About
Builders. Partners. Innovators.
Bouten’s legacy rests not on eight decades’ worth of experience, nor on the range of building types or clients served. Rather, it’s defined by the quality of our work, a standard set by Gus himself and carried on by generations of skilled workers after him. It’s been forged by the countless, enduring relationships we’ve built along the way. And it’s embodied in the innovators, collaborators, and problem solvers who remain committed to delivering exceptional client experiences with every project we take on. “Building places that matter and relationships that last” is more than a purpose statement. It’s the very reason we come to work every day. And it’s what guides the values each of us lives out.
Our Values
A Place of Belonging
Our company is a place to feel valued, supported, safe, and secure.
Selfless Service
We will do what’s best for others before we do what’s convenient for us.
Quality without Compromise
Our standard is doing things the best they can be done. Period.
Intuitive Innovation
We naturally anticipate needs and apply creative solutions.
Building Communities
Across the Inland Northwest, Bouten is a part of the communities where our people live, work, and play. That’s important to us—and it’s important to our clients. Because the relationships that sustain us are just as important as the buildings we build.
80 Years
A legacy built on innovation
Founding
Gus J. Bouten Construction Company is incorporated in the living room of Gus’s home. Partners in the venture are Ed Senna of Senna Plumbing and Heating, Spokane Sash and Door’s Don Engdhal, and Harry Roblee, a hardwood flooring contractor.
Expansion Initiative
Work begins on Sacred Heart Hospital’s seven-story central and six-story east wings, the completion of which will make it the largest privately owned hospital in the northwest.
School Renovation
A new home for Gonzaga High School, formerly located on the campus of Gonzaga University, is built. The school also gets a new name: Gonzaga Preparatory School.
Anniversary Milestone
Gus J. Bouten Construction Company marks its 20th year in business with the construction of Holy Family Hospital on the north side of Spokane.
Landmark Project
Construction begins on the largest project yet undertaken by the company. 42,000 cubic yards of concrete, 3,800 tons of reinforced steel, and more than 60 acres of plaster will go into three earthquake-resistant buildings making up the nine-story patient tower at Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Skyscraper Project
Construction of the 345,000-sq.-ft., 20-story Seafirst Bank (now called the Bank of America Tower), along with a three-story corporate center and 540-car cast-in-place parking garage, begins.
Generational Continuation
Bill Bouten, 24, joins the company after graduating with a degree in construction management from Mankato State University. Like his father before him, Bill spent his early years around the office, then worked his way through college as a laborer on Bouten job sites.
Medical Facility Completion
The company completes construction on the Heart Institute of Spokane, comprising a five-story, 100,000 SF cardiac center, a 250-stall parking garage, and a 25,000 SF expansion of Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Healthcare Expansion
Construction begins on a four-year, $35 million expansion and renovation project with long-time client St. James Healthcare in Butte, MT.
Skyline Transformation
Another iconic building transforms the downtown Spokane skyline with the construction of the Spokane Convention Center. Completion of the project places Spokane in position to attract major regional and national conventions, expositions, and trade shows.
Operational Innovation
In addition to opening an office in the Tri-Cities, Bouten embarks on a major shift in project delivery as it adopts Lean construction practices, resulting in significant changes that eliminate waste, increase value, and create a spirit of innovation across the entire company.
Anniversary Milestone
Bouten celebrates its 75th year in business with the completion of its new Spokane headquarters.
Expansion and Leadership Transition
The company completes several major projects for new clients: Selkirk Pharma, Western States Equipment, Spokane Public Schools, and UW-GU Health Partnership. Tim Thomas, a longtime team member, is named president; Bill Bouten CEO.
Contract Win
With a bid of $109,644, the company is awarded a contract to build the Sacred Heart Hospital Cadet Nurse’s Training Facility in Spokane. Gus’s winning bid beat 12 others, including that of his former boss.
Ownership Consolidation
After buying out his partners, Gus Bouten owns his namesake company outright—which then begins construction on the $500,000 Gonzaga University Engineering Building.
Generational Transition
Twenty-four-year-old Frank J. Bouten, Gus’s son, joins Gus J. Bouten Construction Company. Frank had been periodically employed by the company since he was a child of six, emptying wastepaper baskets, washing trucks, and performing odd jobs.
Expansion Endeavors
Two major projects are negotiated: a seven-story patient tower at St. John’s Hospital in Longview, Washington for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace; and Mount St. Vincent in Seattle for the Sisters of Providence. This is a defining year for the company, which steps outside of its home market to work on multimillion-dollar jobs.
Tower Completion
The Washington Mutual Tower, occupying a full city block in downtown Spokane, is completed 4 months ahead of schedule. A progress report published at the time touted the benefits of the “sweeping views of the upcoming World’s Fair” from the upper floors.
Founder's Passing
Gus J. Bouten, 78, dies May 7 at St. Joseph Care Center in Spokane, the same building he constructed in 1945. The same year, Sacred Heart Medical Center’s East Tower is dedicated. The project is built with plans to carry out the addition of future floors—a goal met 19 years later with the construction of Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.
Community Partnership
During initial project planning for the construction of Ronald McDonald House in Spokane, Bouten helps the non-profit charity with site selection, scope definition, and early cost estimates.
Campus Development
Bouten begins construction on the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute (SIRTI), the first structure on Washington State University’s nascent Spokane Riverpoint Campus. The company returns to the campus three years later to build the three-story, 114,000 SF Phase One Classroom Building.
Major Medical Expansion
In what is the company’s largest project in more than 30 years, construction begins on a $100 million expansion at Sacred Heart Medical Center that includes a new Children’s Hospital and a Women’s Center and Surgery Wing.
Academic Achievement
At a time when much of the construction industry is crippled by the Great Recession, Bouten completes Whitworth University’s state-of-the-art Robinson Science Hall, the largest academic facility constructed in the school’s 120-year history.
Healthcare Expansion
On the largest project undertaken at Kootenai Health in more than 40 years, Bouten serves as the Construction Manager Advisor on a three-floor, 98,000 expansion to the existing medical center, including 64 private patient rooms, a neonatal intensive care unit, and a new main entry.
Advanced Laboratory Dedication
The state-of-the-art Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL), a $47 million facility housed in a new 62,000 SF wing of WSU’s Paul G. Allen Center for Global Animal Health, is dedicated. As a core facility in the USDA National Animal Health Laboratory Network, WADDL serves as the first alert system in detecting biological threats to the nation’s animal agriculture, public health, and food supply. Bouten constructed both buildings.
Legacy Continuation
As Bouten Construction Company celebrates its eightieth anniversary, Bill Bouten announces his retirement—and the company recommits to the principles that, over three generations of Bouten family leadership, have shaped not only the business, but also the communities it’s served.
