DPR Construction, Inc., a Seattle commercial building contractor/construction manager, has been recently recognized as one of the "Best Companies to Work For" in the state of Washington in the large company category by Washington CEO. The only construction company on the magazine's 10th annual survey list, DPR ranked second in the large company category that included companies such as Nextel Partners Inc., Washington Mutual Inc. and Getty Images Inc. This milestone comes for the local contractor with global capabilities shortly after being recently ranked number 15, moving up 10 spots from the previous year, in ENR's list of the "Top 400 Contractors."

Washington CEO's final ranking was based on the results of a 31-question survey distributed to the company's employees regarding attraction and retention, organizational communication, working environment, decision making and supervision, performance management, rewards and recognition, employee benefits, career development and learning, and leadership. The company's management was given a similar, but more in-depth survey. Once the surveys were tabulated, the results were given, along with corporate reports, to a panel of five independent judges to establish company ranking.

"DPR's purpose is to build great things, which includes building great teams to successfully deliver projects," said Arne Hall of DPR. "We promote an environment, where people at all levels are empowered to make decisions and contribute to the overall direction of the company, and this award is a tribute to all the employees, who are the ones who make DPR a truly great place to work."

In addition, another one of DPR's core values is "Enjoyment," which the company practices by having a wine bar in every office, sponsoring employee outings like white water rafting and skiing trips, and participating in community service events like Rebuilding Together, Beat the Bridge 8K Run and 4-Mile Family Walk for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the sponsoring of the Annual Forgotten Children's Fund Charity Golf Tournament. By incorporating a sense of fun and community involvement into the daily work life, DPR is able to increase the level of employee satisfaction.

Washington CEO, Watson Wyatt Worldwide and Knowledge Anywhere sponsor the "Best Companies to Work for in Washington" program. This year, 104 companies representing 12,500 employees partook in the survey process, which is conducted by an automated telephone system and online response form.

A local builder with global capabilities, DPR Construction, Inc., has been "building great things" in Seattle since 1994, including such projects as a new 56,000-sq.-ft., Class A office building for Hughes Northwest, the West Wing Addition and Support Services for Good Samaritan Community Healthcare, new corporate headquarters for Onyx Software, a process development facility for Immunex Corporation, and corporate headquarters for WatchGuard Technologies. Specializing in technically demanding projects in corporate/speculative office, healthcare, entertainment, mission critical (data/telecom), biotechnology/pharmaceutical and warehouse and distribution industries, DPR has been recognized for its unique collaborative approach in both local and national markets and is a recipient of Arthur Andersen's 2001 Global Best Practices Award for its customer management. DPR's Seattle office is located at 157 Yesler Way, Second Floor, Seattle, Wash., and can be reached by phone at (206) 292-4800 or by email at [email protected], or on the Web at http://www.dprinc.com.