Professional Speaker Series: Matt O’Malley and Jodi Paci of DPR

The White Ruffin Byron Center for Real Estate welcomed DPR Construction at the UVA McIntire School of Commerce on Oct. 16, 2023, as part of the Center’s Professional Speaker Series.

Approximately 50 UVA students from across Grounds gathered to enjoy pizza and hear a presentation by alums Matt O’Malley, Preconstruction and Commercial Market Lead, and Jodi Paci, Manager, on DPR’s large-scale adaptive reuse project at 20 Mass Avenue, near Union Station in Washington, DC. The presentation walked students through the preconstruction and construction stages, from the initial schematic design and construction period to the nitty-gritty details of the project.

This project’s significance lies in its transformation of an office building from the 1970s into a modern mixed-use space. DPR converted the building’s lower six floors to 13,832 rentable square feet of ground floor retail, along with the 274-key Royal Sonesta Hotel. Floors 7 through 10 host 183,515 rentable square feet of top-of-the-line office space, and floor 11 is a premier 3,100-square-foot penthouse ballroom. Designed thoughtfully and sustainably, the building holds LEED Gold and WELL health safety ratings and meets Energy Star efficiency standards.

The sixth largest general contractor in the country, with just under $7.8 billion in revenue last year, DPR Construction is proudly employee-owned. In addition to the multiuse project showcased at 20 Mass Avenue, DPR Construction specializes in constructing mission-critical healthcare, higher education, manufacturing, and research and development facilities. The company is also actively involved in the McIntire Expansion Project, overseeing the renovation of Cobb Hall and construction of Shumway Hall.