Dennis Washington

Born in Spokane, Dennis Washington grew up in Spokane, Bremerton, Washington, and Missoula, Montana.^[2] 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.^[3]

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^[4] of Boise, Idaho, creating Washington Group International.

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'^[5] 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.

Together with his spouse, Washington contributed $1 million to Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign.^[6]

Washington is married to Phyllis and lives in Missoula, Montana. His son, Kyle Washington, is co-chairman of Seaspan Marine Corporation.^[7]

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.^[8]

His private yacht Attessa IV has been featured in Forbes magazine.^[9] He has a Boeing Business Jet, 737-700 registration N162WC.^[10]

• List of billionaires