Fluor Corporation - History

History

The business was originally established by John Simon Fluor, a Swiss immigrant, in 1890 at Oshkosh, Wisconsin as the 'Fluor Brothers Construction Company and was incorporated in 1924. It established its credentials in the oil and gas industry when it was awarded a contract to build a natural gasoline plant for Richfield Oil in 1922. In 1932 it was awarded its first major refinery contract for Shell Oil at Wood River, Illinois. In 1947 it secured its first major overseas contract for Aramco in Saudi Arabia.

Then in 1955 it was contracted by the U.S. Air Force to construct Saudi Arabia's Dhahran Air Base. It started offshore operations in 1967, building its first hydrocracker plant in 1968 for the American Oil Company in Texas City. In 1977 it acquired Daniel International Corporation and subsequently adopted "Fluor Daniel" as the name for its main operating subsidiary.

In 1978 the company established its headquarters on an extensive corporate campus located in Irvine, California, which included 1.7 million square feet of office space and a distinctive ten-story mirrored-glass tower. The site was a local landmark and was featured in the 1991 film Defending Your Life. In 1999 the company relocated to nearby Aliso Viejo, California.

In 1981 it acquired St. Joe Minerals, along with its lead, zinc, and coal operations. However, metal prices dropped after the acquisition, and in 1987 it sold its zinc operations to Horsehead Corporation; in 1994 it sold its lead mines to Doe Run Company. In 1995 Fluor acquired ADP, a design and project management business; in 1996 it acquired Marshall Contractors. In 2000 it spun off its coal operations to Massey Energy Corporation. Philip J. Carroll, an alumnus of Tulane University, served as Fluor's CEO from 1998 to 2002.

In 2006 Fluor relocated its headquarters to Irving, Texas. In 2009 Fluor entered the solar industry when it was contracted to design a 46 MW solar thermal plant in a partnership with California firm ESolar.