Utah Business’ CEO of the Year award is one that is coveted by CEOs across the state. Being home to the Silicon Slopes and several tech startups that includes major players like Adobe, Facebook, Instructure, Qualtrics, and more, earning this recognition is not an easy task. However, David S. Layton has proven himself as a strong leader that is much deserving to be part of this small, elite group of only 16 CEOs in the state.
Dave accepting his award at the luncheon.
Dave was nominated for the award before being chosen by the board for the recognition for his hard work turning Layton Construction into a well-known general contractor across the nation. Awarded the honor in March, the luncheon to celebrate the award winners was held June 19.
Layton says the business is set apart from others by the strong culture of The Layton Way built into the business by Dave’s father and founder, Alan W. Layton. Honesty, safety, and unity are key factors in how Dave conducts business and is what sets Layton apart as a stand-out general contractor.
Layton’s COO, Paul Drecksel, spoke to Dave’s daring yet confident leadership style saying, “If you looked at the company at the time (early 2000’s) and thought about the moves that were being made, you may have thought they were foolish or over the top, but they weren’t. They were brilliant.”
Dave prides Layton on being a place where employees can come to work and stay for a long duration of their career. He is dedicated to making employees feel like they are part of the Layton family and taken care of as such.
“If you go to the hall of fame in almost any sport and look for the athletes that have been recognized by their peers, you will find most of those athletes spent most of their career, if not all of their career, with one team” Dave said. “Layton is a winning team. Come and stay and build a hall of fame career.”
How Dave chooses to do business is evident in the recent merger with STO Building Group. He says a large reason why the company decided to go forward with the merger was to expand employees’ ownership potential in the business. Dave believes that allowing for sustainable growth like this will result in continuous predictable outcomes for Layton’s clients.
Congratulations Dave on this well-deserved honor!
