United States
For half a century, Structure Tone has played a major role in shaping cities throughout North America, Europe, and as far as the Pacific Rim. What began as a small, New York City construction business in the 1970s has grown into one of the country’s premiere interior and renovation construction firms.
To celebrate Structure Tone—STO Building Group’s legacy brand—reaching its 50th anniversary, we recorded over 30 employees of all levels and backgrounds telling their Structure Tone stories. From first-hand accounts of building in the 1980s and rebuilding after 9/11 to forging lasting relationships with our clients, we’ve covered it all—decade by decade. Tune in to An Oral History of Structure Tone, an eight-part podcast series created to reflect on the moments that shaped Structure Tone and the STO Building Group family.
ORAL HISTORY SERIES
EPISODE 1: THE BEGINNING
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.
EPISODE 2: CREATING A FAMILY CULTURE
In episode two, 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 EVP of Client Relations, Eugene White.
EPISODE 3: BUILDING IN THE ’80S & ’90S
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.
EPISODE 4: ERA OF EXPANSION
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.
EPISODE 5: BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IN THE ’90S AND ’00S
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.
EPISODE 6: REBUILDING AFTER 9/11
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.
EPISODE 7: A NEW CHAPTER
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.