W. A. Bechtel (1928)

There’s no success without failure, they say, and the history page of Bechtel’s website says its founder endured a few before beginning what would become one of the world’s largest construction companies, spanning a century of building and five generations of his family. Major projects completed during Bechtel’s time at the wheel included Northern California’s Klamath Highway and the Caribou Water Tunnel – which generated great amounts of electricity for the area. When the time came for a project too big for any one company, Bechtel helped form a six-firm consortium that together constructed the illustrious Hoover Dam.

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