For Structure Tone Dublin’s mission critical team, the roadmap to European expansion wasn’t planned in a boardroom. True to the Structure Tone way, the opportunity came from a longtime STO Building Group client who trusted the team to deliver—and they followed.
BUILDING ON HISTORY
When a trusted client approached Structure Tone Dublin’s mission critical team with a project opportunity in the Netherlands, the decision to pursue it was easy. Despite not having an existing operation or local team in the Netherlands, the 4.5-megawatt project on a legacy campus seemed like the perfect opportunity to support a valued client and step into a new market. The team received the invitation to bid in March, turned in the bid in May, was awarded the job in June, and the project commenced in July. The entire process happened very quickly, which meant Structure Tone Dublin’s team had to be
extremely nimble.
The decision reflects Structure Tone’s client-first approach and aligns with the company’s historical expansion strategy. In fact, Structure Tone’s offices in Boston, Philadelphia, Woodbridge, London, and even Dublin began that same way—following key clients into new territories and delivering the same level of construction service.
“To us, building relationships with our clients means being there through all their challenges,” says Jim Donaghy, Executive Chairman, STO Building Group. “If that means taking on a small project in another city or opening up a business in a new location so they can have that high-touch, high-quality service from their construction team—we do whatever it takes.”
SAME TEAM, NEW MARKET
With just a single project and a squad of experienced team members ready to fly in, the Dublin-based crew launched operations in an entirely new market. “We had nothing else—except the will, the drive,
and the perseverance,” says Jason Monks, Mission Critical Director, Structure Tone Dublin. But with the support of STOBG leaders like Jim Donaghy, Bob Mullen, Greg Dunkle, Mike Neary, John White, and Eugene White—many of whom have first-hand experience building Structure Tone offices from the ground up in new regions—they ran lean and learned fast.
Now, approximately two years later, it’s clear the risk paid off. Since that initial project, the team has secured multiple projects in the Netherlands. Revenue jumped from €20M in 2023 to a €120M in 2024. This April, Structure Tone officially opened an office in Amsterdam to house estimating, preconstruction, and business support teams, marking a full transformation from a project-based operation into a fully-fledged business.
“Our approach is to follow the client, control the risk, and do what we do best,” Monks says.
EXPANDING THE TEAM
One of the lessons the Dublin team learned quickly was to invest in local talent. Although most people in the Netherlands also speak English, hiring native Dutch speakers in key roles like commissioning and office management helped them navigate local regulations and better understand the culture. That blend of local knowledge and STOBG’s mission critical expertise is setting the foundation for long-term success in the region. “The Netherlands is inviting and has a shortage of professional mission critical outfits like ours,” says Monks. “We see ourselves building here for a long time.”
The expansion comes at a pivotal moment for the mission critical sector. As artificial intelligence and high-density computing drive demand for more efficient cooling, new technologies like liquid-to-liquid cooling are reshaping design standards. Many clients are pausing massive projects to future-proof the designs of their new facilities.
Within the global STO Mission Critical group, Structure Tone Dublin is recognized as one of the organization’s centers of excellence for mission critical and data center construction. The team has contributed to the in-house development of a training program designed to teach construction professionals about mission critical work and set up individuals interested in pursuing a career in the field for success.
FULL CIRCLE
In less than two years, what began as a single project has matured into a new business location for STO Mission Critical in Europe. With a solid foothold, a growing portfolio, and a team built to scale, STO Mission Critical’s European journey is just beginning.
“We went from running a project to running a business in the Netherlands,” says Monks. “And we’re just getting started.”