STO Building Conversations

The post-pandemic data center boom isn't slowing down, so how are hyperscalers, builders, and manufacturers keeping up? Join STO Mission Critical Project Executive, Jim DiNoia, as he discusses the influx of mission critical work with SVP of STO Mission Critical, Martin O'Neill, and Vice President of Data Center Engineering at Sentinel Data Centers, Nick Marzorati.

What is Day 2+? Join Executive Chairman of STOBG, Jim Donaghy, SVP of Technical Operations, Steve Neeson, and Structure Tone New York's Director of Special Projects, Marc DeLuca as they explore how this cutting-edge platform will transform the construction process, the roles of project team members, and the way CMs collaborate with clients and partners. (Part 2 of 2)

What is Day 2+? Join Executive Chairman of STOBG, Jim Donaghy, SVP of Technical Operations, Steve Neeson, and Structure Tone New York's Director of Special Projects, Marc DeLuca as they explore how this cutting-edge platform will transform the construction process, the roles of project team members, and the way CMs collaborate with clients and partners. (Part 1 of 2)

On September 11th, 2001, our Structure Tone team lost a number of friends, clients, family members, and partners, as well as three of their own—Brendan Lang, Anthony Peluso, and Kieran Gorman. In their memory, we're re-releasing Episode 6 of Structure Tone's Oral History series, featuring a number of long-time New York employees remembering their experiences that day.

How can builders leverage the full strength of our communities? Join Jay Smith, President of Ajax Building Company, as he interviews Ajax's Director of Outreach and Vendor Diversity, Ted Parker, and two members of the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality, Keith Bowers and Darryl Jones. Together, they discuss the power of partnership when it comes to engaging MWDBE businesses and how these DEI efforts help drive Tallahassee-Leon County's economic well-being.

What role does the built environment play in influencing our well-being? Join STOBG's VP of Human Resources, Keith Lodge, as he interviews Lauren Moss SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Vornado Realty Trust, Dr. Whitney Austin Gray, SVP at the International Well Building Institute, IWBI, and Jennifer Taranto, VP of Sustainability at STOBG about the connection between the built environment and mental health.

With more than 25% of the country's office stock projected to become obsolete by 2030, how is an international commercial hub like New York City adapting? Join STOBG's SVP of Building Repositioning, Brooks McDaniel as he discusses the city's trend towards residential conversion with commercial design leader and managing partner at MdeAS, Dan Shannon. 

The 2010s sparked an age of reformation—for the construction industry and for New York City. Inspired by the momentum, Structure Tone invested in a new HQ that would not only reflect the company's roots but serve as a beacon for progress. Tune in to Episode 7 of Structure Tone's 50th Anniversary Oral History series to learn more about building this space and the impact it had on the company's culture. 

What does it mean to be a woman in the field in New York City? Join Structure Tone New York's Superintendent, Kiera Brady, VP of Operations, Stacey Dackson, and Project Manager, Eileen McCarthy, as they share their experiences, their insights, and the challenges they faced building some of NYC's most iconic projects.

It's Irish American Heritage Month! In honor of Structure Tone's Irish roots, we're resharing a favorite podcast episode from Structure Tone's Oral History series—featuring founder, Pat Donaghy, telling his immigration story. 

TSX Broadway is being transformed into an unprecedented, entertainment-driven destination that will redefine how people engage with Times Square. In this special joint episode with The Anti-Architect Podcast, Pavarini McGovern Vice President, Jason Vesuvio teamed up with Christian Giordano, President & Co-owner of Mancini Duffy, to tell the story of this iconic project—including lifting the historic Palace Theatre 30 feet in the air.  Featuring insights from Bill Mandara Jr., CEO and Co-owner of Mancini, Tony Mazzo, President of Urban Foundation/Engineering, Benjamin Alper, Associate Principal of Severud Associates, and Joe Levi, Project Manager at Pavarini McGovern, and co-hosted by Jason and Christian, this episode covers the who, what, when, and why of the TSX Broadway theater lift, as well as what's next for the team as construction continues.  https://tsxbroadway.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-anti-architect-podcast/id1552247664  

Design-build, design-assist, IPD, hybrid approaches—what's the difference between each of these delivery methods, and how do owners determine which approach is right for them? Join Govan Brown's Colin Gray, Structure Tone New York's Stephen Soviero, Layton Construction's David Burton, and LF Driscoll's Ed Hanzel as they compare their experiences leveraging alternative delivery models in markets across North America.

It's been 21 years since the tragic events of September 11th, 2001. We lost a number of friends, clients, family members, and partners, as well as three of our own—Brendan Lang, Anthony Peluso, and Kieran Gorman. In their memory, Episode 6 of Structure Tone's 50th Anniversary Oral History series features a number of our long-time New York employees remembering their experiences that day, the people we lost, and our company's role in recovery and rebuilding.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Structure Tone was growing so quickly that the company's office space could hardly keep up! From welcoming a handful of new faces to winning the iconic MetLife project, tune in to Episode 5 of Structure Tone's 50th Anniversary Oral History series to learn more about this transformational period for the business.

In the fast-paced world of mission critical construction, speed matters—and builders everywhere are looking for game-changing solutions that will help them deliver on cost, quality, and schedule. Join Grant O'Neal, Operations Manager for STO Mission Critical in Dallas, Brett Skyllingstad, VP of Business Development for Structure Tone Southwest, Chris Shackelford, Project Executive for Structure Tone Southwest, and Al Jaurez, a Helix Steel expert, as they explore the mission critical market in Texas and an innovative approach to concrete reinforcement.

What happens when even the best-laid plans are consistently challenged by supply chain disruptions? Join David Hamilton, VP of Purchasing at Structure Tone, Joe Rossi, Executive Director of Workplace Delivery & National Real Estate at Verizon, Charlie Pavelec, SVP of Shambaugh's Electrical Division, and Tom Ike, EVP of Lutron Electronics, as they dive into the day-to-day challenges and long-term opportunities today's unpredictable supply chain represents.

When it comes to building repositioning, what motivates developers to build green? Tune in as Curtis Brown, STOBG's VP of Business Development explores that topic from all angles—from environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors to new emissions regulations—with Brian Geller, Senior Sustainability Manager at The Durst Organization, Brooks McDaniel, SVP of Building Repositioning at STO Building Group, and Jennifer Taranto, VP of Sustainability at STO Building Group.

By the 1980s, Structure Tone leaders began considering opportunities outside of New York City—but growth for the sake of growth wasn't exactly the plan. Tune in to Episode 4 of Structure Tone's 50th Anniversary Oral History series to hear our regional leaders reflect on what drove this exciting era of expansion.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we're re-releasing one of our earliest podcasts. Join Rich Schneider and Mike Neary of Structure Tone New York as they discuss preserving and updating New York City's venerated St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The demand for BIM and VDC solutions is growing stronger every day—and builders need to continue to innovate and evolve to keep up. Join Public Relations Manager, Bryan Packer, as he discusses Layton Construction's unique approach to BIM and VDC with the company's virtual design and construction team: Jeff Metcalf, Vice President of Information Systems, Jon Ferguson, Director of Visualization, and Tim McLachlan, Director of BIM.

In honor of Women in Construction Week, Danielle Simone, STO Building Group Vice President & Regulatory Compliance Counsel, had a candid conversation about the MWDBE process with one of Structure Tone New York's longtime partners, and President of Egg Electric, Ellen Aschendorf, as well as Structure Tone's Regional MWDBE Manager for the Northeast, Mafe Alizo.

In the fast-paced world of industrial construction, every second counts—but delivering the highest quality product on time, on schedule, and on budget, has never been more challenging. Join industrial construction experts Jeff McKinnon, Senior Director of Corporate Development at Govan Brown, Eric Nay, Executive Vice President of Layton Construction's National Building Group, Scott Frank, Project Executive at LF Driscoll, and Jason Quinn, Senior Vice President of Estimating at Pavarini McGovern as they discuss the evolving obstacles of building in the high-speed, high-tech industrial sector.

Why is a zero-punch project so elusive? Join STO Building Group Executive Chairman, Jim Donaghy, as he discusses the ins and outs of delivering a top-quality project with a project team that recently completed a zero-punch move in on a 110,000sf headquarters: BCCI Construction's Studio Director & Quality Manager, Lisa Dunmeyer, and BCCI Field Operations Manager, Matt Ludwig, and Principal with AP+I Design, Meera Agrawal.

Pain isn't always obvious, especially on a construction site. Join Abbie Klein, Vice President of Benefits, Compensation, & Special Projects at STO Building Group and co-chair of the STOBG mental health committee, as she discusses the history of mental health issues in the construction industry with trained psychotherapist and lecturer, Beth Glanville and sustainability manager at Structure Tone London, Roseanna Hart.

From pagers and payphones to physical change orders, building in the 1980s was certainly different! Tune in to Episode 3 of Structure Tone's 50th Anniversary Oral History series to hear current and former tenured employees recall the energetic atmosphere of building in the ‘80s and ‘90s, some groundbreaking project wins for Structure Tone, and the fun memories made along the way. 

The celebration continues! In episode two of Structure Tone's 50th Anniversary Oral History podcast series, we're honored to share a special appearance from the legendary leader of operations, John White Sr., as well as stories about growing up in the business from several members of the company's executive leadership team: STO Building Group's Executive Chairman, Jim Donaghy, Structure Tone's Regional COO, John White Jr., and STO Building Group's Executive Vice President of Client Relations, Eugene White.

2021 marks Structure Tone's 50th year in business! Join us as we continue to celebrate how far we've come through a special oral history podcast series. Today we are honored to share the reflections of company founder, Patrick Donaghy. Listen in on how the company came to be, what's behind our client-first approach, and some funny stories along the way.

Join Justin Goodman, director of business development at Structure Tone Southwest, as he discusses the complexities of building blast resistant structures with subject matter experts: Aaron Westover, vice president of the industrial division at Rigid Building Group, Chris Talley, regional vice president of Structure Tone Southwest, and Rudy Tejeda, vice president of industrial work for Structure Tone Southwest.

What makes a smart building smart? Join Structure Tone New York Project Manager & Mechanical Specialist, Doug Kruser, as he discusses the vast possibilities of smart building systems with two partners he worked with when building and implementing the award-winning smart building technology in WarnerMedia's 1.2Msf Hudson Yards headquarters: Michael Krall, Executive Director of Smart Buildings at JPMorgan Chase, and John Hester, Owner & Chief Consultant at Hester Consulting, LLC.

From mental health considerations to modular design and delivery, correctional facility design and construction has transformed over time. Join Senior Vice President of STO Building Group, Amy Wincko, as she interviews three corrections construction experts: VP of Ajax Building Company Jay Smith, VP of Layton Construction David Burton, and Construction Manager at Layton Construction Dave Whimpey.

How has the transition to post-pandemic life impacted the mission critical market? Join Structure Tone London's business development director, Richard Irwin, as he gains insight into the UK and European data centre markets from three mission critical experts: John Wilson, Director at SMBC and specialist in data centre financing, Will King, Managing Director of DC Byte, and Jason Monks, Mission Critical Project Director at Structure Tone Dublin.  

From sit-stand desks to changing the way the world thinks about coworking—join us for a pre-pandemic discussion between Joseph Cribbin, president of Structure Tone Southwest, and Jeff Lamb, president and COO of Vari, a Texas-based company that's redefining the workplace, one space at a time. Since the interview, the way we interact with the built environment has changed drastically, making Vari's commitment to offering space as a service as relevant as ever.

Diversity is a fact; inclusion is a choice. Join LF Driscoll’s EOP and controls manager, Saege Steele, as she discusses what’s worked—and what hasn’t—when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the construction industry with two executives who are leading the charge: Blane Stoddart, president and CEO of BFW Group, and Mike Delaney, executive vice president at LF Driscoll.

Determined to drive innovative change from within the industry, Thornton Tomasetti, STO Building Group, Syska Hennessy, and SHoP Architechs formed the AEC Angels to assess, test, fund, and accelerate promising AEC technologies. Join Rob Leon, executive VP of STO Global, as he speaks with two founding members of the AEC Angels—Executive Chairman of Thornton Tomasetti, Tom Scarangello, and Executive Chairman of STO Building Group, Jim Donaghy—about what the group is testing now, and what parts of the AEC process they’re looking to disrupt next. This is PART 2 of our two-part interview with Tom and Jim.

In an industry that’s been historically slow to adopt the latest technologies, the architecture, engineering, and construction fields present incredible opportunities for tech investors and developers alike. Determined to drive innovative change from within the industry, Thornton Tomasetti, STO Building Group, Syska Hennessy, and SHoP Architechs formed the AEC Angels to assess, test, fund, and accelerate promising AEC technologies. Join Rob Leon, executive VP of STO Global, as he discusses the origin and purpose of the AEC Angels group with two founding members—Executive Chairman of Thornton Tomasetti, Tom Scarangello, and Executive Chairman of STO Building Group, Jim Donaghy. This is PART 1 of our two-part interview with Tom and Jim.

With all eyes on the industry developing and manufacturing the vaccine, five markets across the US Northeast—Boston-Cambridge, Washington D.C., New Jersey, Philadelphia, and New York City—were named in the top ten US life science clusters by CBRE. Join Kaitlyn Blazer, business development manager at Structure Tone Philadelphia, as she discusses the life sciences construction boom with experts in the region: Pat Toner, STO VP and national life sciences sector leader, Stephen Neeson, SVP of operations and life sciences sector leader for Structure Tone New Jersey, and Nick Cassaro, senior life sciences project manager for Structure Tone Boston.

From the embodied carbon associated with construction materials to the operational carbon produced throughout a building’s lifecycle, the design and construction industry has the opportunity to make a big impact when it comes to carbon. Join STO Building Group’s director of sustainability, Jennifer Taranto, as she interviews two subject matter experts: David Briefel, sustainability director and design resilience leader at Gensler, and Jeff Morrow, president of J. Morrow Solutions, as they discuss the ingredients of net zero carbon buildings and how mass timber construction can fit into the equation. 

What can the physical workplace offer the next generation of workers? Join Executive Vice President of STO Global Services, Rob Leon, in PART 2 of STO’s two-part interview with Hana’s Director of Brand & Communications, Lindsay Wester, and VP Global Head of Product & Experience Design, Andrew Kao, as they discuss the Hana Innovation Partners program and how COVID-19 could transform the way future workers think about the office.

Creating spaces where people with purpose can accomplish great things—that’s Hana’s mission. But what does a flexible workplace look like in the post-pandemic world? Executive Vice President of STO Global Services, Rob Leon, spoke with Hana’s own Director of Brand & Communications, Lindsay Wester, and VP Global Head of Product & Experience Design, Andrew Kao, about how the flexible space provider is preparing their spaces for what’s coming in the short-, medium-, and long-term. This is PART 1 of our two-part interview in Lindsay and Andrew.

As COVID-19 shifted what a “workplace” should look like, organizations across the globe have mobilized to pull together new protocols and practices for their workspaces as they consider when and how to bring back staff. In April, the Govan Brown team began discussing this very challenge with clients, many of whom really weren’t sure how to approach their return. Join Govan Brown’s SVP of corporate development, Trevor Howie, as he interviews VP of human resources and CSR, Sarah Paul, and special projects manager, Jordan Winter, about how they turned Govan Brown’s own COVID-19 playbook into a guide to help their clients and nonprofit partners return to the workplace.

In construction, the best education is the one you get on the job. But in a world where remote learning is the only option, how is the AEC industry—particularly the hands-on field of construction—teaching, mentoring, and hiring students and new graduates? That’s what Debra Rubin, ENR’s Editor-at-Large for management, business, and the workforce, was hoping to find out when she reached out to Greg Dunkle, CAO of STO Building Group, back in September. Now as the college semester is coming to a close, Greg and Debra reconnected to discuss her findings.

With millions still working from home, what does the post-pandemic workplace look like, and how is the corporate interiors market preparing for this new normal? Join Executive VP of STO’s Global Services group, Robert Leon, and STO’s Director of Sustainability, Jennifer Taranto, as they discuss the pandemic’s impact on commercial real estate, design, and construction—from short-term infection control measures and tech solution to new sustainability, wellness, and safety standards.

When New York shut down construction earlier this year, Connecticut and New Jersey followed suit—or so it seemed! With active projects in New York, New Jersey, and across Connecticut, Pavarini North East juggled three sets of state guidelines and continued building in several COVID hotspots. Join PNE’s director of operations, Brian Boyce and director of project administration, Katlyn Tracey, to find out what it was like to continue operating while surrounded by shutdowns. 

When the world transitioned to working, learning, and socializing from home in the blink of an eye, how did the internet—and its critical infrastructure—keep up? On this episode, we talk to Terence Deneny, VP of STO Mission Critical, about how internet providers, telecommunication firms, and social networking companies have handled the influx of traffic and how he thinks the pandemic will affect the future of mission critical real estate and construction.

What does a safe jobsite look like during a global pandemic? The construction industry has experienced mass shutdowns across several regions in the US but work in the Midwest and the South has ramped up. Layton Construction operates in both regions and is currently working at record volume. On this episode, join Paul Drecksel, COO, and Jeff Beecher, EVP of operations at Layton Construction to hear how they’ve been adapting their safety protocols on site and in real time.

From shutting down jobsites across entire cities in some regions, to working through the crisis in others, the construction industry has been turned upside down by the global pandemic. As the project community continues to navigate this new normal of heightened safety standards and mandated social distancing, we’re virtually interviewing construction leaders from across our markets to find out how they’ve responded to the changing circumstances. On this episode, the first in our new COVID series, join Mike Ryan, SVP of Structure Tone Boston, to hear what it was like to be the first city in the US to shutdown all jobsites.

What’s changed in the European data center market since IBM opened its first international office in 1956? On this episode, join Jason Monks, Structure Tone Dublin’s in-house data center expert, and Garry Connolly, president and founder of Host in Ireland, as they discuss the evolution of data and data centers, the benefits of hosting digital assets in Ireland, and why Irish contractors are the top choice when it comes to designing, building, and operating data centers across Europe.

In an age where landlords are more like hoteliers, how can commercial real estate technology enhance the tenant experience? On this episode, join Jonathan Schultz, an early-stage seed investor and thought leader in the CRE tech space, for a behind-the-scenes chat about the evolution of technology, opportunities for innovation within the AEC industry, and embracing change.

How can the AEC industry band together to give back? Tune in to our special bonus episode to find out how NYC's real estate and construction community has joined forces with Make-A-Wish to bring joy to little New Yorkers living with critical illnesses. 

What does it take to restore every square inch of a century-old structure? Join Rich Schneider and Mike Neary of Structure Tone New York as they discuss preserving and updating New York City’s venerated St. Patrick’s Cathedral. From hand-cleaning every inch of the interior to implementing a unique mist fire suppression system, the project was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all involved.

What happens when weeks of robust research and data collection meet workplace design? Find out how Aaron Schiller’s award-winning design firm uses in-depth analytics to help their corporate clients boost productivity.