DPR Construction Taps New Leaders to Tame AI-Fueled Building Boom

SANTA CLARA, CA – January 21, 2026 – In a strategic move to address the unprecedented demand for digital and industrial infrastructure, DPR Construction has appointed two veteran leaders to steer its Advanced Technology division. The appointments of Christopher Gorthy and Annette Allen signal a significant doubling-down on the innovative construction methods required to build the complex data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities that power the modern economy.

Faced with an AI-driven explosion in demand, the construction giant is reinforcing its commitment to integrated preconstruction, collaborative delivery, and large-scale prefabrication. The goal is to deliver these mission-critical facilities with greater speed, predictability, and certainty. Gorthy will lead the data center market, while Allen will helm the advanced manufacturing sector, which includes semiconductors, clean energy, and aerospace.

The Unrelenting Demand for Digital Infrastructure

The backdrop for DPR's announcement is a market experiencing exponential growth. The global data center market, valued at over $347 billion in 2024, is on a steep upward trajectory, with some analysts projecting it will surpass $580 billion by 2032. This surge is largely fueled by the voracious power and processing demands of artificial intelligence.

North America remains the epicenter of this boom, with under-construction capacity reaching a staggering 3,871 megawatts (MW) in the first half of 2024—a 69% increase from the previous year. Despite this building frenzy, vacancy rates in primary markets have plummeted to a record-low 1.9%, illustrating a demand that consistently outpaces supply. AI-specific facilities alone are projected to grow from a $236 billion market in 2025 to $934 billion by 2030, fundamentally reshaping the industry's power and cooling requirements.

"Customers are looking for DPR to help drive an innovative delivery focused on speed to market and predictable results, while leveraging our technical expertise to support more complex technologies and systems," said Christopher Gorthy, who is now focused on the data center market. This sentiment reflects an industry-wide race to bring capacity online before the opportunity is lost.

Similarly, the advanced manufacturing sector—encompassing everything from semiconductor fabrication plants to electric vehicle battery facilities—is under immense pressure to shorten the time from capital investment to revenue generation. These technically complex environments demand precision and speed, a challenge DPR aims to meet head-on.

A Blueprint for High-Velocity Construction

To meet this challenge, DPR is moving beyond traditional building paradigms and embracing a manufacturing-inspired mindset. The company's strategy rests on a tripod of innovative methods: integrated preconstruction, collaborative delivery, and prefabrication.

Integrated preconstruction involves engaging with clients and design partners at the earliest stages of a project. By leveraging historical project data, virtual design and construction (VDC), and model-based cost estimating, DPR's teams can provide rapid feedback on design feasibility, cost, and schedule implications. This front-loaded planning process is designed to eliminate surprises and streamline the entire project lifecycle.

This early collaboration is formalized through models like Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), where the owner, builder, and designers operate under a single, shared-risk agreement. This fosters a non-adversarial environment focused on collective problem-solving, which is critical for reducing costly rework and delays on complex projects.

However, the most visible component of DPR's speed-to-market strategy is its extensive use of prefabrication. By building large, complex components—such as electrical rooms, multi-trade utility racks, and entire data hall modules—in a controlled factory environment, the company can dramatically reduce on-site labor, improve safety, and ensure higher quality. For one data center project in Texas, prefabricating 25 "plug-and-play" electrical rooms saved an estimated 15,000 on-site worker hours and approximately $1.8 million. In another instance, using a modular approach, a 1MW electrical room was assembled and delivered in just five days.

This approach also provides a crucial answer to the construction industry's persistent skilled labor shortage, allowing for more efficient work with a smaller, more focused on-site team.

New Leadership for a New Era

Steering this high-stakes initiative are two leaders with deep industry experience. Christopher Gorthy, a 22-year DPR veteran, has been a key figure in the company's adoption of preconstruction and prefabrication. His deep operational expertise in mission-critical projects makes him a natural fit to lead the charge in the hyper-competitive data center market. His focus is on harnessing collaboration to meet client goals.

"Our team's ability to collaborate with design consultants, owners, and trade partners is instrumental in achieving our customers' goals," Gorthy stated, emphasizing the human element behind the technological push.

Annette Allen, who joined DPR in 2023, brings 35 years of experience in project execution across the life sciences and advanced manufacturing industries. Her leadership will be pivotal in growing DPR's portfolio in the semiconductor, clean energy, and aerospace sub-markets. Allen's perspective is keenly focused on the business impact of construction.

"Capital projects must translate into revenue quickly," Allen added. "By aligning precision construction with our customers' business goals, we're changing how complex facilities are delivered—safer, smarter, faster and with greater certainty."

Their combined expertise represents a strategic fusion of long-term company knowledge and broad market experience, positioning DPR to navigate the complexities of these demanding sectors. As a self-performing contractor, the company's ability to control key scopes of work with its own craft professionals provides an additional layer of predictability and quality control that is highly valued by clients like Digital Realty, who have praised DPR for their proven execution and understanding of business objectives. This integrated approach, from leadership vision to on-the-ground execution, is DPR's answer to building the future, today.