1924

Pat Zachry Founds H.B. Zachry Company

H. B. “Pat” Zachry resigned from the Texas Highway Department in 1924 to pursue his own business. His first contract — a series of four concrete-reinforced bridges in Laredo, aided in part by mule-drawn wagons — gave birth to H. B. Zachry Company.

1930

H.B. Zachry Co. Is Incorporated

The company secured a series of small contracts over the years since its inception, leading to its official incorporation on July 31.

1931

H.B. Zachry Company Wins First Contract

The company’s first official contract as H.B. Zachry Company — concrete paving work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Randolph Field (now Randolph Air Force Base) in San Antonio.

1945

Wayne Tiner Becomes Company President

Mr. Tiner succeeded H.B. Zachry as president of H.B. Zachry Company.

1947

Texas–New Mexico Pipeline Completed

The historic pipeline in Lea County, New Mexico marked Zachry’s first project outside of the Lone Star State.

1950

Zachry Finishes First “Big Inch” Pipeline Job

Contracting with the Texas Eastern Pipeline Company, Zachry crews laid 95 miles of pipeline in Tennessee and Kentucky. All told, Zachry would complete more than 5,000 miles of “big inch” pipeline over the next three-and-a-half decades.

1951

Delbert Ward Becomes Third Company President

Mr. Ward assumed the role after Wayne Tiner was killed in a car crash.

1952

Company Relocates from Laredo to San Antonio

H.B. Zachry Company moved its headquarters to the budding metropolitan area to further aid the company’s expansion in South Texas and beyond.

1953

Work Begins on First Turnkey Power Plant

Construction on Unit II of the W.B. Tuttle Steam Power Plant in San Antonio became an important symbol of the company’s future in the energy sector.

1956

H.B. Zachry Returns as Company President

He resumed his role in the company, taking over for Mr. Ward.

1957

Zachry Incorporates Capitol Aggregates As Subsidiary

The onetime sand-and-gravel and ready-mix operation has since evolved into a dynamic enterprise, comprising a cement plant and a number of aggregate production facilities.

H.B. Zachry Steps Down, Bartell Zachry Becomes President

After relinquishing his position with the company, H.B. supported his son as the board of the directors named Bartell Zachry the next company president.

1965

Work Begins on Nuclear Power Plant in Spain

Zachry’s first venture in Europe was also Spain’s first nuclear facility: the José Cabrera Power Plant, outside Madrid.

1966

Zachry Wins Largest Single Contract in U.S. History

Zachry and five other contractors are awarded the largest single contract in U.S. history to develop the Yuba River in California. The Yuba River project was one of the first great successes of the post–H.B. “Pat” Zachry era.

1968

Zachry Completes Palacio del Rio in Record Time

The Hilton Palacio del Rio marked Zachry’s first modular construction project. Modular design and construction techniques enabled workers to halve the normal time frame, completing the hotel in a record 202 days.

1972

Texas A&M Dedicates Zachry Engineering Center

The building was one of the largest on the campus at the time for Texas A&M University, Mr. Zachry’s alma mater. One of the largest buildings on the A&M campus - 324,000 square feet, on a site larger than a football field - the center has more than seven acres of floor space and houses the dean's office of the College of Engineering.

1973

Paving Crews Set Record at DFW

In May, Zachry and South Prairie Construction crews at the Dallas–Fort Worth Airport set a one-day record by paving 5,312.5 linear feet of 50-foot-wide, 15-inch-thick taxiways.

1978

Expansion Begins at Kyle Field

Texas A&M University contracted with H.B. Zachry Company to expand the stadium, including the addition of a third upper-level grandstand on two sides, to increase seating capacity to 72,000. Work on Kyle Field was completed in time for the 1979 football season.

1980

Zachry Lands State-Record Contract

The Texas Highway Department awarded the company a then-record $63.5 million deal to reconstruct the North Loop 410/I-35 interchange in San Antonio.

1984

Pat Zachry Dies at Age 82

Mr. Zachry passed away on September 5, 1984, of a stroke.

1996

Zachry Builds Another U.S. Embassy in Moscow

Zachry’s work on the top-secret reconstruction project in Moscow was later nominated for the Department of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence.

Wins West Dam at Diamond Valley Contract

The West Dam project was located at the Diamond Valley Reservoir in Southern California, and marked the largest earthmoving project in the United States at the time.

1998

David Zachry Is Named President of the Civil Group

2002

Zachry Scores Contract for High Five Interchange

The High Five Interchange at US 75/I-635 in Dallas was the largest TxDOT project at the time and the first five-level interchange in state history.

2004

Zachry Constructs New LEED-Certified Headquarters

The company’s state-of-the-art corporate home would later become the first building in San Antonio to receive LEED certification.

2005

Work Begins on U.S. Embassy in Managua, Nicaragua

Zachry completed this overseas design–build project in the Nicaraguan capital while operating on a fast-track schedule.

Zachry Hospitality Is Formed

Zachry Hospitality was put in charge of managing the company’s hospitality properties, which includes the Hilton Palacio del Rio, Sunset Station and other hospitality projects.

2008

Zachry Announces Company Realignment

After years of planning, the realignment divided Zachry Construction Corporation into Zachry Corporation, which kept the original company logo and would handle heavy, highway and building construction, and Zachry Holdings, which would handle industrial projects. David Zachry was named CEO of Zachry Corporation, while John Zachry was named CEO of Zachry Holdings.

2009

Zachry Corporation Launches Zachry American Infrastructure

ZAI was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary to handle Zachry’s public/private partnerships (P3).

Jean Abiassi Becomes President and Chief Operating Officer

2011

Zachry Wins Tobin Center Project

San Antonio officials awarded Zachry the contract to renovate and build a modern addition to the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

2012

Zachry Academy Opens

Zachry begins offering a number of courses in construction technology and creates Zachry Academy for employees.

Zachry Wins Bid for High-Speed Rail System

Seeking to construct the first high-speed rail system in the United States, the joint venture of Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons won the bid to build the Central Valley (California) portion of the California High-Speed Rail project.

2013

Grand Parkway Becomes First $1B Project for Zachry

Zachry’s work on State Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway, is part of the largest project ever let by TxDOT and will be completed in the shortest period of time per mile.

2015

High-Speed Rail System Breaks Ground

Officials broke ground in downtown Fresno, California, on January 6, 2015.