Story Construction
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1934
- HeadquartersAmes, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Story Construction does
Story Construction is a privately held, 100% employee-owned (ESOP since 2022) commercial general contractor, construction manager, and design-build firm headquartered in Ames, Iowa, with a second office in Sioux City established in 2025 through the acquisition of L & L Builders Co. Founded in 1934 as James Thompson & Sons, the firm operates with 101-250 employees and serves a diversified set of Iowa-based markets including K-12 education, higher education, commercial, industrial and manufacturing, warehouse, government, faith-based, senior living, and municipal water and wastewater treatment plants. The company delivers projects through multiple methods—General Contracting, Construction Management (including CM at Risk for public entities), and Design-Build with an in-house architectural team added in 1996—and has reported more than 90 years of continuous operation, a record revenue and safety year in 2023, and cumulative K-12 construction volume exceeding $500M since 2000 across 46 school projects.
Story Construction firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Story Construction
- Legal name
- Story Construction Co.
- Website
- https://storycon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1934
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Story Construction industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Construction Services
- NAICS
- Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Industrial Building Construction (23621)
- SIC
- General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Operative Builders (1531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Government & Civic Building Construction (Courthouses, City Halls, Public Safety) (IMAFACAF), New School Construction (Greenfield Builds) (EDAEABAA), Construction Management (Agency/Owner’s Rep) (IMAFAAAC)
Keywords
Where Story Construction is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ames
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Story Construction business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- General Contracting Services: Traditional general contracting services delivering construction projects with Story Construction as the prime contractor.
- Construction Management: Construction management services as Constructor or as Agent for owners, managing multiple bid packages on behalf of the owner.
- Design-Build Services: Integrated design and construction services with in-house architectural and design team. Added design-build services in 1996.
- Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR): Construction manager at risk delivery method serving public entities, providing collaboration during design process and guaranteed maximum price.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Story Construction product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Story Construction is a commercial general contractor, construction manager, and design-builder serving Iowa-based commercial, industrial, educational, government, and institutional clients. The firm delivers projects through three primary delivery methods (General Contracting, Construction Management, and Design-Build) and differentiates via its proprietary Construction Production 2.0 lean construction methodology and The Story Way culture framework, supported by an in-house architectural team.
Product overview
Story Construction is a general contractor, construction manager, and design-builder offering three core delivery methods: General Contracting, Construction Management (including CM at Risk for public projects), and Design + Build (with in-house architectural services). The company operates across multiple market segments including K-12 Schools, Higher Education, Commercial, Manufacturing, Government, Faith-Based, Senior Living, Treatment Plants, Research facilities, and Warehouses. Core differentiating methodologies include Construction Production 2.0 (a proprietary lean construction system used since 2014) and The Story Way (culture and behavioral framework). The company also operates a Small Projects Group for tenant improvements and acquired L & L Builders in 2025 as a division serving the Siouxland region.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- General Contracting
- Design + Build
- Construction Management
- Construction Production 2.0
- The Story Way
- Small Projects Group
- L & L Builders Division
Quantifiable outcome
- 46 K-12 school projects delivered since 2000 with $500M+ construction volume managed
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Story Construction
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Story Construction technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Story Construction partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- L & L Builders Co.coreStory Construction acquired the assets of L & L Builders Co., a general contractor founded in Sioux City in 1960 by brothers Larry and Lonny Book. The firm specializes in new commercial construction and major renovations in medical, industrial, government, restaurants, and historic restoration markets. Story Construction operates in the Siouxland region under the L & L Builders name.
- Baker GroupminorMEP design-builder partner on research center project for industrial client in Ames. Story Construction served as subcontractor to Baker Group on this project.
- BNIMminorArchitecture firm partner for Therkildsen Industrial Engineering Building at Iowa State University. Story Construction served as design-builder in partnership with BNIM.
- McClure Engineering CompanyminorLead design professional for City of Altoona water treatment plant project. Neumann Monson and IMEG serve as sub-consultants to McClure.
- 10Fold Architecture + EngineeringminorArchitecture and engineering firm partner for Ballard East & West Elementary Schools HVAC renovation and Strand Associates office building projects.
- 10Fold Architecture + EngineeringminorArchitecture and engineering firm for Strand Associates new office building in ISU Research Park.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Story Construction competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Boldt Company: Appleton, Wisconsin-based employee-owned (ESOP) general contractor and construction manager of comparable size, offering integrated design-build and lean construction services across commercial, industrial, healthcare, and education markets — closely aligned on ownership structure, lean methodology, and Midwest regional focus.
- Adolfson & Peterson Construction: Midwest and Mountain West regional GC/CM of comparable size offering integrated construction management, general contracting, and design-build services across commercial, education, healthcare, and industrial markets — closely aligned with Story Construction's regional delivery model.
- The Weitz Company: Des Moines-based general contractor, construction manager, and design-builder founded in 1855 — the most direct Iowa peer to Story Construction, offering nearly identical delivery methods (GC, CM, Design-Build) across commercial, industrial, education, healthcare, and government markets in the same Iowa geography.
Broad incumbents
- Kiewit Building Group: Omaha-based subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation with deep Iowa roots, providing GC, CM, and design-build services for commercial, institutional, healthcare, and industrial markets. Competes with Story Construction for Iowa institutional and water/wastewater infrastructure work at substantially larger scale.
- Ryan Companies: Minneapolis-based national developer, design-builder, and GC active across the Midwest, with a fully integrated design/build/operate model. Competes with Story Construction for Iowa commercial and industrial projects and offers a similar in-house architecture capability.
- Holder Construction: Atlanta-based national GC with strong higher education, research/lab, and commercial market presence. Competes with Story Construction on Iowa State University research park projects and similar institutional work.
- McCarthy Building Companies: St. Louis-based national GC with strong education, healthcare, and CMAR expertise — directly competing with Story Construction for Iowa public-sector and institutional projects while operating at national scale.
- Mortenson Construction: Minneapolis-headquartered national GC and CM with deep higher education, healthcare, and CMAR credentials. Competes with Story Construction for Iowa institutional and commercial work while operating at significantly larger scale across the Midwest and nationally.
- Gilbane Building Company: Providence, Rhode Island-based national GC with one of the largest K-12 education construction practices in the U.S. Competes with Story Construction for Iowa school district work and broader institutional opportunities.
- JE Dunn Construction: Kansas City-based national GC/CM with a strong Midwest regional presence and extensive K-12, higher education, healthcare, and government portfolio. Competes with Story Construction for institutional work in Iowa and across the Midwest at meaningfully larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Story Construction social profiles
Digital presenceStory Construction financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Story Construction leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Story Construction subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Story Construction funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Story Construction M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Story Construction
What does Story Construction do?
Story Construction is a commercial general contractor, construction manager, and design-builder serving Iowa-based commercial, industrial, educational, government, and institutional clients. The firm delivers projects through three primary delivery methods (General Contracting, Construction Management, and Design-Build) and differentiates via its proprietary Construction Production 2.0 lean construction methodology and The Story Way culture framework, supported by an in-house architectural team.
Is Story Construction a public or private company?
Story Construction is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Story Construction founded?
Story Construction was founded in 1934. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Story Construction based?
Story Construction is headquartered in Ames, United States, in the North America region.
How does Story Construction make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. General Contracting Services are the primary driver. The others are construction Management, design-Build Services and construction Manager at Risk (CMAR).
Who are Story Construction's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Boldt Company, Adolfson & Peterson Construction and The Weitz Company. Broad incumbents are Kiewit Building Group, Ryan Companies, Holder Construction, McCarthy Building Companies, Mortenson Construction, Gilbane Building Company and JE Dunn Construction.
Does Story Construction have an API?
No public API is recorded for Story Construction.
What industry is Story Construction in?
Story Construction's product category is Commercial Construction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAAAD, Design-Build / EPC General Contracting, with a secondary code of IMAFACAF, Government & Civic Building Construction (Courthouses, City Halls, Public Safety). Its NAICS code is 23622 and its SIC code is 1540.