Dennis Washington

Dennis R. Washington (born 1934) is an American billionaire industrialist who owns a controlling interest in a large consortium of privately held companies, collectively known as the Washington Companies. The consortium's main assets are in British Columbia, Canada, Washington, and Montana. The largest holding is a family-managed industrial ship manufacturer and marine freight transport service known as Seaspan Marine Corporation based in Vancouver, B.C.

Dennis Washington
Born	(1934-07-27) July 27, 1934 (age 91) Spokane, Washington, US
Occupation(s)	Owner, The Washington Companies and Seaspan Marine Corporation
Spouse	Phyllis Washington
Children	2 sons

Early life

Born in Spokane, Dennis Washington grew up in Spokane, Bremerton, Washington, and Missoula, Montana.^[1] His parents separated when he was very young, and Washington lived with his mother. He rarely saw his father, who worked in construction overseas. Washington did not grow up in a wealthy family. Additionally, he states his parents' divorce as his motivation to provide his own wife and children with a stable family environment.^[2]

Career

Following graduation from high school, Dennis Washington worked in construction in Alaska and Montana. He began his business career at age 30 in 1964, with a $30,000 loan and a single bulldozer ^{[citation needed]}. He created Washington Construction, which worked primarily on highway contracts, and by 1969 was the largest contractor in Montana.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1970s he moved into mining and dam construction. In 1986 he acquired a copper and molybdenum mine at Butte, Montana. He reopened the mine and it became a profitable operation. This success helped him diversify into railroads, marine services, coastal shipping, aviation and real estate. In 1996 Washington Construction acquired global construction and engineering company Morrison-Knudsen Corporation^[3] of Boise, Idaho, creating Washington Group International.

Washington Companies

The Washington Companies are a group of individual privately held companies headquartered throughout the United States and western Canada and conducting business internationally.

Included in the Washington Companies'^[4] holdings are:

• Seaspan ULC is an association of Canadian companies involved in coastal marine transportation, shipdocking and ship escort, ship repair and shipbuilding services in western North America.
• Montana Rail Link is a Class II regional railroad that operates over 900 route miles of track in Montana and Idaho.
• Aviation Partners Inc. develops and markets the Blended Winglet Performance Enhancement System for business jet aircraft. .
• Envirocon Inc.’s core services include environmental remediation, ecological restoration, and decommissioning and demolition for government and commercial clients.
• Southern Railway of British Columbia (SRY) is a major transporter of freight in British Columbia.
• Modern Machinery Co. Inc. sells and rents heavy equipment, and supplies parts and service to support the construction, mining, aggregate, and logging industries.
• Montana Resources LLP operates an open-pit copper and molybdenum mine in Butte, Montana, near the Continental Divide.
• Seaspan Corporation (NYSE:SSW) is one of the world’s leading independent containership owners, owning and managing ships which are chartered long-term.

Political activity

Together with his spouse, Washington contributed $1 million to Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign.^[5]

Personal life

Attessa IV in North Vancouver, Canada

Washington is married to Phyllis and lives in Missoula, Montana. His son, Kyle Washington, is co-chairman of Seaspan Marine Corporation.^[6]

Washington also owns a private estate on Stuart Island, British Columbia, including a fishing lodge and golf course. The Washington–Grizzly Stadium for football at the University of Montana is named for him.^[7]

His private yacht Attessa IV has been featured in Forbes magazine.^[8] He has a Boeing Business Jet, 737-700 registration N162WC.^[9]

Awards and honors

Year	Association	Category	Notes	Ref(s)
1990	American Academy of Achievement	Golden Plate Award		[10]
1993		—	Host; ceremony held in Glacier National Park, Montana	[11]
1995	Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans	Horatio Alger Award		[12]
1996	Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS)	Ellis Island Medal of Honor		[13]
2007	Mining Foundation of the Southwest	American Mining Hall of Fame	Inductee	[14]
2012	Maritime Museum of British Columbia (MMBC)	SS Beaver Award for Maritime Excellence

See also

• List of billionaires