CEO and Kyle Hough, COO
construction-today. com 53