Today the STO Building Group and RC Andersen Construction announced the two firms have joined ranks, making RC Andersen the newest member of the STO Building Group family of companies. The merger enhances the services and geographic reach both firms can offer clients in the growing industrial and distribution sector
“Joining the STO Building Group allows our clients to benefit from the added services we can offer them, anywhere across their geographic platform,” says Robert Andersen, founder and President of RC Andersen. “The merger also allows us to provide more opportunities for our employees, from the employee ownership program to the extended resources and other benefits of being part of a larger group of companies.”
Founded in 2006 and based in New Jersey, RC Andersen is a general contractor in the industrial sector that offers comprehensive construction management and project management for property owners, developers, and tenants. The company is focused on delivering high-quality projects as quickly as possible in a time when the demands of e-commerce have made it increasingly critical to generate warehouse distribution space and cold storage facilities expeditiously and efficiently. Some of the firm’s key clients include Prologis, Trammell Crow Company, Amazon, Hillwood, Bridge Development, Matrix Development, Clarion, and Bluewater Property Group.
“Our STO Building Group companies have been working across North America with clients in the booming industrial and distribution facility market, and we don’t see that slowing down anytime soon,” says Robert Mullen, STO Building Group CEO. “RC Andersen’s particular expertise will only enhance the specialized knowledge and experience we’re able to offer clients in this sector, as well as provide RC Andersen’s existing clients with extended services and geographic reach across our platform.”
Mullen tells BD+C that STO has known Andersen and his company for several years, “and have always admired their position in the market.” And thanks to the prominence of another STO-affiliated company, Layton Construction, “we have become increasingly involved in the distribution and warehouse market, where RC Andersen is already a known leader.” Utah-based Layton Construction merged with the organization in 2019.
STO Building Group’s family of companies model has helped the firm move up eight spots on ENR’s Top Contractors list—from #14 to #6—in just the last two years, while allowing each member company to maintain its name, reputation, and leadership structure. Seattle’s Abbott Construction merged with STO last year.
“Opportunities to merge with great companies like RC Andersen are the very reason we shifted our company structure to the STO Building Group platform,” 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 name 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.”
RC Andersen will retain its name, logo, and cultural 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 2022 and beyond.
“This merger assures the future of RC Andersen and our employees for decades to come,” Bob Andersen tells BD+C. “We see this transition is an exciting next step in the evolution of our business.”
Editor's note: Some comments from Robert Andersen and Robert Mullen were added after this article was posted initially.
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2011
GSA Recognizes the Best in Public Architecture
The U.S. General Services Administration recognized the best in public architecture and civilian federal workplaces at the 2010 GSA Design Awards in Washington, D.C. This year's 11 award winners showcase the federal government's commitment to cutting-edge architectural design and its focus on sustainability.
| Jan 20, 2011
Houston Dynamo soccer team plans new venue
Construction is scheduled to begin this month on a new 22,000-seat Major League Soccer stadium for the Houston Dynamo. The $60 million project is expected to be ready for the 2012 MLS season.
| Jan 20, 2011
Worship center design offers warm and welcoming atmosphere
The Worship Place Studio of local firm Ziegler Cooper Architects designed a new 46,000-sf church complex for the Pare de Sufrir parish in Houston.
| Jan 20, 2011
Construction begins on second St. Louis community center
O’Fallon Park Recreation Complex in St. Louis, designed by local architecture/engineering firm KAI Design & Build, will feature an indoor aquatic park with interactive water play features, a lazy river, water slides, laps lanes, and an outdoor spray and multiuse pool.
| Jan 20, 2011
Community college to prepare next-gen Homeland Security personnel
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., began work on the Homeland Security Education Center, which will prepare future emergency personnel to tackle terrorist attacks and disasters. The $25 million, 61,100-sf building’s centerpiece will be an immersive interior street lab for urban response simulations.
| Jan 19, 2011
Industrial history museum gets new home in steel plant
The National Museum of Industrial History recently renovated the exterior of a 1913 steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa., to house its new 40,000-sf exhibition space. The museum chose VOA Associates, which is headquartered in Chicago, to complete the design for the exhibit’s interior. The exhibit, which has views of five historic blast furnaces, will feature artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution to illustrate early industrial America.
| Jan 19, 2011
Baltimore mixed-use development combines working, living, and shopping
The Shoppes at McHenry Row, a $117 million mixed-use complex developed by 28 Walker Associates for downtown Baltimore, will include 65,000 sf of office space, 250 apartments, and two parking garages. The 48,000 sf of main street retail space currently is 65% occupied, with space for small shops and a restaurant remaining.
| Jan 19, 2011
Biomedical research center in Texas to foster scientific collaboration
The new Health and Biomedical Sciences Center at the University of Houston will facilitate interaction between scientists in a 167,000-sf, six-story research facility. The center will bring together researchers from many of the school’s departments to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects. The facility also will feature an ambulatory surgery center for the College of Optometry, the first of its kind for an optometry school. Boston-based firms Shepley Bulfinch and Bailey Architects designed the project.
| Jan 19, 2011
San Diego casino renovations upgrade gaming and entertainment
The Sycuan Casino in San Diego will get an update with a $27 million, 245,000-sf renovation. Hnedak Bobo Group, Memphis, Tenn., and Cleo Design, Las Vegas, drew design inspiration from the historic culture of the Sycuan tribe and the desert landscape, creating a more open space with better circulation. Renovation highlights include a new “waterless” water entry feature and new sports bar and grill, plus updates to gaming, poker, off-track-betting, retail, and bingo areas. The local office of San Francisco-based Swinerton Builders will provide construction services.
| Jan 19, 2011
Extended stay hotel aims to provide comfort of home
Housing development company Campus Apartments broke ground on a new extended stay hotel that will serve the medical and academic facilities in Philadelphia’s University City, including the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The 11,000-sf hotel will operate under Hilton’s Homewood Suites brand, with 136 suites with full kitchens and dining and work areas. A part of the city’s EnergyWorks loan program, the project aims for LEED with a green roof, low-flow fixtures, and onsite stormwater management. Local firms Alesker & Dundon Architects and GC L.F. Driscoll Co. complete the Building Team.
