Community Involvement

Delivering quality and value to our customers has always been Bechtel’s priority. But our commitment also extends to improving the standard of living and quality of life of the communities where we do business. In office and project communities, we work with employees and customers to improve the civic, economic, educational, and social environment.

Here are some examples:

Safety Gear for Volunteers

Bechtel’s Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) project in southeastern Washington state has extended the company’s passion for safety to the local branch of Habitat for Humanity. The project has donated 35 complete sets of “personal protective equipment” to the popular nonprofit organization, which builds housing for families in need. The gear, including hard hats, vests, safety glasses, and gloves, will be placed in Habitat for Humanity job trailers, where it will be available to all volunteers. In addition, Bechtel personnel are helping Habitat for Humanity update its safety guidelines.

Many WTP employees lend a hand at Habitat for Humanity, including Bechtel’s NextGen group, which volunteers its services several times a year.

The WTP project involves design and construction of something a little larger than a home—a massive plant to treat millions of liters of hazardous waste left over from the Cold War.

Housing Horses in Houston

More than 100 Bechtel employees in Houston and their family members have been designing, digging, lifting, and building — but not for a Bechtel project. For more than four years, they’ve been donating their time and skills to Habitat for Horses, a nonprofit organization that rescues, houses, and protects horses. Work has included fund-raising and building facilities including a tack room, a foaling shed, and a barn at the charity’s 27-acre (11-hectare) ranch in Galveston County, Texas. Although first planned in 2005, construction of the barn was put on hold numerous times as the charity worked to rescue displaced and injured horses as a result of hurricanes Rita and Katrina, fires in the Florida panhandle, and severe weather. In 2007, “We realized that the barn had been put on hold too long and that the existing barn was in bad shape,” explains Lauri Barr of Bechtel's Oil, Gas & Chemicals unit, which is based in Houston. “The horses really needed shelter.”

Project Spawns a New Wetland

Environmental sensitivities were paramount when Bechtel Jacobs Company planned a new road to be used during cleanup of a former nuclear production facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The final route avoided most environmentally sensitive areas. However, constructing 7.8 kilometers of road that crosses 13 streams made some impact unavoidable.

In addition to mitigating ecological intrusions and protecting plant and animal diversity while building the road, Bechtel Jacobs also created a new wetland and restored a stream. Working with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the company built a bypass around a 1960s low dam that let Bear Creek flow freely again. As a result, fish, including the protected Tennessee dace, are starting to thrive in the stream. Bechtel Jacobs also built a new wetland behind the dam on 90 meters of original stream bed.

Turning a Design into (Virtual) Reality

When Bechtel officials at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge project near Seattle, Washington, wanted to keep the public up to date on construction progress, they turned to the company’s virtual reality lab. The result was a series of 3D virtual walkthroughs depicting construction of the longest suspension span built in the United States in more than three decades.

Walkthroughs were created for each phase of the project, including caisson placement, tower construction, cable spinning, deck erection, and a final fly-through. Project officials used them in presentations and videos, and they were posted on the Web site of the Washington State Department of Transportation.

“When we’re dealing with the public, it’s easier to have something that visually explains what’s happening than it is to try to explain it,” said one project official. “We gave people a visual understanding of what to expect.”
now is the time 

Global Projects Pay Local Dividends

Around the world, Bechtel projects employ local workers whenever possible. During the latest expansion of the Atlantic liquefied natural gas facility on Trinidad, for instance, most of the 5,000-plus workforce consisted of Trinidadians. 

Local suppliers also benefit. During the construction of Atlantic LNG Train 1, Bechtel spent $155 million on Trinidad-produced rebar, asphalt, pipe, steel, and even reclaimed dirt used to extend Point Fortin’s footprint into the Caribbean Sea. That figure increased to $210 million during Trains 2 and 3 and reached $250 million for Train 4.

A less tangible but equally important benefit for Trinidad is Bechtel’s obsession with safety. The company’s stellar safety record is well-known on the island, and as a result, workers ask other employers to institute Bechtel standards.

Santa Claus is Coming to Towns

Santa Claus was a forbidden figure in Romania during the Christmases that fell during the Communist period of 1947 to 1989. In the tumultuous December of 1989, he and other holiday figures were allowed to return. For the past two years, thousands of Romanian children have had a chance to see Santa in person and even tug on his white beard.

In 2005, the staff of a Bechtel project building a new motorway in Romania teamed with local officials in Cluj-Napoca to build a wooden hut for the jolly old man. It sits on top of a truck trailer and travels to villages along the alignment of the future highway. Santa’s house made appearances at a dozen urban and rural locations in 2006. So far, more than 4,500 kids have visited the hut, where they can sit on Santa’s lap, hear holiday music, and have their photographs taken. Six project employees have volunteered to play Santa and 25 have dressed up as reindeer. More than 50 others have been involved Santa House-related activities.

 

Back to top