Wadsworth builds solid family firm

Kip Wadsworth was thrown in at the deep end of entrepreneurial life.

The president and chief executive officer of Draper-based Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction, Kip Wadsworth grew up working at his father's business.

Looking at Kip Wadsworth's hard work and his education in business management and finance, Ralph Wadsworth chose his fifth son, then 26 years old, to take the position.

A decade later, Kip Wadsworth and three of his brothers bought out their father. In his first five years as president, Wadsworth Construction generated more revenue than it ever had.

The company also has diversified from highway and bridge construction. Now, Wadsworth has divisions for design-build, pile-driving and shoring, commercial building and special projects, including such high-profile builds as the 2002 Olympic bobsled track.

The company continually seeks joint ventures with other construction firms. Wadsworth offers a design-build approach, which provides a project owner with a single point of contact for design, engineering and construction.

It also can provide a traditional construction manager/general contractor approach: Wadsworth provides consulting, scheduling, estimating and cost-control services during pre-construction, and then acts as the general contractor for the construction of a project.