Building Great Things in Virginia and Maryland

The recently awarded contract to build the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, a four-building, approximately 170,000-sq.-ft. project, reflects what is shaping up to be a great year for DPR’s Fairfax location. The office has booked nearly three million sq. ft. of projects, totaling more than $180 million in value, in 2002 for such customers as IKEA, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, the National Institute of Health and the U.S. Department of Transportation. DPR is also building a new four-story building in Rockville, MD for The Institute of Genomic Research, which consists of dry and wet laboratory space and administrative support offices.

DPR Moves Ever Forward with ASU Scholarship

DPR Phoenix has selected another outstanding student as the recipient of the DPR Ever Forward Scholarship from Arizona State University. Michael Johnson was chosen from the student body of the Del E. Webb School of Construction to receive the prestigious award for his academic excellence and passion for the construction industry. Recipients of the scholarship receive $5,000 for education expenses for one scholastic year and a summer internship at the DPR office of his or her choice. Johnson, whose award will assist in his 2002-2003 education expenses, has chosen to serve his internship at the Phoenix office.

Redwood City Captures DPR Office of the Year

DPR’s Redwood City office earns an extra paid day of rest as the winner of the company’s “Best-of-the-Best” Award, also known as the “Nozzie Award” (named after Peter Nosler, who created the program). Each year, the award recognizes one of DPR’s 17 offices based on performance in four, equally weighted, categories:

• Employee satisfaction - measured as part of DPR’s annual employee survey.
• Customer satisfaction - includes “best in class” scores from Customer Satisfaction Surveys conducted for every project.
• Critical Success Factors (CSF) - results from all six areas, including preconstruction excellence, safety, schedule, change management, closeout and zero punchlist.
• Overall profitability - based on bottom-line numbers and percentage of the office’s goal as outlined in its annual business plan.

“For continuous improvement, we must continuously measure ourselves,” said Nosler. “DPR’s success comes from the collective efforts of every office, and the idea is to acknowledge one office for its total performance.” The Redwood City office, according to Nosler, made tremendous gains in employee satisfaction and captured a significant share of the Bay Area marketplace in 2001, overcoming challenges presented by its separation into three regional offices three years ago.

Thirteen New Jobs for Jobs

Over the next six to eight months, DPR will be rolling out 13 new retail stores for Apple Computer as part of a recently signed national contract with the leading personal computer maker. The new stores that “offer an amazing new way to buy a computer,” according to Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, are being built by DPR under aggressive timeframes in Burlingame, Emeryville, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Sacramento and Walnut Creek, CA; Dallas and Houston, TX; Denver, CO; Las Vegas, NV; and Seattle, WA. Averaging 3,500 to 4,000 sq. ft., the new stores, which feature high-end finishes, as well as special wood flooring and acoustic ceiling panels, will require the same quality and attention to detail that DPR demonstrated on the Pixar Animation Studios headquarters in Emeryville, CA that was completed in 2001.