Dennis Washington

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Dennis Washington
DennisWashington (cropped).jpg
Born (1934-07-27) July 27, 1934 (age 87)
Spokane, Washington, US
NationalityAmerican
OccupationOwner, Washington Group Intl. and Seaspan Marine Corporation
Spouse(s)Phyllis Washington
Children2 sons

Dennis R. Washington (born 1934) is an American billionaire industrialist who owns, or co-owns controlling interests in, a large consortium of privately held companies collectively known as the Washington Companies and, in Canada, another collection of companies known as the Seaspan Marine Corporation.

Early life[]

Born in Spokane, Dennis Washington grew up in Spokane, Bremerton, Washington, and Missoula, Montana.[2] His parents separated when he was very young, and Washington lived with his mother. He rarely saw his father, who worked in construction overseas. Washington did not grow up in a wealthy family. Additionally, he states his parents' divorce as his motivation to provide his own wife and children with a stable family environment.[3]

Career[]

Following graduation from high school, he worked in construction in Alaska and Montana. He began his business career at age 30 in 1964, with a $30,000 loan and a single bulldozer[citation needed]. He created Washington Construction, which worked primarily on highway contracts and by 1969 was the largest contractor in Montana.[citation needed]

In the 1970s he moved into mining and dam construction. In 1986 he acquired a copper and molybdenum mine at Butte, Montana. He successfully reopened the mine and it became a very profitable operation. This success helped him diversify into railroads, marine services, coastal shipping, aviation and real estate. In 1996 Washington Construction acquired global construction and engineering company Morrison-Knudsen Corporation of Boise, Idaho, creating Washington Group International.[citation needed]

Included in the Washington Companies' holdings are:[citation needed]

Personal life[]

Attessa IV in North Vancouver, Canada

Washington is married to Phyllis and lives in Missoula, Montana. His son, Kyle Washington, is co-chairman of Seaspan Marine Corporation.[1]

Washington also owns a large private estate on Stuart Island, British Columbia, including a luxury fishing lodge and golf course. The Washington–Grizzly Stadium for football at the University of Montana is named for him.[4]

His private yacht Attessa IV has been featured in Forbes magazine.[5] He has a Boeing Business Jet, 737-700 registration N162WC.[6]

Awards and Honors[]

  • 1990 - Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement[7] He was the Host of the 1993 Achievement Summit held in Glacier National Park, Montana.[8]
  • 1995 - Horatio Alger Award[9]
  • 1996 - Ellis Island Medal of Honor[10]
  • 2007 - American Mining Hall of Fame[11]
  • 2012 - S.S. Beaver Award for Maritime Excellence

See also[]

  • List of billionaires

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Forbes profile: Dennis Washington". Forbes. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  2. ^ Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Dennis Washington". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  3. ^ Kroll, Luisa. "Billionaire Highway Man: Life Lessons Dennis Washington Learned When He Was 25". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  4. ^ "Washington-Grizzly Stadium - Facilities - University of Montana Athletics". gogriz.com. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  5. ^ "Attessa IV". Forbes.
  6. ^ "BBJ N162WC Flying With Advanced Technology Winglet - Airliners.net". www.airliners.net.
  7. ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  8. ^ "1993 Salute to Excellence: Stars of Today and Tomorrow Meet in Glacier" (PDF). Great Falls Tribune. June 27, 1993.
  9. ^ "1995 Horatio Alger Award Winner". Horatio Alger Association.
  10. ^ "1996 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Recipients". Congressional Record Online.
  11. ^ "2007 Inductee into American Mining Hall of Fame". Mining Foundation of the Southwest.

External links[]

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