Company Information

The Utah Construction Company was organized in Ogden, Utah, in 1900. The Articles of Incorporation list Thomas D. Dee as president and a principal stockholder, along with David Eccles, Edmund Orson Wattis, Warren L. Wattis, William H. Wattis, and Marie D. Wattis.

The injection of new capital allowed for the company to repay its debts and grow at an astounding rate. During its first year of business, the company paid a 165 percent dividend on paid-in capital.

Like many corporations, the early Utah Construction Company protected vital information with a Code Book.

The company’s early railroad building in the West soon expanded into building dams. In 1931, Utah Construction became a major partner in Six Companies, which built the $55 million Hoover Dam. By 1944, Utah Construction had acquired its first mine, and mining because a major enterprise. Projects further diversified to include residential and commercial construction and spread to 13 countries on five continents. In 1971, Utah Construction & Mining became Utah International, Inc., with projects in Peru, Korea, Australia, Japan, and the Congo. In 1976, the successful company merged with General Electric but continued to operated as an individual entity until purchased in 1984 by BHP.