Chris Bontrager

Chris Bontrager's responsibility is SE Operations and National Cousins Account Management. He was hired by Hardin Construction in 2000, and joined DPR when it was acquired in 2013. Over the years, Chris has held roles of increasing responsibility from project manager to project executive, leading to his appointment as DPR's Atlanta business unit leader in 2016. He was the Atlanta business unit leader until 2023. Chris also serves on the company’s Southeast region leadership team. With nearly three decades of construction experience, Chris’s leadership expands across the company’s core markets including construction in higher education, commercial office, advanced technology, healthcare and life sciences. Chris has a heart for the community and can often be found giving back to organizations that positively impact the city and region.

• Role: SE Operations and National Cousins Account Management
• Favorite Thing About Construction: Construction is in my blood. My grandfather and father were true craftsman, building custom homes and light commercial, self-performing almost every aspect of the build. My childhood is filled with memories of visiting job sites and then helping in the summers through high school. I love that construction is always a dynamic environment and never boring. At the end of the day you can see the tangible results of your hard work.
• First Job: I worked at a local grocery store bagging groceries.
• Hero: My Grandfather(s), both self-made men that came from working class America. One paid his way through college to earn a master’s degree from the University of Alabama and the other taught himself a trade and turned it into a successful business.
• Word to the Wise (Advice): Stay the course, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Just do what you do to the best of your abilities with passion and the rest will take care of itself.