DPR Construction jumped 35 slots to rank 22nd on Fortune�s �100 Best Companies to Work For� list for 2011. Last year the company came in at #57 in its first appearance on the list.

Two other construction firms with a major presence in California also made the list this year: PCL Construction, #38, with offices in San Diego and Los Angeles; and Balfour Beatty Construction, #40, whose subsidiary, Barnhart Balfour Beatty is based in San Diego.

�It is truly the people of DPR who make this company great,� says Doug Woods, president of DPR Construction. �Our ranking is a testament to the organization and culture we have built together over the last 20 years.�

Woods, the �D� in DPR, says that by working together and taking care of employees, customers and trade partners, DPR �has been able to build great things, including a great place to work.�

According to Fortune, the annual survey, which is conducted with the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco, is the most extensive employee survey in corporate America, polling employees from companies nationwide about their company culture, credibility of management, individual respect, fairness, job satisfaction and camaraderie.

Those survey results accounted for two-thirds of DPR�s score. The balance of the scoring was based on responses to the Institute�s Culture Audit, which included detailed questions regarding pay and benefit programs, as well as a series of open-ended questions about hiring, communication, training and diversity.

Some notable DPR elements include: open-office environment, where everyone including company co-founders and regional managers sit in wall-less cubicles; title-less business cards to allow individuals to take on multiple roles and levels of responsibility; and wine bars in every office used as a central gathering place for employee celebrations.

The 57-question survey for Fortune�s 2011 �100 Best Companies to Work For� list goes to a minimum of 400 randomly selected employees from each participating company. The survey also evaluates things like each company�s demographic makeup, pay and benefits programs. Fortune says that roughly 1,500 companies either contacted them or were recruited to participate in the survey. Any company that is at least seven-years-old with more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible.

Meanwhile, this is the sixth consecutive year that PCL Construction achieved this designation. PCL�s U.S. president and COO, Peter Beaupr�, says, �To be recognized by FORTUNE magazine as one of the �Best Companies to Work For� is a prestigious honor that is celebrated by each employee shareholder. Making this list for six consecutive years is attributed by PCL�s unique employee ownership culture.�

A leader in the construction industry, PCL says its employee-owned structure, wellness initiatives, philanthropic efforts, and training programs all contributed to this milestone achievement.

Even though the recession has taken a toll on the entire U.S. construction industry, Denny Dahl, director of Human Resources, says that PCL has not stopped developing and sustaining a great workplace. �In spite of the difficult economic challenges we�re facing, PCL has actually made improvements to our benefit program by adding a fifth week of vacation for our longer term employees and an additional holiday. At the same time, we have maintained all of our other exceptional benefits and continued to provide salary increases and annual bonuses to demonstrate our commitment to our employee teammates and their families,� And this was Balfour Beatty�s second consecutive year of being chosen. It ranked #76 in 2010.

�There is nothing more fulfilling than having your employees tell such positive stories about their work environment,� says Robert Van Cleave, chairman and CEO. �And beyond the feel-good aspects of working in such a positive company culture, we also believe it has significant business value � as it directly impacts the success we can achieve with and for our clients and partners.�