Abe Sipes

It takes a special talent to simultaneously maintain a big-picture perspective while looking out for the day-to-day minutia that makes a business successful. Serving as the Business Unit Leader in Sacramento, Abe Sipes helps to optimize local operations, ensuring best practices are consistently implemented and prioritizing excellence on all projects. He has led numerous high-profile healthcare and higher education projects in the area, as well as worked on projects with prefabrication components for over a decade. Expertise gained on job sites informs Abe’s decision-making and leadership, enhancing the customer experience while safeguarding a positive work environment for teams.

Abe grew up in Illinois, entranced by stories of his iron worker grandfather. At 18, he moved to the West Coast and worked as a carpenter while going to school. It was at this time that he discovered a passion for building. He earned bachelor’s degrees from Southern Oregon University and Portland State University and a master’s degree in engineering from Stanford University. He worked as a structural engineer until 2011, when he joined DPR.

Abe is a people-person who thrives on interacting with teammates, customers, and craftspeople. He loves being part of building something bigger than himself, saying, “That physical manifestation of the work we do feels wonderful.” He builds relationships and customer confidence by taking a calm and prepared approach to keeping an open mind to different possibilities without assumptions. 

When he’s not working, Abe treasures time with his daughters, even when it’s spent shuttling them to various sporting events. He loves anything outdoors but especially hiking, running, snowboarding, spending time on the water, and occasionally golfing.

• Favorite DPR Core Value: Ever Forward because it demonstrates the trust we have in our employees to keep pushing the envelope and it means constantly striving to do better.
• First Job: Mowing lawns at age 10 but my first tax-paying job was landscaping at a nursery in high school
• Most Useful App: Outlook
• Desired Superpower: Mind reading
• Best Vacation Spot: Thailand
• Pet Peeve: Lack of discipline
• Favorite Subject in School: Applied sciences like chemistry and physics