Everyday Heroes: Meet Finning's service ... - Finning Canada

12 DecadesStrongPeter AndrewA couple of tradesmen in Omaha,the Kiewit boys started a trueconstruction empireSTORY BY KATHERINE FAWCETTn 2009, Peter Kiewit Sons Co.celebrates 125 years of continuousoperations. Few companiesof any kind can boast such a lengthy andsuccessful record, let alone one in the everchangingand highly demanding world ofconstruction.Kiewit was named one of America’s MostAdmired Companies in 2007 by Fortune magazine,and it is consistently ranked amongthe top 10 contractors by Engineering News-Record. It has always taken on new challengesto deliver world-class solutions to projectsof all sizes, in all markets. But without theflexibility to adapt to changing social, politicaland economic realities, Kiewit might stillbe a local contractor, if it were around at all,instead of the international business icon ithas become.“The secret to Kiewit’s longevity has beenthat it’s grounded in good mid-Western values,such as consideration for employees andtheir families, a strong work ethic and teamspirit, dedication to safety, quality and employeetraining, an employee stock-holderprogram and a great deal of good-old commonsense,” David Wallace says. He’s thesenior engineering manager at Kiewit’s Vancouveroffice. “Being an older, establishedcompany means the legacy is passed downfrom previous generations... It takes a generationto train the next leaders of Kiewit, wedon’t hire mercenaries off the street. We growour own leaders.”In fact, in 12 and a half decades, Kiewithas had just seven presidents. “This is unprecedentedin modern times, where leaders, likeprofessional sports coaches, generally have avery short tenure in these roles,” says Wallace.Kiewit’s history goes back to 1884, whenbrothers Peter and Andrew Kiewit formeda masonry company in Omaha, Nebraska.They were a local success story, working onseveral state landmarks. Eventually the firmwas renamed Peter Kiewit Sons, and was runprimarily by Peter Jr. and his brother Ralph.In 1931, the Kiewit brothers began sellingshares of company stock to key managers toraise capital and motivate staff. This philosophyof company ownership would become amajor factor in the company’s future success.When the Great Depression struck, buildingcontracts virtually dried up, so Kiewit divertedits energy into one of the few growthsectors: highway construction. Success inthis field led to expansion into nearby states,marking the beginning of the Kiewit systemof decentralized district offices installed instrategic geographic locations.During the Second World War, Kiewit onceagain shifted tack, and acquired contractsto build barracks, army bases and airfieldsthroughout the Rocky Mountains, along theWest Coast and in the Far North. By the endof the war, Kiewit had built more than $500million in military contracts, had been recognizedby the Unites States government for itswartime contribution, and received invaluableexperience in disparate geographic areas.The cold-war era saw Kiewit build anumber of bases for the American StrategicAir Command, as well a top-secret air basein Thule, Greenland, the ballistic early warningsystem radar screens and part of the DEW(distant early warning) line of military sta-64 TRACKS & TREADS • Spring 2008 www.finning.ca