Seattle Office Sees Big Potential Across the Border

DPR’s willingness to follow its clients into new markets recently has taken the Seattle office not only into a new market but also into a new country, Canada, where a team is currently in preconstruction on a new biotech facility for Abgenix in Vancouver, B.C.

The venture allows DPR to service this existing client, which is establishing a significant presence in the Vancouver region with the development of a 60,000-sq.-ft. facility to house offices and research and laboratory space. In addition, the project has given DPR the opportunity to establish its own presence and pursue work for other prospective clients in the Vancouver market, where the biotech industry is beginning to boom.

“We see the biotech industry really starting to grow in British Columbia,” comments Todd Gill, who is managing the Abgenix project. “We’re looking at this as perhaps a major stepping stone to establishing a greater presence in the region. We think we’re perfectly suited from a technical competency standpoint to provide our talents and expertise to other projects and owners here.”

Working in a new country poses some additional challenges, from dealing with a different currency and tax structure to learning a new licensing structure that governs the Canadian construction industry. DPR has been ironing out those business issues, while assisting Abgenix in finding a site that meets its needs since coming on board as construction manager in May of this year. The project is slated to break ground at the end of 2001 in order to meet a critical phased-completion schedule of fourth quarter 2002.