President & CEO, Andersen Construction Company Portland, Oregon
David Andersen took five years after high school to play bass in a rock and roll band before he headed to Oregon State, but he finished with his business degree and a minor in construction engineering management — a program his father helped to bring to fruition in the 1960s.Three generations of Andersens built Andersen Construction Company into the contracting powerhouse it is today. Andersen expanded the company his father started into a $300 million construction management and general contracting firm doing business in six states.“I’ve created a vision-based leadership approach in our company that has fueled our success,” says Andersen. “I built a system that allows everyone to grow and do their best within the parameters of our values.”
All three of his children have worked in the business and oldest son Joel, also an Oregon State graduate in construction engineering management, is currently the vice president of business development.Andersen’s connections to Oregon State remain. “My professors at Oregon State were teachers and mentors and now good friends,” he says. “The engineering program linked me with future leaders in the industry with whom I do business today.”
Degrees
- B.S. Business Administration, 1980