Today Abbott Construction announced that they have merged with STO Building Group to become a member of the STO family of companies. The merger will allow both firms to leverage each other’s geographic reach to better serve clients with multiple locations and enhance the services and areas of expertise they can offer across that expanded footprint.
“We see joining the STO family as an exciting next step in what we can offer our clients and our employees without sacrificing who we are and have been for the past 35-plus years,” says Troy Stedman, president and CEO of Abbott. “We know from first-hand experience working together that our companies value integrity, collaboration, and a client-first way of doing business, so formally joining forces makes perfect sense.”
“From our existing relationship working with Abbott on two significant joint venture projects, we are confident that this merger is a great fit for both companies,” says David Layton, president and CEO of Layton Construction, who Abbott will report through. “And with Layton’s proximity to the Pacific Northwest and existing presence in Southern California, we’re looking forward to helping Abbott grow in those core markets.”
Founded in 1983, Abbott is a West Coast commercial builder known for superior planning and execution. They work with clients in a variety of sectors such as healthcare, hospitality, education, non-profit, retail, and tenant interiors. Some of their most notable recent projects include the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and University of Puget Sound Welcome Center in Tacoma, WA; FAA Northwest Mountain Regional Headquarters in Des Moines, WA; Big Fish Games Seattle headquarters, the UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios in Culver City, CA, and h. Club Los Angeles.
“The Pacific Northwest has been a key strategic market for the STO Building Group, and Abbott is a terrific addition to our family of companies,” says Robert Mullen, STO Building Group CEO. “By joining forces, both firms can leverage each other’s geographic reach and take advantage of each other’s strengths, relationships, geographies, and resources to better serve our clients across the globe.”
Formerly operating as the Structure Tone Organization, STO restructured as the STO Building Group in 2018 to provide a platform for growth that allows each of its member companies to maintain their cultural identity while leveraging the strengths of a multicompany organization. In the last four years, Canadian firm Govan Brown and US firms Ajax Building Company, BCCI Construction, and Layton Construction have merged with STO Building Group.
“The opportunity to merge with such an incredible firm as Abbott is exactly why we shifted our structure to STO Building Group,” says James Donaghy, STO Building Group executive chairman. “We value the reputation and heritage of the firms who merge with our organization, and each has kept its identity as a way to honor that legacy. As we continue to grow, we want to respect that history, but also reflect the collective expertise our companies offer and allow our employees to benefit from the larger organization’s resources.”
Now part of the STO Building Group family of companies, Abbott will keep its identity, and its current leaders will retain an ownership position in the organization and maintain their roles as the senior leadership team of the business. It is anticipated that new job opportunities will be created as a result of the merger to support the company’s projected growth for 2021 and beyond.
Related Stories
| Dec 23, 2014
5 tech trends transforming BIM/VDC
From energy modeling on the fly to prefabrication of building systems, these advancements are potential game changers for AEC firms that are serious about building information modeling.
| Dec 22, 2014
What Building Teams can learn from home builders' travails
Commercial and residential construction can be as different as night and day. But as one who covered the housing industry for nearly a decade, I firmly believe AEC firms can learn some valuable lessons from the trials and tribulations that home builders experienced during the Great Recession, writes BD+C's John Caulfield.
| Dec 22, 2014
Skanska to build Miami’s Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science
Designed by Grimshaw Architects, the 250,000-sf museum will serve as an economic engine and cultural anchor for Miami’s fast-growing urban core.
| Dec 22, 2014
Studio Gang to design Chicago’s third-tallest skyscraper
The first U.S. real-estate investment by The Wanda Group, owned by China’s richest man, will be an 88-story, 1,148-ft-tall mixed-use tower designed by Jeanne Gang.
| Dec 19, 2014
Zaha Hadid unveils dune-shaped HQ for Emirati environmental management company
Zaha Hadid Architects released designs for the new headquarters of Emirati environmental management company Bee’ah, revealing a structure that references the shape and motion of a sand dune.
| Dec 18, 2014
International Parking Institute and Green Parking Council collaborate with GBCI
The new collaboration recognizes importance of sustainable parking facility design and management to the built environment.
| Dec 18, 2014
In response to ultra-open and uber-collaborative office environments
Susan Cain’s bestselling 2012 book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking" has made an impact on how we understand our current workforce, recognizing that at least one-third of the people we work with are introverts, writes SRG Partnership's Susan Gust.
| Dec 17, 2014
USGBC announces 2014 Best of Green Schools honorees
Houston's Monarch School was named the K-12 school of the year, and Western Michigan University was honored as the top higher-ed institution, based on environmental programs and education efforts.
| Dec 17, 2014
ULI report looks at growing appeal of micro unit apartments
New research from the Urban Land Institute suggests that micro units have staying power as a housing type that appeals to urban dwellers in high-cost markets who are willing to trade space for improved affordability and proximity to downtown neighborhoods.
| Dec 17, 2014
Demand softens, but outlook for Architecture Billings Index remains positive
The AIA's Architecture Billings Index for November was 50.9, down from a mark of 53.7 in October. Despite the drop, the ABI continued its seven-month run of positive scores (above 50).
