I've been mulling over making this post ever since I read of Peter Nosler's passing a couple of weeks ago. It's hard to believe it was nearly thirty years ago that I was living in San Francisco and working as an office admin for a construction management firm, when a recruiter called and stole me away for a fast-growing general contractor down in Redwood City. I was absolutely clueless as to what I should be doing with my life, and my civil engineering degree wasn't helping me much. But I landed at DPR, employee #143 or so if I remember correctly (now they have nearly 10,000 people apparently!). I muddled through more admin work, met a bunch of wonderful people (had a ton of fun!), and still tried to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. It was my first time working at a company that had a stated purpose ("We exist to build great things") and core values (Integrity, Enjoyment, Uniqueness, Ever Forward). Working at DPR was really a master class in learning what it meant for a company to be intentional about building a great corporate culture. They were serious about their values. Building great things meant more than just physical construction. They wanted to build a great company, great relationships, great employees. The company prided itself on being flat. There was no slicing and dicing of job titles. Your title reflected your job function, that's all. The founders sat in low cubicles right along with the rest of us. At one point I sat a row away from Doug (the "D" in DPR) and later on I sat right by Peter (the "P"). It wasn't uncommon for Peter to need some computer help and he wasn't shy about calling me over to help him out :). It was at DPR that I was given a chance to try new things. When they rolled out a new email system, I was able to help show my colleagues how to use it. That led to a move to the IT team, and travelling around the country training everyone in the company on the new software. I left DPR to become a technical trainer, and it's not hard to connect the dots to where I've landed now, doing work that I truly enjoy as a technical writer. I was so fortunate to have been recruited for DPR way back when. I hesitate to think how things would have turned out without the opportunities I had while I worked there. While it only lasted a few years, my time at DPR really built the foundation of the career I have today. Doug, Peter and Ron set out to build something great, and I am just one of many who benefited from that intention. Thank you Peter.
Today we remember Peter Nosler, co-founder and P in DPR Construction. Peter’s willingness to share and facilitate knowledge among others set the tone for a collaborative, open and inclusive environment that drives people to be the best they can be and continues to live on today. Thank you, Peter, for truly leaving a legacy that others are inspired to emulate. Ever forward. https://lnkd.in/g4rMfeQU
