Story Construction

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.

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

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

• Commercial construction services
• Construction management
• Design-build delivery
• General contracting
• Lean construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Ames

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. General Contracting Services: Traditional general contracting services delivering construction projects with Story Construction as the prime contractor.
2. Construction Management: Construction management services as Constructor or as Agent for owners, managing multiple bid packages on behalf of the owner.
3. Design-Build Services: Integrated design and construction services with in-house architectural and design team. Added design-build services in 1996.
4. 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

Core 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

Named customers13 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• L & L Builders Co.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2024Story 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 GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEP design-builder partner on research center project for industrial client in Ames. Story Construction served as subcontractor to Baker Group on this project.
• BNIMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner for Therkildsen Industrial Engineering Building at Iowa State University. Story Construction served as design-builder in partnership with BNIM.
• McClure Engineering CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead design professional for City of Altoona water treatment plant project. Neumann Monson and IMEG serve as sub-consultants to McClure.
• 10Fold Architecture + EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture and engineering firm partner for Ballard East & West Elementary Schools HVAC renovation and Strand Associates office building projects.
• 10Fold Architecture + EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture and engineering firm for Strand Associates new office building in ISU Research Park.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpZx9Uc8FiqmCGRyETM4Ajg
• Facebookfacebook.com/story-construction-136727263043869
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/story-construction
• Instagraminstagram.com/story_construction
• Xx.com/storyconstrct

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Story Construction