Our history —creating a new business model
GISI was established in 2016 by a core group of notable industry veterans who had previously built and led significant businesses in infrastructure, engineering consulting, and construction management.
With a shared conviction that there was a better, more sustainable way to build value for clients, employees, and communities, GISI’s founders envisioned a new business model — one that brought together successful companies through aligned core values, employee ownership, and collaboration to serve clients more powerfully.
GISI established a scalable alternative for construction management and consulting firms to transition ownership — while expanding service offerings, accelerating organic growth, and extending ownership opportunities to their broader employee base.
Through organic and acquisitive growth, today GISI has become one of the leading infrastructure service enterprises worldwide.
Our two business groups — STO Building Group and GISI Consulting Group — generate approximately $18 billion in annual revenue, serving clients across 100 countries worldwide.
GISI, built with purpose
2016
Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc. (GISI) is established.
2017
GISI, teaming with the leadership of the Structure Tone Organization (rebranded as STO Building Group or STOBG), completes our first merger in construction services operating in the US, UK, and Ireland.
Govan Brown later joins, which adds Canadian construction services.
2018
Ajax joins the STO Building Group family of builders, expanding services to the Southeastern US and into the public works sector, including government and public university facilities.
GISI annual revenue reaches $4.9B with 2000 employees.
2019
With the addition of BCCI's interiors and tech specialties, our geography reaches the West Coast.
Layton's partnership expands services into healthcare and sustainable construction — and positions STO Building Group as the largest US privately held builder. Revenues reach $7.9B.
2020
The merger of the LiRo Group (later rebranded as LiRo-Hill) marks a strategic diversification into engineering consulting and project management services in the US.
Abbott Construction joins STOBG, adding Pacific Northwest construction and healthcare expertise.
2021
The investment to form STO Mission Critical strategically positions STOBG to better serve a growing sector by building upon strong existing data center experience — and ultimately establishing themselves as industry leaders.
RC Andersen also joins STOBG, adding large-scale warehouse and distribution facility expertise.
2022
A transformational year, GISI merges with five engineering and consulting businesses, expanding services and global footprint across 100 countries.
Hill International brings global diversification in program and project management. GEI Consultants expands offerings to water and geotechnical services in the US and Canada. Asia Infrastructure Solutions and J. Robert Preston (JRP) extend MEP engineering and advanced technology services in the Asian markets. Palladium establishes government services worldwide.
2023
Employee totals reach 14,000. GISI continues to invest in our companies, including GEI Consultants' geographic and service expansions through mergers with Lithos and GM BluePlan.
2024
GISI Consulting Group is formed, uniting the expertise and innovation of our consultant companies to accelerate solutions on a global scale.
The addition of Gafcon expands our program management services in education on the US West Coast, while GISI continues to invest in transportation, MEP, and fire life safety services in Asia.
2025
GISI achieves annual revenue of $18B with 16,000 employees, and S&P ratings are upgraded to BB.
Focusing on technology, GISI establishes GISI Ignite, a new service division partnering across our companies to offer curated technological solutions to clients worldwide.
Our values unite every GISI business
Why it matters
Shared core values are more than just a talking point — they are the backbone of GISI’s merger partnership and employee ownership culture, and they are the reason our business model is both successful and sustainable.
With a broad array of cultural backgrounds, GISI companies share complementary skills in engineering, construction management, and consulting, while our core values unite us in our vision to build for generations.
A model built
for generations
Explore GISI’s distinctive approach that honors business legacies, fosters collaboration, and shares ownership with the employees who make it all possible.