King Husein

King Husein is an Indian-American engineer and the founder and CEO of Span Construction and Engineering (Span), one of the country's largest metal building construction companies based in Madera, California.

Not to be confused with King Hussein of Jordan.
King Husein
Born
Firoz Mohamed Husein

Mumbai, India
CitizenshipUnited States
Occupation(s)Founder and CEO
Span Construction and Engineering
Known forSteel Building Construction
Children4

Husein was born in Mumbai, India into a Muslim family.[1] His father died when he was 11, and his mother raised the four children on money she earned teaching embroidery on foot-powered Singer sewing machines.[1] He completed his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from University of Mumbai.[2] Originally, he was slated to attend Rice University, but based on the recommendation of a friend, he diverted to Provo, Utah, and enrolled at Brigham Young University (BYU).[3] He obtained a master's in structural engineering in 1971 from BYU.[2]

Husein started his career in Boston and was hired by Priggen Steel Buildings, affiliated with Varco Pruden Buildings, and then moved west to work for a builder in Fresno, California, in 1977.[3]

Span Construction and Engineering

Span was founded in 1980.[4] Husein developed a suspension safety net system called SkyWeb.[3] The company's culture includes the principle, “Keep our commitments – at all cost”.[2] Span will also never do work on Sundays.[1] As of January 1, 2018, 100% of the company's stock was sold to its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).[5][4]

As of 2020, Span has built over 187 million square feet of buildings. For more than 20 years, Span has been rated the largest metal building contracting company in the country.

Costco

In 1988, Husein met with Doug Mulvanny, MulvannyG2 Architects, which was responsible for Costco construction.[3] Husein related the pivotal meeting, "He asked me a question that was a turning point. The building is 500,000 square feet and 52 feet high. He asked me how would I devise a bracing without any interior bracing that would restrict the movements inside. I said I would provide straps on top of the structure that would take all the forces outside to the walls. His eyes lit and he ended up putting us on the bidding list. That was a game changer."[3]

In October 1989, Mulvanny hired Span for its first Costco project in Redding, California.[3] Husein related, "Once we did that project, Doug took the executive vice president of Costco and showed him how a standing seam roof system worked. On the way down from the roof, the executive vice president said, 'Mulvanny, let's switch all our building to steel.'"[3] Span has built Costco stores throughout North America, including several stores in Canada and Mexico, as well as the United Kingdom, Taiwan and Australia.[6]

Personal life

Husein is married to Diane Clark, from Star Valley, Wyoming, and they have four children. Husein is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Husein donated $5 million to the BYU College of Engineering in 2020 and funded the King and Diane Husein Endowed Professorship in Civil & Environmental Engineering since 2002.[2] Husein served as the Volunteer Fundraising Committee chair for the new $80 million BYU Engineering Building.[7]

In 2021, Husein donated 50 acres of land, "valued at nearly $9 million", to the Madera Unified School District. The district plans to build a K-8 school on the site.[8]

References
  1. Benson, Lee. "No-Sunday stance has not slowed success of Costco builder", Deseret News, 30 October 2010. Retrieved on 27 March 2020.
  2. Watts, Jordyn Crowley. "King & Diane Husein donate $5M to BYU College of Engineering; support ethics and integrity initiatives, student development", BYU Engineering, 6 January 2020. Retrieved on 27 March 2020.
  3. "King Husein: On the back of a simple concept, Husein has built a business that has transformed an industry", Metal Construction News, 31 October 2014. Retrieved on 27 March 2020.
  4. Hoppe-Spiers, Janice. "Span Construction & Engineering Inc.", Best Construction Practices, 21 October 2019. Retrieved on 27 March 2020.
  5. "ESOP", Span Construction and Engineering, Retrieved on 27 March 2020.
  6. "Breakfast With King Husein: "Speed Of Business"", Monterey Private Wealth, 2 June 2009. Retrieved on 27 March 2020.
  7. Prescott, Marianne Holman. "Groundbreaking Ceremony Launches Construction on the BYU Engineering Building", Church News, 11 May 2016. Retrieved on 27 March 2020.
  8. Price, Nancy (2021-06-07). "Planned Madera K-8 School Gets $9 Million Land Gift From King Husein". GV Wire. Fresno, California: Darius Assemi. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
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