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.