Mark Whitson

Mark Whitson loves a good challenge and is passionate about helping others make the impossible possible. Serving as DPR’s President and Leadership Team member, Mark enjoys working with high-performing teams, thinking creatively to find solutions to real and perceived roadblocks. He wholeheartedly believes that the culture at DPR empowers people to tackle any challenge by working together. “We all have a deep responsibility to our culture, the environment first built by Doug, Peter and Ron and strengthened by others. As leaders, we are aligned in our determination to continue to build upon the vision.”

As a child, Mark discovered the joys of building things and working hard when he spent time on his grandfather’s farm. When he first started at DPR after graduating from Purdue, he worked as a laborer on a self-perform work (SPW) crew. This formative experience gave him a great appreciation for the hard work done in the field.

Next, Mark served as a Project Engineer and built his career at DPR, leading multiple teams in complex projects. After helping to complete one of DPR’s largest data center projects as a PX, Mark became a Business Unit Leader in Raleigh-Durham, then Southeast Regional Leader before transitioning to his current role. Today, he focuses on increasing integration throughout DPR’s Family of Companies and finding opportunities to drive improvement in DPR’s core construction business.

Mark’s career took on new meaning when his father was diagnosed with tongue cancer. His earlier experience building healthcare projects, including MD Anderson Cancer Center at Banner Gateway in Gilbert, AZ, had felt meaningful at the time, but now he felt a personal connection. Building great things with purpose impacts people’s lives everyday, and Mark is grateful to play a part in it.

Married to his fifth-grade sweetheart and junior prom date, Mark spends most of his non-working time with his family, which includes the couple’s three children. They enjoy sporting events, especially those involving his alma mater, and frequently plan family trips around their favorite team. Although Mark claims he’s not a great golfer, he does love playing golf.

• Favorite DPR Core Value: Ever Forward
• What You Love About Construction: I love the impact that we have on helping other companies have best-in-class facilities for their people to enjoy and be the building blocks for the services that they provide.
• Most Useful App: Skiplagged
• Your Hero: My father and grandfather, because of the work ethic they instilled in me at a young age. They taught me that if you work hard, you can accomplish anything!
• Word to the Wise: Together we are better!