Kiewit Corporation
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 | |
| Company type | Private, Employee-owned |
|---|---|
| Industry | Construction, mining, engineering[1] |
| Founded | 1884 (Kiewit Brothers) |
| Headquarters | Kiewit Plaza Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
Key people | Rick Lanoha (CEO) |
| Revenue | US$10.3 billion (2020)[2] |
 US$419 million (2020) [2] | |
Number of employees | 28,000 [3] (2021) |
| Website | www.kiewit.com |
Kiewit Corporation is an American privately held construction company based in Omaha, Nebraska founded in 1884. In 2021, it was ranked 243rd on the Fortune 500.[2] Privately held, it is one of the largest construction and engineering organizations in North America.[4] It is an employee-owned company.[5][6]
History[edit]
The company was founded in 1884 as Kiewit Brothers Masonry Contractors by Peter and Andrew Kiewit, who were of Dutch descent. Their father, John Kiewit, emigrated from The Hague in 1857, where he learned the trade of brickmaking. John Kiewit established a brickyard in Omaha, Nebraska where his sons worked and learned the skills for their masonry business. Early projects included the seven-story Lincoln Hotel in Lincoln as stonemasons and the Bekins warehouse as general contractor.[7][8] It is an employee-owned[9] company.
The original brothers dissolved their partnership in 1904 and the founding Peter Kiewit continued as a sole proprietorship. In 1912, two of his sons, Ralph and George Kiewit, joined their father as partners in the firm. One of their constructions was the Omaha Fire Department Hose Company No. 4 building, erected in 1913.[10] When the founding Peter Kiewit died in 1914,[11] his son Ralph led the company. George and Ralph Kiewit left the company.[12]
The founder's youngest son, Peter Kiewit Jr., joined the firm in 1919. He led the firm from 1924 until his death in 1979. Peter Jr. turned the firm into one of the largest construction companies in the world. He was also very active in the Omaha area, including leadership of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben.[7]
In 1931, Peter Kiewit incorporated the company as Peter Kiewit Sons’ Co. The firm began building transportation projects during the Great Depression.[7][8]
Walter Scott was also a key figure in the growth of Kiewit. Scott was initially hired to work on the tower project at the Nebraska State Capitol and spent the remainder of his career at Kiewit becoming chief engineer.[7]
Notable projects[edit]
- Throughout the 1920s the company built several historic buildings around Nebraska including the Livestock Exchange Building (1926), the old Lincoln station (1926), the Nebraska State Capitol Tower (1927), Joslyn Art Museum (1928), and Union Station (Omaha)(1929).[5][7]
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- Between 1951 and 1966, Kiewit built Thule Air Base for the U.S. military in Thule, Greenland.[7] Located on the northwest coast of Greenland, the base features a 10,000 foot runway.[5]
- In 1969, Kiewit began constructing the 63rd Street Tunnel between Manhattan and Queens in New York City.[5] The initial project was part of a $2 billion program to expand the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road.[13]
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- Between 1980 and 1985, the company built the mile-long $750 million Fort McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore Harbor.[5]
- In the 1990s, Kiewit was part of a joint venture to build the $517 million T-Mobile Park in Seattle, home of the Seattle Mariners baseball team. The project was completed in 1999.[14]
- Kiewit Infrastructure South is part of the team constructing the 11.5 mile, six-station Phase II of the Washington Metro's Silver Line in Virginia.[15]
- In 2001, Kiewit Offshore began construction of an off-shore drill platform fabrication facility at their 555 acre facility outside Corpus Christi, Texas. This site is home to the 13,000 ton Heavy Lifting Device [Crane] - the largest on-shore lifting device in the western hemisphere. It stands 550 feet tall and uses 23 miles of 2 5/8" cable. It took 11 months to build and is used approximately once per year.
- In 2022, Kiewit broke ground on the largest (at the time) US PV and storage project utilizing Ojjo foundations, ATI racking and Maxeon bi-facial modules. This 967 MW (DC) project is located 45 minutes north of Las Vegas, NV.
Leadership[edit]
Rick Lanoha is the current chief executive officer of Kiewit Corporation. His predecessors include Peter Kiewit, Bob Wilson, Walter Scott Jr., Ken Stinson, and Bruce E. Grewcock. Prior to Grewcock's retirement, on January 1, 2020, Lanoha had served as president and chief operating officer since 2016 and was elected to Kiewit's board of directors in 2009.[16]
Walter Scott, Jr. was first elected to the Peter Kiewit Sons' Incorporated board in 1964. In 1979, he was elected president. When Peter Kiewit died later that same year, Scott was selected to succeed him as chairman.[17]
Expansions[edit]
In 1963, Peter Kiewit bought the Omaha World-Herald to keep it locally owned. Under the terms of his will, the employees bought the paper in 1979.[citation needed]
Starting in 1985 (Kiewit built MFS in the early 1990s; Level 3 was built in the 1997 to 1999 circa), Kiewit also constructed a nationwide fiber optic network. This network was later spun off as Level 3 Communications, which became the formal successor corporation to the original Peter Kiewit Sons'.[18]
They have a training facility called Kiewit University in its new Omaha, Nebraska campus that trains employees from throughout the US.[19]
Other companies[edit]
- Continental Fire Sprinkler of Omaha, Nebraska
- Aero Automatic Sprinkler Company of Phoenix, Arizona
- Jet Pipe Industries of Phoenix, Arizona
- General Construction Company (Now a part of Kiewit Bridge and Marine) of Poulsbo, Washington
- InEight, Inc (formerly Hard Dollar Corporation) of Scottsdale, Arizona
- Mass. Electric Construction Co. – Industrial Group (MEC) of Boston, Massachusetts
- Mass. Electric Construction Co. – Transportation Group (MEC) of Dallas, Texas
- The Industrial Co. (TIC) of Englewood, Colorado
- Cherne Contracting Corporation of Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Midwest Aviation of Omaha, Nebraska
- Weeks Marine of Cranford, New Jersey (Acquired January 3rd 2023)
References[edit]
- ^ "Peter Kiewit Sons'". Fortune. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "Peter Kiewit Sons' | 2021 Fortune 500". Fortune. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
- ^ "Peter Kiewit Sons'". Fortune. Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2018-12-09.
- ^ Puit, Glenn (17 August 2018). "More on Braidy: 1,500 construction jobs planned". The Independent Online. Retrieved 2018-12-09.
- ^ a b c d e Greenhouse, Steven (13 July 1984). "Kiewit breaks with tradition". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Aratani, Lori (26 May 2013). "Clark Construction makes its mark across D.C. region". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f McKee, Jim (June 23, 2013), "Jim McKee: Peter Kiewit became builder to the world", Lincoln Journal Star, archived from the original on July 6, 2013, retrieved April 13, 2019
- ^ a b "Kiewit: The Early Years". kiewit.com. Kiewit Corporation. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ "Kiewit: About Us", Kiewit Corporation. Retrieved 1/30/20
- ^ "OLD FIREHOUSE, NEW LIFE | EXPLORATION BY DESIGN" – OmahaByDesign.org
- ^ The Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, June 10, 1914
- ^ Rodengen, Jeffrey (2009). Kiewit: An Uncommon Company. Write Stuff Enterprises, Inc. p. 23. ISBN 9781932022360.
- ^ "To Break Ground For 63rd St., East River Tunnel" (PDF). New York Leader-Observer. 20 November 1969. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- ^ Lester, David (20 April 2002). "Safeco Field Builders Take on Keechelus Dam" (PDF). Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Parsons, Jim (5 November 2020). "DC Metro Extension's Precast Supplier Banned from Federal Contracts". Engineering News-Record. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Home".
- ^ Limprecht, Hollis (1981). The Kiewit Story. pp. viii.
- ^ "10-K Form 2000". Securities and Exchange Commission. 17 March 2000. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ Gonzalez, Cindy (March 12, 2021). "Kiewit's downtown move triggers chain reaction". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
External links[edit]
- Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1884
- Companies based in Omaha, Nebraska
- Privately held companies of the United States
- Construction and civil engineering companies of the United States
- Employee-owned companies of the United States
- Privately held companies based in Nebraska
- 1884 establishments in Nebraska
- American companies established in 1884