Level 10 Construction, a spin off of the development firm Jay Paul Co., is the latest contractor seeking to join the San Francisco building boom

The Sunnyvale-based company has opened a San Francisco office, which will be managed by Level 10 Project Executive Steve DeWees. The group has leased about 5,000 square feet at 301 Howard St. In addition, Level 10 has a new office in San Diego.

While Level 10 is new to San Francisco, the group has already started construction on one of the most high-profile projects in the city, Jay Paul Co.’s 54-story 181 Fremont St. At 800 feet, 181 Fremont Street will be the second tallest building in San Francisco when it is completed, with 404,000 square feet of Class A office space on 33 floors and 74 condominium residences on the top 15 floors. It will connect by skybridge to a 5-acre park elevated on the Transbay Terminal. The architect is Heller Manus.

The company has a backlog of more than $750 million in construction projects. In addition to mixed-use high rise projects, the San Francisco office of Level 10 will be working within a number of other sectors, including higher education, biotech, technology and corporate facilities.

“San Francisco is going through a tremendous building boom,” said Level 10 Construction President Dennis Giles. “We are excited to be a part of it and to contribute our expertise and the experience of our seasoned team to the development of this dynamic city.”

DeWees, who is overseeing 181 Fremont St., is a veteran of high-rise construction, with past projects including The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, a 50-story hotel and casino; MGM Grand Hotel & Casino; and the new $4 billion dollar development The Baha Mar Casino & Hotel in the Bahamas.

Level 10’s move into San Francisco comes at a time when the city is attracting a number of out-of-town contractors, including Boston-based Suffolk Construction, which is being led by former Webcor CEO Andy Ball. Silicon Valley contractor SC Buildings also opened an office here about a year ago.