Riley P. Bechtel
{{short description|American billionaire heir and businessman}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Riley P. Bechtel
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Riley Peart Bechtel{{cite web|title=The birth of Riley Bechtel|url=http://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/riley_peart_bechtel_born_1952_4564387|publisher=Californiabirthindex.org}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|3|25}}
| birth_place = Alameda County, California, U.S.
| occupation = Businessman
| title = Former chairman, Bechtel Corporation
| education = University of California, Davis (BA)
Stanford University (JD, MBA)
| spouse = Susan Bechtel
| parents = Stephen Bechtel Jr.
| children = 3, including Brendan
}}
Riley Peart Bechtel CBE (born March 25, 1952) is an American billionaire heir and businessman. He was the chairman of the Bechtel Corporation until April 2017.[https://www.bechtel.com/about-us/leadership/riley-bechtel/ Bechtel biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409143833/http://www.bechtel.com/riley_p_bechtel.html |date=2008-04-09 }} As of July 2021, his estimated net worth is US$2.7 billion.
Early life and education
He is the great-grandson of Warren A. Bechtel, the company's founder. His parents were Elizabeth Hogan and Stephen Bechtel Jr., who was the former chairman and CEO of the company.[http://www.betathetapi.org/documents/resources/awards/31bechtel.pdf Beta Theta Pi] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706151311/http://www.betathetapi.org/documents/resources/awards/31bechtel.pdf |date=2011-07-06}}
He attended The Thacher School, a boarding school.{{cite news |last1=Wallack |first1=Todd |title=Why some big-time donors like to stay under wraps / When discretion is the better part of philanthropy |url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Why-some-big-time-donors-like-to-stay-under-wraps-2509347.php |accessdate=27 October 2020 |work=SFGATE |date=14 December 2003}}{{Cite web |url=https://campus.thacher.org/pdf/news/TN-spr-sum00.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2020-10-27 |archive-date=2020-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102101053/https://campus.thacher.org/pdf/news/TN-spr-sum00.pdf |url-status=dead }} He received a bachelor's degree in political science and psychology from the University of California, Davis, and a JD/MBA from Stanford University in 1977. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in November 1979 and joined the American Bar Association.
Career
He worked for the law firm of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges. He joined Bechtel full-time in 1981 and was elected president and chief operating officer in March 1989. He became CEO in June 1990. In January 1996, he also became chairman of Bechtel.
He sits on the board of directors of the international council of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (since 1995), the Fremont Group (owned by Bechtel Corporation), the Fremont Group (which in turn runs Trinity Ventures, LP), Fremont Investors, Inc. (owned by Bechtel Corporation), and Sequoia Ventures, Inc. (limited partner of Bechtel Corporation). He was a board member of Theranos.{{cite web|title=A singular board at Theranos |publisher=Fortune |date= June 12, 2014 |url=http://fortune.com/2014/06/12/theranos-board-directors/ |accessdate=2015-10-12}}
He is a former member of the Trilateral Commission, the American Society of Corporate Executives, The Business Council, the Business Roundtable, and the National Petroleum Council. He sits on the corporate council of the Conservation Fund and the Board of Trustees of the Ocean Exploration Trust. He also sits on the governing board of the Indian School of Business, Stanford Graduate School of Business advisory council, Stanford Law School Dean's advisory council, and UC Davis' board of visitors. He was appointed to the President's Export Council by George W. Bush. In 1998, he and his father were presented with the Honor Award from the National Building Museum for their company's contributions to America's built environment.[http://www.nbm.org/support-us/awards_honors/honor-award/ National Building Museum] He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2001.{{cite web|title=Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter B|url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterB.pdf|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|accessdate=May 29, 2011}} He is also an Honorary Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and an Honorary Lifetime member of the American Society of Safety Engineers.
Wealth
According to Forbes, his estimated net worth is US$3 billion, as of October 2021.{{Cite web|title=Riley Bechtel & family|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/riley-bechtel/|access-date=2021-10-26|website=Forbes|language=en}}
Personal life
{{BLP sources|date=July 2019}}
He resides in California with his wife, Susan. He is a member of the Augusta National Golf Club as well as the all-male Bohemian Club in San Francisco and attends its annual encampment, the Bohemian Grove. He is consistently ranked in the top 200 richest people in the US and the top 500 richest people in the world by Forbes magazine.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/richlist2002/LIRQGCP.html?passListId=54&passYear=2002&passListType=Person&uniqueId=QGCP&datatype=Person|title=Forbes.com: Forbes 400 Richest in America 2002|website=www.forbes.com}} In February 2014, Bechtel announced that, after 25 years, he was stepping down as CEO of Bechtel Corporation because of health reasons associated with Parkinson's disease.[http://enr.construction.com/people/promotions/2014/0217-bechtel-president-bill-dudley-fast-tracked-into-ceo-roleriley-bechtel-remains-chairman-but-steps-dow.asp Engineering News-Record]
References
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Category:American chief executives
Category:American construction businesspeople
Category:American billionaires
Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Category:Businesspeople from San Francisco
Category:People from Alameda County, California
Category:Stanford Law School alumni
Category:University of California, Davis alumni
Category:American chief operating officers