Larry Gates, P.E.

President, Co-Founder

After graduating with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona (CPP), Larry worked at a number of Civil Engineering firms including an environmental engineering firm and several firms specializing in land development. As he developed his skills in designing complicated projects taking into account timeliness, client input and cost constraints, his interest in the financial and business side of the industry grew. His interest led him to pursue an M.B.A., which he earned from Pepperdine University in 1994. A few years later Larry took a year sabbatical to travel around the world, and in 1997 he partnered with Warren Williams, Jr. to co-found DRC Engineering, Inc. Their goal was to build a successful company with an employee-focused company culture. In 2019 Larry and Warren made the decision to convert DRC to a 100% employee-owned company, and 2022 marks DRC’s 25th year in business. Larry is responsible for business development, client relations and maintaining the company culture.

Larry is a passionate and involved supporter of his alma mater CPP and was recently granted an honorary doctorate from the college. He serves on the Dean’s Leadership Board for CPP’S engineering department, he is board chair for the CPP Philanthropic Foundation, and he is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Gold in Orange County. Larry is an avid adventurer and has climbed all but one of the seven summits. Larry also enjoys mountain biking, gravel biking, skiing and traveling.