# California Drywall Co.

> California Drywall Co. is one of the largest wall-and-ceiling specialty contractors in the United States, building interiors and exteriors across Northern California since 1946. From its San Jose base it delivers drywall, lath and plaster, metal framing, cold-formed steel engineering, fireproofing, acoustical ceilings, rainscreens and prefabricated wall panels for landmark projects including Apple Park, Levi's Stadium, SFO Terminal 2 and major hospitals. In August 2023 it became a 100% employee-owned company through an ESOP, putting equity in the hands of its roughly 700 team members.

- **Founded:** 1946
- **Headquarters:** San Jose, California, United States
- **Founders:** Leonard Eckstrom (Founder (former US Gypsum salesman)), Margaret Eckstrom (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** ~700 employees (company reports 600+ team members); 100% employee-owned via ESOP
- **Products:** Drywall Installation & Finishing, Lath & Plaster / EIFS, Metal & Cold-Formed Steel Framing, Acoustical & Specialty Ceilings, Fireproofing & Firestop Systems
- **Notable:** 8th largest wall and ceiling contractor in the U.S.; #1 in California (ENR rankings), Named Specialty Contractor of the Year by ENR editors (2014), Contractor of the Year, Walls & Ceilings magazine (2021)

## Products & services

- **Drywall Installation & Finishing** — Core interior and exterior drywall installation and finishing - the company's founding trade since 1946.
- **Lath & Plaster / EIFS** — Exterior and interior lath, plaster and EIFS systems for durable, finished building skins.
- **Metal & Cold-Formed Steel Framing** — Light gauge and cold-formed steel framing with in-house engineering for structural and non-structural walls.
- **Acoustical & Specialty Ceilings** — Acoustical, specialty and architectural ceiling systems for offices, venues and institutions.
- **Fireproofing & Firestop Systems** — Spray-applied fireproofing and firestop assemblies for life-safety compliance.
- **Prefabrication & Manufacturing** — Factory-built panelized interior and exterior wall panels, soffits, headers, door frames and room pods produced with automated roll-formers, CNC lasers and powder coating.
- **Rainscreens & Strut Systems** — Rain screen cladding support and strut systems for high-performance building envelopes.
- **Preconstruction, Design-Build, IPD & BIM/VDC** — Estimating, constructability review, design-assist/design-build, Integrated Project Delivery and BIM/VDC coordination using robotic total stations.

## Achievements

- 8th largest wall and ceiling contractor in the U.S.; #1 in California (ENR rankings)
- Named Specialty Contractor of the Year by ENR editors (2014)
- Contractor of the Year, Walls & Ceilings magazine (2021)
- Multiple AWCI Excellence in Quality Awards (Levi's Stadium, Nokia R&D, CPMC Van Ness, Sutter Santa Rosa)
- ENR Best Specialty Subcontracting Project for Bing Concert Hall (2013)
- WACA Excellence in Safety Award for six consecutive years (1M+ hours worked)
- Worked on Apple Park, Levi's Stadium, SFO Terminal 2 (first LEED Gold US airport terminal), and major OSHPD hospitals
- Transitioned to 100% Employee Stock Ownership Plan in 2023

## Latest updates

- **2023-08** — Transitioned to a 100% Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), becoming fully employee-owned.
- **2023-01** — Awarded AWCI Excellence in Construction Quality for exterior prefabrication on the Sutter Santa Rosa Hospital project.
- **2021-12** — Selected as Contractor of the Year by Walls & Ceilings magazine.

## Links

- Website: https://caldrywall.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/californiadrywallco
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/caldrywall
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu4dgYIJaUpe9mJcgcaLhng
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/californiadrywall/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caldrywall/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/california-drywall-co
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02