Abbott Construction Merges with STO Building Group

By Eric Althoff

NEW YORK and SEATTLE—Building firm Abbott Construction, based in Seattle and Los Angeles, has merged operations with the STO Building Group, officially joining the STO umbrella organization, whose operations are based closer to the eastern seaboard.

Bringing Abbott into STO Building Group will allow STO to increase its reach on the West Coast as well as increase its holdings in the healthcare field.  Previous companies that joined up with STO include healthcare builders Layton Construction and LF Driscoll.

Abbott’s previous healthcare projects include the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and University of Puget Sound Welcome Center in Tacoma, Washington, the Arcadia Mental Health Center in Arcadia, California, the Roy and Patricia Disney Cancer Center in Burbank, California, and the Healthpoint Midway Clinic in Des Moines, Iowa.

Troy Stedman, president and CEO of Abbott, said he believes merging operations with STO will allow for greater client satisfaction as well as helping his company increase its presence in the decades to come.

“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,” Stedman said.

His sentiments were echoed by STO Building Group CEO Robert Mullen, who said Abbott’s West Coast foothold will become a great asset to the merged operations.

“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,” Mullen said.

Despite coming into the STO fold, Abbott will continue to operate as an independent entity and retain its top leadership.  This jibes with STO’s ethos, which is to allow its constituent partners room to grow on their own while contributing to the greater good of the larger entity.

Other American companies that have joined with the STO organization include Ajax Building Company and BCCI Construction.

“The opportunity to merge with such an incredible firm as Abbott is exactly why we shifted our structure to STO Building Group,” James Donaghy, STO Building Group executive chairman, said recently.  “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.”