Space Needle builder Howard S. Wright sold to UK giant
Balfour Beatty
History: Balfour Beatty was founded in 1909 in Portsmouth, London by George Balfour, a Scots mechanical engineer, and Andrew Beatty, an English chartered accountant. Notable projects include construction of the Wadi Tharthar project in Iraq, development of London's Underground system and marine projects in the Great Lakes.
Market: Infrastructure markets include transportation, social, utilities and commercial. Balfour Beatty Construction of Dallas operates regional U.S. offices in Atlanta, San Diego, Dallas and Washington, D.C. Wright will operate as its fifth.
Clients: The company works with customers in the U.K., continental Europe, the U.S., SoutheastAsia, Australia and the Middle East.
Source: balfourbeatty.com Howard S. Wright History: Howard S. Wright was founded in 1885 in Port Townsend and moved to Seattle in 1929. Its projects include 1201 Third Ave., formerly known as the Washington Mutual Tower, and the first three buildings on Microsoft's Redmond Campus. Markets: Eighteen markets including health care, technology, education and retail. It operates out of its offices in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Phoenix. Clients: Nike, Intel and Microsoft. Source: howardswright.com Howard S. Wright, the venerable Seattle construction company, has long been making history in Seattle. It built the Space Needle for the 1962 World's Fair, constructed the 76-story Columbia Center and is currently refashioning the Jackson Federal Office Building in downtown. Now, after recently celebrating its 125th anniversary, the employee-owned company has been sold. The buyer: Balfour Beatty Construction of Dallas, which bills itself as the nation's fifth-largest contractor and is a unit of London-based Balfour Beatty, which employs 50,000 worldwide. The price: $70 million immediately, and an additional amount estimated at $23 million over the next 4 ½ years based on financial performance, the U.K. parent company said in a statement. Balfour spokeswoman Connie Oliver said this is the company's fourth acquisition since 2009. She added that Wright's company culture and strong presence in the Pacific Northwest, where Balfour has been looking to expand operations, made for an attractive investment.
The Space Needle - News
Howard S. Wright, the venerable Seattle construction firm that built the Space Needle, has been sold to a Texas unit of a London-based international infrastructure company. By Eric Pryne and Christine Harvey Dale Pellow, president, left,
At 8:00 AM on Sunday, June 26, on one of the most beautiful mornings ever seen in Seattle, Josh Castle, myself, and 13 other people climbed three small yellow ladders to the very top of the Space Needle. We were outside, above the observation deck,
COM STAFF Supporters who identified themselves as Sister Velma, right, and Sister Abba collect donations on Broad Street June 15 to raise the Gay Pride flag on the Space Needle. The Space Needle plans to fly the flag if $50000 is raised for four
Plus, a list of Golden Space Needle award winners of 2011. Jason Thompson, house coordinator, works during the SIFF opening-night ceremonies at McCaw Hall on May 19. SIFF attendees mingle outside of McCaw Hall on opening night.
COM STAFF Timothy Clemans looks up at Seattle's Space Needle before his 103rd trip to the top of the icon. Clemans holds the record for the most consecutive visits to the top of the Space Needle. Photographed on June 3, 2011.
The Space Needle's Gay Pride Flag | Seattle Rex
Sometimes, people think I am contrary just to be contrary. They think I take an opposing viewpoint just to do so. It’s kind of a shame that this assumption is made.
Once upon a time, Seattle had a real independent thing going on. Some of it is still around, but so very much of it is gone. Publishing in particular. Zines were replaced by blogs, and these days, blogging as an art form has been co-opted by corporate interests. What used to be a way for the little guy to get his opinion out has been reclaimed by professional journalists and wannabe-professional journalists.
Diversity of opinion is a thing of the past, and blogging is now done by consensus. Seattle has no shortage of blogs, but the vast, overwhelming number of them are partnered with corporate media or other mainstream organizations.
If you check out your favorite Seattle blogger these days, you’re likely to find that they have an impressive array of degrees and credentials, and a bio which reads something like this:
“Featured blogger Kaitlynn Prisspot-Honky has a journalism degree from UW, has been published in the Tolerant Times, and has a credit score of 850. In her spare time, she likes rescuing kittens, empowering women, eating healthy, recycling, and living a completely non-controversial lifestyle.”
Gee, I can’t wait to hear what she thinks about global warming. I wonder which side she’ll take? I’m literally on pins and fucking needles. You see, we already know what academia and the mainstream media thinks … about everything. Ask 50 UW journalism majors to write a blog post about the Seattle Slutwalk , and the only way you will be able to tell their posts apart is by their typos.
Everything these days reads like a puff-piece from Yahoo local, and an emphasis on professionalism makes you wonder what the point is sometimes. I mean, is there really a dearth of passive mainstream news reporting that needs to be filled by the alternative media? While you can make the case that The Stranger is still out in left field a bit, for the most part, Independence in publishing is dead. It makes me depressed sometimes.
I know, I know, I’m sure my critique has them sobbing all the way to the bank.
I digress.
The point I am trying to make is that I am really not contrary for its own sake. It just seems that way because I’m one of a very few bloggers in Seattle, that will openly share my opinions without regard to how popular they are.
Monorail to the space needle today 
The Space Needle 
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Awww.....well, I'll say "hi" to the Space Needle for you!
Went to the Space Needle and stood in line with BO Man and two S&M lesbian ewoks... Yub yub! The Space Needle - Bookshelf
The Space Needle, symbol of Seattle
The Space Needle
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