A New Chapter – We Celebrate with Purpose
Welcome to the new chapter at DPR Associates, Inc. On our 44th anniversary, we are proud and excited to announce that Hy Nguyen is the newest President of our company. This internal transition of leadership establishes new potential and a bright future while maintaining DPR’s culture, heritage and values that have long personified Charlotte’s oldest landscape architecture firm. Today, the 16-person firm continues to grow and evolve to meet new challenges within the industry, while our focus remains on excellent design, exceptional customer service and building long-term relationships – as evidenced by most of our work being for return clients.
Hy Nguyen embodies the American Dream and is a self-proclaimed “green engineer.” Hy joined DPR after graduating from UNC-Charlotte in 1999. He became the Vice President of Engineering in 2006. Hy possesses a rare and unique blend of passion and vision in land planning and site engineering. His impeccable attention to details, exceptional design, and client-service orientation will shape the future of DPR. Hy’s most recent work on Imagery on Mountain Island Lake in Mount Holly reflects his innovative design while honoring the natural environment.
The History
As DPR celebrates this milestone, we reflect on the foundation of our heritage, the strength of our present, and the potential of our future. Lee McLaren and Tom Duggins founded DPR in 1974. In the early 1980s, DPR was the first local landscape architectural firm to incorporate in-house civil engineering to provide comprehensive land development services. This pioneering approach is now a part of the land development vision of many landscape architecture and engineering companies. Today, many firms and professionals in the region can trace their roots to DPR. Lee was the first landscape architect in Charlotte to be recognized as a Fellow by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Through Lee’s stewardship, DPR’s voice helped formulate land use policies which in turn molded the physical environment of Charlotte. When Tom retired from DPR in 2003, Lee took over primary ownership. Having survived the 2007 recession, DPR retooled its mission and vision to become the thriving business that exists today. With Hy (aka H.Y.) now the president of DPR, Lee remains an essential presence as a Founder and mentor within the company. Lee also plans to further his passion in painting, beekeeping (oh that delicious honey…), fly fishing, and more traveling with Betty, his wife for over 50 years.
Our Culture – Our Design
DPR embraces a culture of collective team work. We nurture and promote creative and healthy collaboration between our landscape architects and civil engineers. By building and learning from each other’s strengths, we help to elevate each other and to expand our circle of influence in our respective professions. This intensively integrated design approach is a signature aspect of all DPR projects.
DPR’s design philosophy is responsive to the economic, social, and cultural facets of each project. We understand the process required for success, and we listen deeply and actively to understand the needs of our clients and the end-users. Through preservation and respect for the environment, DPR approaches, plans, designs, and engineers with inventive solutions. We design with purpose. We create spaces and places with human scale, aesthetic quality, and lasting environmental integrity – places that last for generations.
Thank You
On this joyous occasion, we want to express our appreciation to all families, associates, colleagues, friends, and partners who have touched us and helped make DPR who we are today. Thank you for being a part of our history and culture. We look forward to our continued partnership in a promising future with boundless opportunities.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018, Copyright ©2018 DPR Associates, Inc.