DPR Construction – Building Great Things

Hank Aaron Bridge, formerly the Lee Street Bridge

In May 2023, as a lasting tribute to Mr. Aaron’s legacy, Morehouse School of Medicine officials gathered with members of the Aaron family and local civic leaders for a renaming & ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Hank Aaron Bridge. Formerly the Lee Street Bridge, the bridge is located where Lee Street SW crosses over Interstate 20 between Park Street SW and Oak Street SW.

The plaza features a newly commissioned statue of Mr. Aaron located directly outside the Billye Suber Aaron Pavilion.

DPR Construction‘s scope on the project included adding commemorative murals and finishes to the bridge as well as electrical and stormwater infrastructure, landscape and hardscape features and stone benches for the new Hank Aaron monument statue and plaza.

DPR Construction is a self-performing international general contractor with clientele primarily in the advanced technology, commercial, healthcare, higher education, and life sciences sectors.  In 2022, they ranked 16th on the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Largest General Contractors in Atlanta List. Upcoming projects include a student athletic performance center for Georgia Tech, the development of several innovative projects across healthcare, higher education, advanced technology and more in Atlanta and the broader Southeast. 

Kali Bonnell, Business Unit Leader, DPR Construction

Kali Bonnell is one of the $6-billion firm’s regional leaders who is driving this boom of work directly from Atlanta, bringing projects like the Hank Aaron bridge to life, and engaging the local labor and tech ecosystem to provide transformative change to their respective industries and the regional economy as a whole.

Bonnell is the first female business unit leader to head up operations in Atlanta (and DPR’s second ever in the Southeast). She began at DPR 15 years ago in Atlanta, traveling around the Southeast during her early years with the company. Her specialties are developments in the healthcare sector, and DPR is proud of their affiliation with client and partner – Morehouse School of Medicine. 

Building Smart from the Start: Cobb CIDs – Georgia Trend September 2023

DPR is set to expand into Cobb County with the development of a new office in Smyrna/Mableton area.  Plans for Cobb county also include an off-site construction facility – where building is done “off-site” and brought to the construction zone, creating easier scheduling and logistics. Getting people off-site to build also means things are being built “safer and better,” says Kali, “We’re hoping to change safety statistics across the industry.”

“That’s the value we bring – cost certainty and overcoming labor shortages by taking things off-site, and working on our supply chain with our in-house supply chain managers.”

Building Smart from the Start

Participants in DPR’s apprenticeship program take part in a drawing class. Courtesy of DPR Construction

Construction booms and labor shortages inspire DPR’s focus on apprenticeship programs, recruiting from trade schools, high school internship programs, and accredited internship programs for training and certifications.