The monastery of St. Gertrude Chapel in Cottonwood, Idaho, was renovated by Bouten Construction.

Gus J. Bouten began his business building homes in 1936 in Spokane and in 1944 incorporated under the name Gus J. Bouten Construction Co. Gus served as president of the company until 1972, when Frank J. Bouten took over. Frank retired in 1996, paving the way for William O. Bouten to head up the company.

Bouten Construction specializes in healthcare construction and preconstruction services, and is licensed to do business in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. It focuses on developing long-term relationships with owners, architects, subcontractors and other team members. That strategy has allowed the contractor to continue some relationships that date back to its founding years.

One of the company's notable projects has been ongoing for the past 50 years. It has built over 2 million square feet of space for Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. Other healthcare facilities the company is working on include hospital campuses in Spokane, Richland, Odessa and Othello, Wash.; Nampa, Idaho; Ontario and Bend, Ore.; and Butte, Mont.

Bouten Construction also is active in other commercial projects. Long-term repeat clients include Washington Mutual Bank and Bank of America. The company built the original 20-story Seafirst Financial Center, now the Bank of America Building, and the 14-story Washington Mutual Financial Center in downtown Spokane.