Company History

Founded in 1953

Alan W. Layton, a decorated World War II veteran, returned from the war to recover from injuries sustained in the Battle of the Bulge. Following a hospital stay, he rejoined his wife and child and resumed his personal and civilian life.

World War II had interrupted Layton’s engineering studies at the University of Utah. Faced with the pressures of providing for a young family, Layton took a job with the Bureau of Reclamation. Over four years, he worked in the Design and Construction Division doing contract administration work. In that capacity, his knack for construction was tapped on several occasions, providing him with the skills to earn extra money as a moonlighter building a drive-in restaurant and a couple of homes, including his own.

One fateful day in mid-winter, 1952, Layton announced to his wife Mona that he wanted to leave his government job, telling her, “I think I would like to start my own construction company.” On February 13, 1953 Layton Construction Company was officially organized, funded by Bureau of Reclamation retirement savings.

Specializing in commercial projects, Layton got his first big break and stable base when awarded a contract to construct 17 offices for City Finance Company along the Wasatch Front and in southern Idaho. The beginnings of a long history of school construction began when Layton sent his wife and young daughter to Coalville for a bid opening on an addition to South Summit High School. Layton Construction won the bid, and the school addition was completed on time and within the budget.

As the company continued to grow, Layton included his family in his construction business. His wife and daughters worked in the company answering phones, paying bills, helping write payroll, and the three boys, from a young age, learned the construction business at the handle of a broom or shovel.

Building in the education sector continued through the second and third decades of the company. Many graduates of Salt Lake, Granite, Jordan and Davis Districts built their academic foundations within the walls of over 40 school projects completed by Layton Construction.

The company continued to broaden its horizons in the 1970s, with a wide range of commercial projects and over 30 jobs on the Brigham Young University campus, including high profile tasks like renovation and expansion of the Cougar Stadium (now LaVell Edwards Stadium) for the 1982 football season.

Alan W. Layton’s management maxim has always been to “employ wonderful, dedicated, loyal people who were allowed to get involved in making major decisions, and along with the leadership, grow and develop their abilities.” The results have been clear: many Layton employees retire after decades with the company. For instance, Larry Dansie retired after 48 years of service. Dansie’s story is not unique. Many others have enjoyed similar, relatively long careers with Layton.

Alan W. Layton’s sons continued to grow with the company. Alan S. Layton completed engineering studies at Brigham Young University in 1972 and transitioned into the company, learning management skills by working all facets of a construction job. From his earliest years, Alan S. had been at his father’s side, seeing the business grow, as well as increasing his own knowledge of the business. In 1979, Alan S. Layton was asked by his parents to become President of Layton Construction. Of the transition, Alan S. Layton said, “The day after I became president was no different than the day before. Dad was still very much the boss. And in my eyes, I couldn’t even conceive of what a president did.” Later that year the two Laytons attended a national construction conference in Houston. Alan S. visited a large construction company headed by a friend of his dad. Alan S. Layton said, “It was there that I saw for the first time a company, organized like a business, which did construction.” That insight was the beginning of transition from a small, family held construction company to a major business that applied principles of organizational structure and management. A foundation was established that would allow Layton to grow immensely in the coming decades.

After completing the Jordan River Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1981, Alan W. Layton made plans to step aside. In preparation for the bid for the Cougar Stadium expansion, as well as its construction, Alan S. Layton said his father’s “participation was mostly just as a bystander, watching, but very much enjoying the views” of the success of his nearly 30 year old construction company. In 1985, Alan W. and Mona Layton left the state to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The responsibility of the company rested completely upon the shoulders of Alan S. Layton and his management team. At that time, David Layton, the youngest of the Layton children, was completing his engineering degree and began taking a more active role in the company and its management.

From afar, while serving his mission, Alan W. Layton sent a letter to “Alan, David and everyone at the office” to offer some management advice and counsel. The twelve points include:

• Only contract and work for those that pay.
• The company hallmark has been and should always be quality.
• We pay our bills on time.
• Employ quality employees and work with skilled subcontractors.
• Stay clear from lawyers and legal entanglements. Compromise is better than a courtroom confrontation.
• Maintain a sound financial base.
• Get involved with all employees. Let them know you care about their well-being.
• Safety is good business. Insist on a clean, safe workplace.
• Act instead of being forced to react.
• Cultivate good relationships with architects.
• Modern tools and equipment, well maintained, compliment a tight schedule and a good job.
• Every project must carry its own weight. Volume means nothing without a fair profit.

Those principles are still the foundation from which the organization operates today. The important value of Constructing with Integrity, integrated into the company’s logo in 1993, represents the company’s commitment to excellence. It articulates the company’s fundamental values of hard work, thrift, honesty and fairness.

The Eighties was a time of transition and addition to the organizational structure of the company. Of the time, Alan S. Layton said, “If something needed doing, we all helped. If someone needed help, we helped. We really worked together on everything. There were no specific duties or job descriptions.” Business management, accounting, business development and marketing professionals were added to the team. Trusted members of the construction team were given specific responsibilities including safety, quality assurance and scheduling, to enhance the performance and quality of the Layton organization, management and projects.

The economy of Utah slowed in the early to mid 1980’s. Interest rates were high and the economy was soft. However, Layton Construction continued to find projects to maintain its stable base. As the economy began to grow in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, Layton was well positioned to take advantage of construction opportunities.

In 1987, Layton Construction started a Phoenix, Arizona based construction company. The start-up was strategic to diversify geographically and enter a market not affected by the same economic forces that were driving the Salt Lake market. Now, Layton Construction Company of Arizona is expanding its horizons under the leadership of David S. Layton and his management team. Major projects include the $70 million Mesa Arts Center, hotel projects for the Marriott Corporation and a major facility at Sky Harbor Airport.

The sluggish economic drought of the mid to late ‘80’s was followed by the “golden decade of the ‘90’s.” Layton Construction, as well as many other Utah construction companies, capitalized on the growth of the Utah economy. Utah was discovered by corporate America as a place with a stable and well educated labor force. Economic development officials relished in one of the country’s fastest growing economies. Government leaders basked in the increased tax revenues that funded state growth and infrastructure development. The International Olympic Committee selected Salt Lake City to host the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. It was a season of tremendous economic growth and optimism in the state of Utah. Layton Construction built office buildings, warehouse and distribution centers, manufacturing plants, health care facilities and sports venues. High-profile projects like the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium and the Utah Olympic Oval raised Layton’s presence and stature in the community. The vibrant economy that brought businesses to Utah also created some national clients for Layton. Since the late 1990’s, Layton has built nationwide, constructing for companies like Con-Way Transportation Services. Relationships with these companies were established when the companies built projects in Utah, selecting Layton as the contractor.

In 1995, Layton participated in the founding of a new company, CEntry Constructors and Engineers. The engineering firm of Ford Bacon and Davis was acquired, further enhancing Layton’s portfolio of engineering and industrial construction services. CEntry specializes in oil and gas, electrical generation, mining and minerals, hazardous waste incineration and sulfur recovery projects. CEntry recently played a significant role in the expanding Kern River natural gas pipeline project.

Layton officials are also committed to industry and community associations such as Associated General Contractors, locally and nationally, Chambers of Commerce and other industry associations. Company officials understand the role and obligation of giving back to the communities and the industries they serve. In 1974, Alan W. Layton received the Eric W. Ryberg Award for outstanding service to the general contracting industry of Utah. Alan S. Layton, in recent years, served as Chairman of the Board of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. David Layton currently serves on the boards of the Utah Sports Commission and Economic Development Corporation of Utah. Volunteer positions too numerous to mention, are filled by scores of Layton vice-presidents, managers, superintendents and field workers. The company is involved with numerous charitable organizations, contributing time and money.

The past decade is marked by growth of the Layton organization. For the past decade, Layton Construction has been recognized as the largest commercial contractor in the state of Utah by Utah Business magazine. The organization has also been recognized by Mountain West Venture Group as a Utah 100 Top Growth Company, for nine consecutive years. Revenues from 1994 were $81 Million, with revenues from 2003 topping $358 million. Growth is attributed to an increased base of national customers, diversification in many industries and the strength of customers who continue to build, while weathering economic storms.

In 2000, The Layton Companies was organized as a holding company for the separate operating companies. The reorganization created a diversified company of engineering and construction related firms, all owned and operated under The Layton Companies name. The companies include Layton Construction Company, CEntry Constructors & Engineers, Interior Construction Specialists, Inc. and Layton Construction Company of Arizona. The Layton Companies is recognized by Engineering News Record as the 102nd largest construction organization in the country.

“We’ve never really sat down and established growth goals. Instead, our goals have always been to look for opportunities that will give our people challenge, development and an opportunity to implement the principles of management and construction we’ve been teaching them,” said Alan S. Layton, Chairman of the Board of The Layton Companies. “Our growth is based on the emerging capacity of our people in relation to the emerging needs of our clients.” The Layton organization has grown to nearly 800 people.

Sheer growth of the company is not critical to company management. Most important are the relationships forged and maintained with clients, employees and subcontractors throughout the years. “Those relationships help the Layton organization learn and grow in an industry where the rules of finding and developing opportunities keep changing,” said David S. Layton, President and CEO.

Quietly and methodically, The Layton Companies has grown from a one-man operation to a nationally recognized construction and engineering services leader. The Layton organization continues to change, respond, serve and grow as it enters its second half-century.