Stoller Corp. refocused on basics for dramatic turnaround

LAFAYETTE — In 1997, three employees partnered to pull The S.M. Stoller Corp. from its downward spiral toward bankruptcy. Although the company had been successfully holding its own in the nuclear engineering consulting field since 1959, lost contracts and excessive diversification had taken their toll.

Aside from losing income from various projects, Stoller employees started jumping ship. Hundreds left when a major Department of Energy contract fell through, and no bright light was shining at the end of the tunnel.

To halt the inevitable, Nick Lombardo, Jim Moran and Curtis Hull formed a private holding company, Plateau Group LLC, and…