Backgrounder: Washington honoured as Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year

Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year 2014

Dennis Washington was born in Spokane, Washington, in 1934. He moved with his family back to his mother's hometown of Missoula, Montana, when he was very young. When the Second World War broke out, Washington's parents moved to Bremerton, Wash., where his father worked at a defence shipyard. At the age of eight, while living in a government housing project, Washington contracted polio; he made a good recovery.

Washington's parents divorced after the war. He bounced around California, Washington, and Montana, living with relatives and going from one school to another. By the age of 14, he was self-sufficient, earning money by boxing groceries, delivering newspapers, shining shoes at a railroad depot, and working as a mechanic in service stations.

After high school, Washington went to Alaska to pursue a job in heavy construction. Two years later, he returned to Montana and worked for his uncle who owned a construction company. By age 26, he was vice-president of the largest construction company in Montana. Three years later he went into business for himself. By 1969, he was the largest contractor in Montana; within 10 years, Washington Construction would be listed among the largest in the nation.

In the early 1970s, Washington branched into mining and diversified the business repeatedly, entering into dam-building, railroads, and marine shipping. “It's all possible because of teamwork, and people with a passion for their work,” says Washington.

In 1996, Washington Construction merged with Morrison Knudsen, a publicly traded construction and engineering giant. From that, the businessman directed the formation of Washington Group International, acquiring components of Westinghouse and Raytheon, to shape one of the largest design/build companies in the United States.

Today, The Washington Companies comprise more than a dozen affiliated companies (including Seaspan) that are leaders in rail and marine transportation, ship building and repair, mining, environmental remediation, heavy equipment distribution, and aviation.