Doug Watts says his father, Richard, was looking for a fresh start in moving the construction business he started in Logan, Utah, in 1968 to Salt Lake City and then to the quiet town of St. George in 1984.

With a population of around 14,000 at the time, St. George was regarded mostly as a retirement community and home base for tourists visiting the nearby national parks. It now is the fifth-largest city in Utah with a population nearing 120,000, and through the determination of father and son and their commitment to the community, many buildings that resulted from the city’s decades of vigorous growth bear the stamp of Watts Construction.

Watts has been a supporter of the Tuacahn Center for the Arts just outside St. George. The contractor recently completed new residential units for actors and staff, a new box office and commercial space.
Photo courtesy Watts Construction

Growing Up Building

Doug Watts says he’s been working in and around construction most of his life. His father operated a lumber yard before starting the construction firm. “I was building tree houses when my dad started out. I’d drag his stuff home, so I was always in the business,” he says.

Richard Watts found early success in projects for the local school district and for Utah State University at its home campus in Logan. After the company and family moved to Salt Lake City, Watts said his father became involved in development and built the Deer Valley resort in Park City.

“He got heavily into real estate investing but eventually fell victim to the savings and loan crisis,” says Watts. “When we moved to St. George, I don’t know if he knew it was really poised for growth. He was just determined to start over in southern Utah.”

After years of working for other construction companies and completing one year of college, Watts joined the family business in 1985. He took over in 2010, guiding the firm to major success before retiring in 2023.

Watts said working in a smaller community like St. George required being adaptable and versatile as the town grew. A background working in larger markets and with different delivery methods was also helpful. “We had to be good at many things. St. George was growing, but there were not a lot of local contractors who could take on these bigger projects,” he says.

“We were proactive,” Watts notes. “We had been doing design-build before, but when we started doing it [in St. George] in the 1990s, that was unheard of at that time, and it gave us a good foothold in the market.”

Before retirement, Doug Watts was able to see his firm complete another landmark project, the new offices for Washington County.
Photo courtesy Watts Construction

Breakout Project

Watts says it was also in the early 1990s that the company got its first major project.

“One day this guy from California came in our door, and he owned parcels on River Road at the north end of town that he wanted to develop,” Watts says.

Watts was hired to build a row of retail spaces that would be home to factory outlet stores now known as The Shops at Zion as well as an adjacent retail and restaurant development known as the Promenade that remain city landmarks today.

The project marked the beginning of a growth surge in and around St. George that brought Watts more work, including projects for manufacturing and trucking-warehouse operators that would become repeat customers in future years.

But even before that breakout project, Watts says he knew a key to success in any community is to be involved in civic life and to build relationships.

“I got involved with the St. George Chamber of Commerce and organizations like Rotary. I was part of the original Washington County Economic Development group,” he says.

Nicholle Felshaw, county administrator, says she has worked with Watts in different capacities for nearly 10 years. “I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Doug since 2017, and I’ve overseen nine construction projects Watts Construction secured,” she says. “I served with Doug on the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce. He was very active in supporting [its] mission, actively participating on various committees and sponsoring many events and causes. He is an example to others, and it’s clear his love for Washington County runs deep.”

When Watts retired at the beginning of 2023, leadership of the company went to his nephew Chris Boudrero as CEO (left) and daughter Annie Howell (right) as CFO.
Photo courtesy Watts Construction

Felshaw says she recently worked with Watts on an expansion of the county Children’s Justice Center, which provides medical and mental health resources for children who are victims of abuse.

“Doug offered to have Watts Construction build the center, and he asked subcontractors to provide their expertise at a significant discount. The building now stands as a beautiful reminder of what our community can do through hard work and generous donations and individuals engaged in worthy projects to make a difference,” she says.

Rich Thorn, former president and CEO of the Utah chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, worked closely with Watts for years during his time as chairman in 2017 and while the association renovated and expanded its office in St. George.

“Doug led the way in boosting membership across the state and had a great impact sharing the benefits of AGC with friends and competitors in southern Utah,” Thorn says. “Living in St. George, it was a huge commitment for him to attend each committee [and] board meeting and special events. He did this without complaint and rarely missed an event.”

Kevin Smith, CEO at the Tuacahn Center for the Arts in Ivins, near St. George, has worked with Watts on new projects at the campus and as a patron and supporter of the nonprofit performance venue.

“Doug has always been supportive of us. He and Watts Construction have been involved in two major projects here. He was always a pleasure to work with, very collaborative. Whatever issues come up, big or small, Doug and his team take the concerns seriously and work to solve and fix things. You know it is more than just business,” he says.

“Doug and his team have not only built here, but they have donated to us, sponsored events and supported our fundraising, and I’ll see Doug or people from Watts here at concerts and events,” he adds.

Watts says he feels all his years of building and being involved in the community culminated with the construction of the Washington County Administration building that opened in 2023. The building was recognized with multiple awards including Best Overall Building/Industrial project in 2023 by the Utah AGC.

“I’d say all our relationship building and experience here culminated with that building,” he says. “It is really a great structure for this community, and it was a real blessing I was able to stay around and see that done.”

Watts says he credits his father with persisting during difficult times and treating others fairly. “My dad always said that if you just go the extra mile and you’re not greedy and not ruthless and just do things right, that puts you above a lot of the competition,” he says.

The contractor donated its services and expertise to complete the new Children’s Justice Center in St. George that serves as a refuge for children taken from abusive situations.
Photo courtesy Watts Construction

With Watts having retired as of January 2023, the company now is run by his daughter Annie Howell, who serves as chief financial officer, and his nephew Chris Boudrero, who is CEO.

Boudrero has been with the company for nearly 25 years, having started as a foreman, superintendent and project manager and then chief operations officer before taking over as CEO. Howell has spent 26 years with the company, first in marketing and then moving into financial and accounting roles. She says keeping the company in the family was important to her and Doug. Watts says he felt good about the transition and the position of the company when he left. “[Boudrero and Howell] are set up to be successful. The transition from my dad to me was tough, and I wanted to make sure it was smoother for them,” he says. “I feel like they are in a position to do better than any of the prior generations.”

So far, that prediction is coming true: The contractor reported revenue of $65 million in 2022 followed by a slight dip to $62 million in 2023. In 2024, revenue swelled to $95.7 million. Howell says the company currently has a strong backlog of projects for 2025 and will be building a new office on property purchased before Watt’s retirement.