Bechtel Group Realigns, Forms Five New Units

Bechtel Group announced a realignment Tuesday in which the two existing operating companies of the San Francisco-based engineering and construction concern will be replaced by five new operating companies.

“The needs of tomorrow’s engineering and construction business will require greater agility and smaller organizational units,” Chairman Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. said in a statement.

The new operating companies and their officers are: Bechtel Western Power Corp., Loren G. Hinkelman, president; Bechtel Eastern Power Corp., Howard W. Wahl, president; Bechtel Civil Inc., Robert L. Polvi, president; Bechtel Inc., Don J. Gunther, president, and Bechtel National Inc., W.L. (Bill) Friend, president.

Additionally, there will be some corporate-level changes effective July 1, when the realignment takes effect. These include:

Cordell W. Hull and John Neerhout Jr. will be promoted to executive vice presidents of Bechtel Group Inc., reporting directly to Bechtel Group President Alden P. Yates.

Harry Reinsch, who has been the president of Bechtel Power Corp., will become vice chairman of Bechtel Western Power and Bechtel Eastern Power corporations. Richard P. Godwin, currently vice chairman of Bechtel Group, will become the vice chairman of Bechtel National.

Reinsch and Godwin will both be retiring next year.

The company also announced a restructuring of its London operations, which will become a separate subsidiary called Bechtel Ltd. Neerhout will act as chairman, and British businessman Sir Gordon Booth will become vice chairman.