Stories

Creating Cultural Connections and Conversations

This article is included in the Great Things: Issue 7 edition of the DPR Newsletter.

A man stands on a stage raising his hand in front of a crowd
At DPR, culture is made up of the actions of every individual it is defined by what we do and how we treat others. Courtesy of Matt Pranzo

Hi,

Culture can be such an abstract word. It can inspire excitement and aspiration. It is often something you feel without even realizing it. Every company has a culture, whether they talk about it or not. At DPR, culture is made up of the actions of every individual. So, when we talk about our culture, we’re talking about the examples and behaviors that define how we want to act and treat each other. Our culture is defined by what we do and how we treat others.

Building a culture that is inclusive and builds belonging is important. As we began to emerge from the pandemic, we sincerely wanted to know what was on everyone’s minds and wanted to create a safe space where employees could ask questions, share their experiences, and help build a greater sense of community throughout our organization. That’s one of many reasons why we launched the DPR Culture Con Roadshow this past year to create a deeper cultural connection and conversation with our teammates.

In the spirit of open and honest communication, every employee was invited to an in-person forum to (re)connect to our culture and to ask questions to a panel of local and regional leadership and members of the Management Committee. No question or topic was off limits. We also made sure that each session had live, simultaneous Spanish translation so that our Spanish-speaking employees had the option of listening and speaking in the language of their heart. To date, we’ve completed 27 events, connecting with some 5,700 employees in total across our family of companies.

What did we learn?

Our cultural roadshow reinforced the importance and value of taking time to connect/reconnect with each other, to create more clarity around our culture, and provide a safe space for employees to share what’s been on their minds. These last two years have been extremely challenging for us all and have impacted people in many ways. There was laughter, cheers, tears and moments of seriousness as tough questions were asked and answered.

Some key themes that emerged from our conversations resonate across the industry and across sectors: benefits, compensation, opportunities for growth and career advancement, and increased clarity around strategic direction. Specific to DPR, we took away a deep interest in learning more about our company vision, purpose, values and mission. We also heard from many who desire us to build more inclusive and better integrated work environments as “1DPR.”

These conversations were just the start. We hope the sense of inclusivity and connectedness fostered in these events will continue among teams on jobsites and in offices in alignment with our central belief of respecting the individual.

As we move into our 33rd year, we thank all our employees, families, partners, customers and friends for being a part of our journey. The world will continue to challenge us all, so we are grateful for you and how we continue to come together, stronger. We hope the stories in the 7th issue of Great Things remind you of how important you are—to each other, to our company, to our industry and to our society. The work we do together has a tangible effect on our world, from hospitals to research labs, and classrooms to data centers. We appreciate all that we’ve been able to accomplish together with a shared culture built upon our differences.

Please keep the conversations and connections going.

Ever Forward.

DPR Management Committee

Atul, Dave, George, Greg, Jody, Mark, Matt, Michele, Mike

DPR's Management Committee
Pictured from left to right: Greg Haldeman, Mike Humphrey, Mark Whitson, Michele Leiva, George Pfeffer, Atul Khanzode, Dave Seastrom, Jody Quinton and Matt Hoglund.