History
The company was founded in 1884 by Peter Kiewit, a bricklayer of Dutch descent. The founder's son, also named Peter Kiewit, headed the firm from 1924 until his death in 1979. During his life it became one of the largest construction companies in the world. He was also very active in the Omaha area. 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. Walter Scott, Jr., was first elected to the Peter Kiewit Sons' Incorporated board in 1964. In 1979, he was elected president. When Peter Kiewit died later that same year, Scott was selected to succeed him as chairman. Starting in 1985, Peter Kiewit also constructed a nation-wide fiber optic network that it later spun off as Level 3 Communications.
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“In history as in human life, regret does not bring back a lost moment and a thousand years will not recover something lost in a single hour.”
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“A man acquainted with history may, in some respect, be said to have lived from the beginning of the world, and to have been making continual additions to his stock of knowledge in every century.”
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“The history of this country was made largely by people who wanted to be left alone. Those who could not thrive when left to themselves never felt at ease in America.”
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