Our History
We are committed to leaving a legacy of progress by developing local skills for sustained economic opportunity and volunteering our time and talent to the communities where we work.
1898
The early days
In 1898, a nearly bankrupt 25-year-old Bechtel and his pregnant wife, Clara, left Peabody, Kansas, and headed 100 miles (161 kilometers) south in search of construction work and new opportunity.
1931
Bechtel's first megaproject
Hoover Dam—officially dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in September 1935—represents a pivotal event in the history of Bechtel. There have been bigger projects.
1964
First mass-transit project
Hoover Dam—officially dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in September 1935—represents a pivotal event in the history of Bechtel. There have been bigger projects.
1987
Surviving a global downturn
Bechtel gets involved in completing the Channel Tunnel, connecting engineering and construction projects and the world’s largest privately financed infrastructure project.
2016
Building a new century
Bechtel becomes the first engineering and construction company to embrace Six Sigma, a data-driven methodology for improving quality and begins a nationwide.