Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- Medical and dental office buildings948
- Manufacturing plants900
- Senior living and skilled nursing371
- Commercial property management firms275
- Hotels224
Commercial trades market · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Appointment setting for commercial contractors in Seattle
Seattle-Tacoma has 9,187 businesses with 20 or more people on site across the categories commercial trades sell to, and it leans toward senior living and nursing and colleges and universities more than the U.S. as a whole. Here is how each trade's market looks, where the buildings are and when to call.
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Trades in Seattle
How each commercial trade's market looks in Seattle-Tacoma
Ranked by larger buildings per contractor against up to 100 markets (only markets with 10 or more contractors in a trade are ranked; n/r means not ranked). A higher rank means more buildings worth calling for every competitor working them.
| Trade | Contractors | 1-yr change | Larger buildings | Per contractor | Rank | Eligible targets | Push months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical Largest buyer group: medical and dental office buildings | 200 | -2 | 3,092 | 15.5 | #6 | 4,134 | May–Jun, Sep–Oct |
| Commercial Flooring Largest buyer group: apartment and multifamily management companies | 30 | -1 | 3,592 | 119.7 | #6 | · | Year-round |
| Commercial Roofing Largest buyer group: retail stores | 52 | -2 | 5,303 | 102.0 | #11 | 10,412 | Feb–Apr |
| Paving & Asphalt Largest buyer group: retail stores | 97 | +5 | 5,395 | 55.6 | #18 | · | Feb–Apr |
| Commercial Construction Largest buyer group: manufacturing companies | 433 | -4 | 2,750 | 6.4 | #21 | 10,412 | Year-round |
| Commercial Electrical Largest buyer group: retail stores | 322 | +11 | 4,248 | 13.2 | #24 | · | Year-round |
| Fire Protection Largest buyer group: restaurants | 127 | +8 | 5,582 | 44.0 | #49 | · | Year-round |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings Largest buyer group: retail stores | 86 | -2 | 5,530 | 64.3 | #51 | · | Feb–Apr |
| Commercial Landscaping Largest buyer group: retail stores | 1,604 | +7 | 5,344 | 3.3 | #62 | · | Feb–Apr |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial Largest buyer group: ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care | 1,185 | +44 | 3,493 | 2.9 | #82 | 3,063 | Year-round |
Who each program calls
The industries each Seattle trade program prospects into
Every trade has its own target list. Here are the five largest target industries for each program in the Seattle-Tacoma metro, with local location counts; each guide lists all ten and who your SDR asks for.
Commercial Flooring
- Apartment and multifamily management companies1,046
- Ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care948
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings471
- Senior living and skilled nursing371
- Commercial property management firms275
Commercial Roofing
- Retail stores1,815
- Apartment property management firms1,046
- Manufacturing plants900
- Commercial building owners and lessors471
- Commercial property management firms275
Paving & Asphalt
- Retail stores1,815
- Apartment property management firms1,046
- Ambulatory health care offices and clinics948
- Commercial building owners and lessors471
- Commercial property management firms275
Commercial Construction
- Manufacturing companies900
- Commercial building owners and developers471
- Senior living operators371
- Commercial property management firms275
- Hotel owners and management groups224
Commercial Electrical
- Retail stores1,815
- Manufacturing plants900
- Commercial building owners471
- Senior living and skilled nursing371
- Commercial property management firms275
Fire Protection
- Restaurants2,462
- Apartment management companies1,046
- Manufacturing plants900
- Senior living and skilled nursing371
- Commercial property management firms275
Commercial Painting & Coatings
- Retail stores1,815
- Apartment and multifamily management companies1,046
- Manufacturing plants900
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings471
- Senior living and skilled nursing371
Commercial Landscaping
- Retail stores1,815
- Apartment property management firms1,046
- Ambulatory health care offices and clinics948
- Commercial building owners and lessors471
- Senior living and skilled nursing371
Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial
- Ambulatory health care: physician, dental, outpatient and urgent care948
- Manufacturing plants900
- Owner-occupied and owner-managed commercial buildings471
- Senior living and skilled nursing371
- Commercial property management firms275
Locations with 20 or more employees, U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Property management and similar categories count every company, whatever its size.
What's being built
The projects shaping Seattle-Tacoma
Named, sourced projects current as of 2026-09, and the trades each one puts to work.
UW Medical Center Montlake 4NN/4EE Acute Care Expansion
$35.5 millionGC/CM procurement (proposals due October 9, 2026)
Conversion of 18,500 sq ft on the fourth floor of Pacific Tower at UW Medical Center's Montlake campus in Seattle from administrative space back into about 24 medical/surgical acute care beds.
Turning offices into patient rooms means new medical gas, HVAC and electrical work in an occupied hospital, plus fire protection modifications, healthcare-grade flooring and painting.
Washington APEX Accelerator (University of Washington RFP notice), 2026-09-09 →UW Bothell Husky Hall Replacement
$93,811,402Progressive design-build procurement (qualifications due October 13, 2026)
Replacement of the single-story, 30,000 sq ft Husky Hall at UW Bothell with a three-to-four-story, roughly 69,000 sq ft academic building including a 300 to 500 person multipurpose hall.
A new academic building brings mechanical, electrical, roofing and fire protection packages once the design-builder is selected, then flooring, painting and custodial contracts at opening.
Washington APEX Accelerator (University of Washington RFQ notice), 2026-09-22 →Harborview Bond Program: Pioneer Square Clinic (Duncan Building)
$20 million over three yearsSolicitation anticipated Q3 2026
Seismic upgrades, building improvements and tenant work to turn the Duncan Building in Seattle's Pioneer Square into a new Harborview clinic, part of King County's voter-approved Harborview bond program.
The county is soliciting architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, masonry and structural steel services, so mechanical and electrical subs and interior finish trades should track this release.
Washington APEX Accelerator (King County forecast), 2026-06-08 →Delong Elementary School Replacement
$45 millionProgressive design-build RFQ issued September 2026
Tacoma Public Schools plans to replace its 1953 Delong Elementary at 4901 S. 14th St. in Central Tacoma with a new 45,000 sq ft school for about 420 students.
School replacements bundle demolition, roofing, mechanical and electrical work with site paving and landscaping, and the new building creates a long-term custodial and grounds contract.
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, 2026-09-28 →Seattle Center Monorail Station Modernization
$23MUnder construction (started September 2026)
A renovation of the Seattle Center monorail station to make it fully accessible, including a new ramp from Thomas Street and added passenger capacity.
Transit station renovations call for electrical and lighting upgrades, new finishes and painting, and concrete and paving work at the new ramp connection.
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, 2026-09-30 →Sound Transit Stride S3 bus rapid transit line (NE 145th Street)
Under construction
Roadway widening, utility work, a water retention vault, sidewalks and station construction along Northeast 145th Street on the Seattle and Shoreline border for Sound Transit's Stride S3 line.
BRT corridors generate paving, sidewalk and station electrical work during construction, and finished stations add landscaping and cleaning maintenance needs.
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, 2026-09-24 → Where the buyers cluster
The owners that anchor Seattle-Tacoma
Health systems, campuses, large employers and industrial parks hold the biggest concentrations of commercial buildings here. Each fact links to its source, checked 2026-10.
Swedish Medical Center
Seattle, King County (plus Edmonds, Snohomish County, and Issaquah, King County)
Swedish calls itself the largest not-for-profit health care provider in the greater Seattle area, with five hospital campuses and 142 primary and specialty care locations.
Five hospital campuses (First Hill, Cherry Hill, Ballard, Edmonds and Issaquah) plus clinics across the Sound each run mechanical, life-safety and cleaning programs.
Swedish →University of Washington
Seattle, King County
UW Fast Facts list 52,316 students at the Seattle campus, with 6,361 at Bothell and 5,059 at Tacoma.
Three campuses with labs, residence halls, athletic venues and large grounds need constant mechanical, cleaning and landscaping work.
University of Washington →Boeing Everett Factory
Everett, Snohomish County
The Everett factory holds the Guinness World Record as the world's largest building by volume at 472 million cubic feet, with a factory floor spanning 98.3 acres.
A wide-body assembly site of this size carries large electrical, roofing, coatings and fire protection scopes, plus surrounding lots and support buildings.
Airways Magazine →Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
SeaTac, King County
The Port of Seattle says SEA set a record with over 52.7 million passengers in 2025.
Terminals, parking garage and airfield facilities owned by the Port of Seattle carry ongoing cleaning, HVAC, electrical and pavement work.
Port of Seattle →The Northwest Seaport Alliance
Seattle, King County, and Tacoma, Pierce County
The Port of Seattle reports the NWSA handled 3.2 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2025, down 5.5% from 2024's 3.3 million TEUs.
Container, breakbulk and auto terminals in Seattle and Tacoma run yards, warehouses and gate complexes that need paving, lighting and roofing work.
Port of Seattle →Pacific Gateway Business Park
Kent, King County
Segale Properties lists 120 acres within Pacific Gateway Business Park with 1,341,484 square feet of total industrial warehouse space.
Multi-tenant warehouse buildings in the Kent Valley share needs for roof maintenance, truck court paving, sprinkler inspection and dock lighting.
Segale Properties →Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Pierce County
Military OneSource lists 31,001 active military and 13,593 civilians at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
A large installation with barracks, hangars, offices and support buildings buys facility maintenance and construction through federal contracting.
Military OneSource → The local business base
Who the buyers are in Seattle-Tacoma
Compared with the national mix, Seattle-Tacoma over-indexes on senior living and nursing, colleges and universities and restaurants. The fastest-growing categories over the past year: medical, dental and outpatient offices (+178), senior living and nursing (+128) and restaurants (+58).
| Category | Sites with 20+ | All establishments | vs. U.S. mix | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 2,462 | 9,761 | 1.25x | +58 |
| Retail stores | 1,815 | 10,161 | 0.86x | -104 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 948 | 8,705 | 0.90x | +178 |
| Manufacturing plants | 900 | 3,154 | 0.95x | +25 |
| Wholesale distributors | 862 | 4,679 | 1.11x | -125 |
| Grocery stores | 403 | 1,570 | 0.93x | -6 |
| Senior living and nursing | 371 | 1,688 | 1.87x | +128 |
| Hotels | 224 | 468 | 0.71x | +8 |
| Trucking companies | 179 | 1,834 | 0.56x | -15 |
| Auto dealerships | 177 | 454 | 0.82x | -19 |
| Bank and credit union offices | 163 | 1,892 | 0.93x | -61 |
| Churches and religious organizations | 144 | 1,660 | 0.54x | -4 |
| Private K-12 schools | 135 | 259 | 1.13x | +7 |
| Warehousing and distribution | 116 | 297 | 1.06x | +2 |
| Apartment and residential property managers | 75 | 1,046 | 1.25x | -79 |
| Hosting and data processing companies | 70 | 319 | 1.24x | +27 |
| Hospitals | 41 | 47 | 0.45x | +8 |
| Golf courses and country clubs | 38 | 68 | 0.59x | -5 |
| Commercial property managers | 33 | 275 | 0.99x | +2 |
| Nonresidential building owners | 19 | 471 | 1.17x | +12 |
| Colleges and universities | 12 | 33 | 1.26x | +9 |
Territory
Where the business sites are
King County holds 63% of the metro's larger business sites, so most programs start there and cover the rest of the metro for larger accounts.
| County | Larger business sites |
|---|---|
| King County | 5,699 |
| Pierce County | 1,791 |
| Snohomish County | 1,625 |
Climate and timing
Seattle's year, month by month
Outdoor trades (roofing, paving, landscaping, exterior painting) work the months with lows of 40°F or above and sell in the months before. HVAC sells ahead of its heating and cooling peaks. Each trade page has its own calendar.
- Jan41° / 31°Off-season
- Feb44° / 31°Off-season
- Mar48° / 33°Off-season
- Apr53° / 36°Off-season
- May60° / 42°Outdoor season
- Jun65° / 46°Outdoor season
- Jul72° / 51°Outdoor season
- Aug73° / 51°Outdoor season
- Sep66° / 47°Outdoor season
- Oct55° / 41°Outdoor season
- Nov45° / 35°Off-season
- Dec40° / 31°Off-season
Working in Washington
Contractor licensing in Washington
Washington requires all construction contractors to register with L&I as a general contractor ($30,000 bond) or a specialty contractor ($15,000 bond) in one of 63 specialties. Electrical contractors need a separate L&I electrical contractor license, and fire sprinkler contractors are licensed by the State Fire Marshal.
Trade-by-trade rules are on each trade page. Confirm with Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). Checked 2026-09-30.
Hiring locally
What an in-house SDR costs in Seattle
Before you hire a sales development rep in Seattle, price the whole job, not just the salary. Here is the local pay for sales representatives, and what a first year really costs once you add commission, payroll taxes and benefits, tools, recruiting and the manager time it takes to coach them.
- $82,540median pay for a sales rep in the Seattle metro
- $65,820 to $113,010middle half of local pay (25th to 75th percentile)
- 12,450people in the role locally, all competing for the same hires
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091).
In-house SDR, first year$148,525
Abstrakt Growth program, full-time SDR, 12 months$102,000
In-house adds $15,000 commission, 25% payroll taxes and benefits, $500/month tools, $5,000 recruiting and 4 manager hours a week at $75/hour, before ramp time or turnover. Abstrakt includes the SDR, management, tools and data.
How Abstrakt works in Seattle
Outsourced appointment setting, one trade per market
Abstrakt's U.S.-based business development reps build a Seattle target list around your trade, service area and ideal buildings, work it by phone, email, LinkedIn and direct mail, and book meetings with the people who sign. We will not run the same program for a direct competitor in your territory.
Selling into Washington? See the Washington outbound calling rules: do-not-call lists, calling hours and registration, so you know what a program here has to handle.
Seattle commercial trades, answered
Does Abstrakt set appointments for commercial contractors in Seattle?
Yes. Abstrakt runs outsourced appointment setting for commercial trades across the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro: our U.S.-based business development reps call the buildings, qualify the opportunity and book meetings with the person who signs. We run one program per trade per market.
Which commercial trades have the most room to grow in Seattle?
Measured by larger buildings per contractor against the 100 markets we track (where a trade has at least 10 local contractors), commercial HVAC & Mechanical (#6), commercial Flooring (#6) and commercial Roofing (#11) rank best in Seattle.
What kinds of businesses are concentrated in Seattle?
Compared with the national mix, Seattle-Tacoma has more senior living and nursing (1.87x), colleges and universities (1.26x) and restaurants (1.25x). Those industries are the best-represented buyers for trades that serve them.
Which counties make up the Seattle market?
The metro covers King County, Pierce County and Snohomish County. King County holds 63% of the larger business sites.
Sources and method
- Contractors and business-category change and concentration: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
- Business sites by size and county: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Suppressed size classes count as zero.
- Climate: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county monthly series, 1991-2020 averages.
- Projects: sources linked on each project card.
- Anchor owners: sources linked on each card, read 2026-10.
- Eligible targets: Abstrakt territory record counts, 2026-10; estimated decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect per program, shown for HVAC, roofing, construction and cleaning.
- Photo: Seattle skyline and Space Needle with Mount Rainier, by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash.
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