03-15-2021, 11:57 PM
Billionaire magnate of construction, Stephen Davison Bechtel
Stephen Davison Bechtel Jr. (May 10, 1925 – March 15, 2021) was an American billionaire, businessman, civil engineer, and co-owner of the Bechtel Corporation. He is the son of Stephen Davison Bechtel Sr. and grandson of Warren A. Bechtel, who founded the Bechtel Corporation. He was known for expanding the global footprint of the corporation through several of its international projects. He had a bachelors' degree from the Purdue University and a masters' degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Bechtel joined the family business in 1948. While he initially wanted to enter into home building, he was convinced by his father by showcasing Bechtel Corporation's global projects in a three week trip.[2] He succeeded his father, Stephen Bechtel Sr., as president of Bechtel Corporation in 1960 and chairman in 1969.[2] His career with the company spanned 30 years until his retirement in 1990. During his time, the company which was earlier known for its work on the Hoover Dam and the Bay Area Rapid Transit, expanded its global footprint by working on the Channel Tunnel between France and the United Kingdom, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as well as Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia. The latter is considered one of the largest civil engineering projects of the time.[2] The company's role in Boston's infrastructure projects, titled Big Dig, in the 1990s came into scruitiny, with the company having to pay to settle litigation over a ceiling collapse and leaky tunnels.[2]
During his time the company pivoted from majority ownership residing within the family to a model that had majority ownership by managers outside of the family.[2] He held 20 percent of the company shares and his net worth in 2021 was estimated by Forbes to be $2.9 billion.[2] After his retirement from Bechtel Corporation, he headed the real estate company Fremont Group, which was also an early investor in Starbucks Corporation.[2]
Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Bechtel to the President’s Committee on Urban Housing.[6] Richard Nixon named him to membership on the National Industrial Pollution Control Council, the National Commission on Productivity, the Labor Management Advisory Committee, and the National Commission for Industrial Peace.[7] Gerald Ford asked Bechtel to serve on the President’s Labor-Management Committee.[8]
Bechtel became an Eagle Scout in 1940 and has been recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with both the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and the Silver Buffalo Award. Stephen's uncle Kenneth K. Bechtel was awarded the Silver Buffalo in 1950 and served as national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 1956 to 1959.[9]
The BSA acquired new property near Beckley, West Virginia, for a new high adventure base in 2009. Bechtel donated $50 million towards the new base, which has been named The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.[10]
Bechtel was a contributor to many environmental causes. He created a foundation in 1957 to support these cases. The foundation contributed $50 million to create a National Scout Reserve in south West Virginia, which is now the home of the national boy scout jamboree.[2] The foundation contributed $25 million to renovate the Presidio of San Francisco.[2] The S. D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation and the Stephen Bechtel Fund support many non-profit groups, especially in the San Francisco Bay area.[11][12]
Bechtel was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1990.[13] He is the 1980 recipient of the Hoover Medal, which commemorates the civic and humanitarian achievements of engineers.[14] In 1990, he was elevated to National Honor Member by Chi Epsilon, the national civil engineering honor society. In 1998, he and his son Riley were presented with the Honor Award from the National Building Museum for their company's contributions to the built environment.[15] Bechtel received the Award of Excellence from Engineering News-Record for his leadership of Bechtel Corporation.[16]
He received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 1991, from the then US President, George H. W. Bush.[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Bechtel_Jr.
Stephen Davison Bechtel Jr. (May 10, 1925 – March 15, 2021) was an American billionaire, businessman, civil engineer, and co-owner of the Bechtel Corporation. He is the son of Stephen Davison Bechtel Sr. and grandson of Warren A. Bechtel, who founded the Bechtel Corporation. He was known for expanding the global footprint of the corporation through several of its international projects. He had a bachelors' degree from the Purdue University and a masters' degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Bechtel joined the family business in 1948. While he initially wanted to enter into home building, he was convinced by his father by showcasing Bechtel Corporation's global projects in a three week trip.[2] He succeeded his father, Stephen Bechtel Sr., as president of Bechtel Corporation in 1960 and chairman in 1969.[2] His career with the company spanned 30 years until his retirement in 1990. During his time, the company which was earlier known for its work on the Hoover Dam and the Bay Area Rapid Transit, expanded its global footprint by working on the Channel Tunnel between France and the United Kingdom, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as well as Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia. The latter is considered one of the largest civil engineering projects of the time.[2] The company's role in Boston's infrastructure projects, titled Big Dig, in the 1990s came into scruitiny, with the company having to pay to settle litigation over a ceiling collapse and leaky tunnels.[2]
During his time the company pivoted from majority ownership residing within the family to a model that had majority ownership by managers outside of the family.[2] He held 20 percent of the company shares and his net worth in 2021 was estimated by Forbes to be $2.9 billion.[2] After his retirement from Bechtel Corporation, he headed the real estate company Fremont Group, which was also an early investor in Starbucks Corporation.[2]
Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Bechtel to the President’s Committee on Urban Housing.[6] Richard Nixon named him to membership on the National Industrial Pollution Control Council, the National Commission on Productivity, the Labor Management Advisory Committee, and the National Commission for Industrial Peace.[7] Gerald Ford asked Bechtel to serve on the President’s Labor-Management Committee.[8]
Bechtel became an Eagle Scout in 1940 and has been recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with both the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and the Silver Buffalo Award. Stephen's uncle Kenneth K. Bechtel was awarded the Silver Buffalo in 1950 and served as national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 1956 to 1959.[9]
The BSA acquired new property near Beckley, West Virginia, for a new high adventure base in 2009. Bechtel donated $50 million towards the new base, which has been named The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.[10]
Bechtel was a contributor to many environmental causes. He created a foundation in 1957 to support these cases. The foundation contributed $50 million to create a National Scout Reserve in south West Virginia, which is now the home of the national boy scout jamboree.[2] The foundation contributed $25 million to renovate the Presidio of San Francisco.[2] The S. D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation and the Stephen Bechtel Fund support many non-profit groups, especially in the San Francisco Bay area.[11][12]
Bechtel was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1990.[13] He is the 1980 recipient of the Hoover Medal, which commemorates the civic and humanitarian achievements of engineers.[14] In 1990, he was elevated to National Honor Member by Chi Epsilon, the national civil engineering honor society. In 1998, he and his son Riley were presented with the Honor Award from the National Building Museum for their company's contributions to the built environment.[15] Bechtel received the Award of Excellence from Engineering News-Record for his leadership of Bechtel Corporation.[16]
He received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 1991, from the then US President, George H. W. Bush.[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Bechtel_Jr.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.