The recent opening of Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, Washington, serves as a primary example of the integrated partnership between Layton Construction and Abbott Construction. The 260,000 square foot facility, which opened in May 2026, was delivered by an integrated team that functions as one entity rather than two separate contractors.
Brandon Kriston, Associate Vice President of Hospital Operations at Mary Bridge, stated that the Layton-Abbott team is one of the primary reasons the facility was able to open.
Unlike traditional joint ventures where two companies form a new entity with negotiated splits, Layton and Abbott operate under common ownership within the STO Building Group (STOBG). This structure allows each company to maintain its own leadership, name, and culture while sharing resources such as technology, bonding capacity, and trade relationships.
Abbott President and CEO Troy Stedman noted that being under common ownership makes the relationship a true partnership. Layton Vice President Matt Reel added that there is no dominant partner in their work together, describing the two companies as one team with similar values.
This collaborative model has resulted in over $1.25 billion in combined project revenue across Southern California and the Pacific Northwest over the last seven years. The partnership has also seen an eighty percent repeat client rate.
The partnership between the two firms began following Layton joining STOBG in 2019 and Abbott joining in 2020. Both companies have long regional histories, with Layton operating in Utah since 1953 and Abbott in Seattle since 1983.
Paul Drecksel, who was recently named President of STOBG, has overseen this cross-brand collaboration throughout his roles as Chief Operating Officer of Layton and head of STOBG's Western Division. The two companies have completed seven other projects together and continue to pursue more work through the STOBG network.
