The Bechtel family founded Bechtel, the global engineering and construction company established in San Francisco in 1898.
Warren A. Bechtel began the business with railroad construction work in the western United States. The company expanded from railways into major civil-engineering and infrastructure projects, including dams, highways, energy facilities, and industrial plants. Several generations of the Bechtel family guided its growth.
Bechtel became known for handling technically complex projects around the world. It remained family-owned for much of its history, although the company’s work has often been confused with that of large publicly traded engineering firms such as Fluor or Jacobs. The family name is both the company name and the clearest link to its founding history.