Peter Kiewit Sons'
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| Kiewit Corporation | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1884 (Kiewit Brothers) |
| Headquarters | Omaha, Nebraska, USA |
| Key people | Bruce Grewcock (President/CEO) |
| Industry | Construction, Mining |
| Revenue | $4.145 Billion USD (2005) |
| Net income |  $228.0 Million USD (2005) |
| Website | www.kiewit.com |
Peter Kiewit Sons, a private company, is a Fortune 500 contractor, based in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1884 by its namesake, Peter Kiewit, a bricklayer of Dutch descent, it has grown to be one of the largest contractors in the world. Recent projects have included a major role in The Big Dig, several bridge retrofittings in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Interstate H-3 project in Hawaii and development of a nation-wide fiberoptic network with Level 3 Communications. The company also has significant mining and off-shore operations, but also contracts small grading (dirt moving) projects for residential or commercial development.
The founder's son, also named Peter Kiewit, headed the firm from 1924 until his death in 1979 and turned it into one of the largest construction companies in the world. He was also very active in the Omaha area. He signed on the city's third television station, KETV, in 1957 and owned it in 1976. In 1963, he bought the Omaha World-Herald to keep it locally owned. Under the terms of his will, the employees bought the paper in 1979.
Peter Kiewit Sons' corporation is subdivided into regional companies and divisions (Kiewit Pacific, Kiewit Western, etc.) and further subdivided into geographical districts (Northern California, Southern California, Texas, etc.)
The company is employee-owned, and long-term employees are often highly compensated with lucrative common stock which, in good business cycles, pays high dividends. The dividends are high not only due to the company's profit margins, but also because very few employees earn enough seniority to be allowed to purchase stock. Most divisions operate under union contracts for non-managerial labor.
Most corporate decisions are made by field office executives; however, most administration is centralized at the corporate office in Omaha.
