The HSWCC Story
In 1885, Howard Sprague Wright sailed from Nova Scotia into the frontier town of Port Townsend, Washington, where he founded Howard S. Wright Construction Co. His prior work as a cabinetmaker, draftsman and framing superintendent enabled him to quickly establish himself as a quality homebuilder. Wright moved the company to Everett, Washington, and there expanded the business to include commercial and hotel construction.
In the early 1920s, Wright's son, Howard H. Wright, and his son-in-law, George J. Schuchart Jr., joined him in the company. The men built schools and homes primarily, and the younger generation learned the business end as well. When Everett's economy slowed, Wright took the family and the business to Seattle.
The company's traditions of quality and family continued to distinguish it as a premier general contractor. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, we continued to broaden our scope of work venturing into retail, medical, newspaper and pulp mills. With World War II activity, we did extensive government work in the early 1940s.
Howard S. Wright and George S. Schuchart, the third generation, joined the family business in the 1950s and expanded the company's diverse range of services to include aerospace facilities. In the early 1960s, Howard S. Wright Construction Co. was selected as the primary builder for the Century 21 World's Fair in Seattle. It was during this period that we brought the world's attention to our capabilities with our landmark project the Seattle Space Needle.
Hospitals, resorts, university and college work, residential and commercial construction characterized the 1970s as we extended our operations throughout the Western US. Office space, skyscrapers and hotel work dominated the company's work in the 1980s. We also worked on hospitals and parking garages.
Celebrating a century of work, we approached the 1990s with renewed energy. Building still on our established strengths, the company reorganized to provide our valued clients more local service by opening regional offices in Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco and Phoenix.
Vitalized by embarking on operations in a third century, we opened our Los Angeles office. This new regional presence offers the same quality services to our clients in an expanded west coast market area. Moving into the future, we continue working with industry leaders across the full range of commercial businesses including auto, banking, telecommunications, high tech, office, retail, medical and hospitality; emerging growth companies; and Fortune 100 clients. Quality builders for over a century, the company continues to develop our legacy by emphasizing partnerships and long-term relationships with clients. |