Bechtel relocating Maryland operation to Northern Virginia

Published March 4, 2015 by Veronica Garabelli

San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp. said Wednesday it will invest $10 million to move its Frederick, Md., operation to Northern Virginia. The move is expected to bring 700 new jobs to Fairfax County.

Bechtel, a major engineering, construction and project management company, said the decision to relocate is due to global restructuring.

This isn’t the first time Bechtel has announced it’s leaving Maryland for the commonwealth. In 2011, it relocated its Global Operations headquarters from Maryland to Fairfax County.

“Reston has proven to be an ideal location for Bechtel,” the company’s CEO, Bill Dudley, said in a statement.  “Conveniently situated between two airports, it facilitates international and domestic travel, which is key to our business, provides access to a highly skilled workforce, and offers an enjoyable work/life environment for our employees.”

Gov. Terry McAuliffe approved a $500,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund for the project. He also permitted the use of $4 million in funds from the Virginia Economic Development Incentive Grant, which is awarded to economic development projects expected to bring a large numbers of employees and very high wages to an area.

Bechtel, founded in 1898, has worked on more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries around the world. Today, its 58,000 employees work on projects in nearly 40 countries.

The firm also considered relocating to Texas and Arizona.