Devcon Construction, Inc.

Having gotten to know Devcon and Gary Filizetti as his client while working as a Certified Public Accountant for KPMG, Bret Sisney, Vice President – Accounting, Finance and Investment – knew exactly what to say when Filizetti mentioned in 1988 that Devcon needed a new Controller.

“How about me?” Sisney asked. “It was a great opportunity to work for a great company,” Sisney said.

?

In addition to accounting, banking and insurance, Sisney’s role as Controller included managing human resources (HR) and information technology (IT). He also oversees Devcon’s investments, including the firm’s pension and profit-sharing plans, and development projects. He became principal in 1995, and officially took the title of Vice President in 2000.

?

During his days as a CPA, Sisney developed a specialty in auditing real estate and construction companies, although his experience with high-tech clients has been invaluable in negotiating contracts for Devcon.

?

Sisney earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Santa Clara University in 1980. He is a member of the California State Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Construction/Financial Manager Association.

“Our people differentiate us,” said Gary Filizetti, President of Devcon Construction, Inc. “We work as a team dedicated to exceptional customer service, and that’s why 95% of our work is repeat business. People trust us.”

?

Filizetti oversees Devcon’s Construction and Architectural Design Departments, and actively supervises preconstruction, estimating and construction. His decades of construction experience and skill at building strong relationships help him make valuable contributions to each of the 100+ projects active at any given time. Initially serving as Vice President of Estimating and Construction when he joined Devcon as a partner in 1980, Filizetti led the transition of Devcon from a developer that did some contracting into a large design/build general contractor that does some developing. He became President in 1986, and has been directly involved in producing tens of millions of square feet of tenant improvements and building shells.

?

A noted college football athlete, Filizetti earned his bachelor’s degree in Commerce at Santa Clara University in 1967 and his MBA in Commerce there in 1969. Although he had helped out in his father’s plastering business as a teenager, Filizetti began his adult career in construction as a client, working as a contract negotiator for Fairchild Semiconductor. Yet, construction called, and he later served as a Project Manager for a large general contractor for more than a decade prior to joining Devcon.

“I feel very proud to work for a solid company over the last few decades that has built its reputation on designing and constructing quality projects,” says Justine Pereira, Vice President.  “Its amazing how many projects Devcon has built throughout Silicon Valley since my inception here at Devcon.”

?

Pereira joined Devcon in 1984 as a Project Assistant.  Over the years and numerous construction projects, Justine has worked her way up through the ranks of Executive Assistant to the President, Gary Filizetti, and currently as a Vice President.  Since 2007, Pereira has also been an Officer of the Corporation serving as the Corporate Secretary. In addition to managing and training the administrative staff, she also oversees marketing, advertising and event planning for the company.

While earning his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University, Andy Schatzman fed his passion for building by working as a draftsman during summer breaks and as a field engineer during internships. After graduating in 1983, he went on to earn his contractor’s license (B), engineer-in-training certification, and LEED, Core Concepts and Strategies certification. Schatzman’s diligence, communication skills and negotiation talents earned him a reputation for being able to manage large, complex projects on time and within budget during his decade working for a large general contractor in the Midwest. He returned to California in 1988, and in 1993 was recruited to start the design/build contracting division of a large Bay Area engineering firm.

?

When he discovered Devcon, Schatzman saw the opportunity for “the best of both worlds – doing challenging, interesting jobs in a family atmosphere.” He joined Devcon in 1999 as a Senior Project Manager, and was named Vice President of Construction in 2010. Schatzman’s extensive experience and deep knowledge of industry best practices and state and local building codes give him a particular talent for multi-million dollar projects such as a $200 million senior living facility and a $100 million five-star hotel.

?

“I just try to mirror Gary Filizetti’s philosophy of client relationships,” Schatzman explained. “Once we get a project, my job becomes 100% about service.”

“I do what it takes to get my projects done,” says Daisy Pereira, Senior Vice President of Construction. “We want our clients to feel proud of what we have accomplished together.”

?

Since joining Devcon in 1986 as a Senior Project Manager, and during her previous decade in the construction industry, Pereira earned a reputation for simultaneously managing multiple projects from preconstruction to budgeting to completion. “Our goal is to deliver our client’s vision.”

?

Pereira’s prolific style has given her experience with dozens of project types – from wood to structural steel to concrete – that include high/rises, hotels, multi-family housing, universities, biomedical laboratories, data centers, offices, retail centers, heavy infrastructure, and parking garages. Her experience was a key reason Gary Filizetti recruited Pereira as Devcon transitioned into building steel and concrete structures.

?

“I grew up in construction,” she said. As a child, she sat in on bid openings, and visited job sites with her father, a general contractor. “I learned from him. He was detail-oriented, and knew how to delegate. Most importantly, he believed in doing things the right way.”

?

Pereira earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University. She has also completed her certificate for LEED, Core Concepts and Strategies.

John Castagnoli grew up in the Bay Area learning about the construction industry and Devcon from his father and grandfather who owned a local design-build HVAC firm.

“I was able to watch first-hand how HVAC systems were designed, bid, and built and how those systems were incorporated into buildings. I realized at an early age that my passion was to work on large construction projects and set a goal to work at Devcon Construction based on the company’s leadership, culture, integrity, industry reputation, and unique design-build capabilities,” Castagnoli recalled.

After graduating from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Castagnoli returned to the Bay Area earning a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from Stanford University and started at Devcon as a Project Engineer in 2001. He was promoted to Project Manager in 2005, Project Executive in 2014, and his current position of Vice President in 2019.

While at Devcon, Castagnoli has managed a wide variety of project types including commercial office campuses, a five-star hotel, computing labs, a medical research facility, a downtown high-rise office tower, data center expansions, multiple parking structures, and infrastructure improvements. As Vice President, his responsibilities include serving as the client contact, providing pre-construction and estimating services, design management, scheduling projects for maximum efficiency, and project cost controls.

Castagnoli led the 1212 Bordeaux project which was awarded the National Award of Excellence from the Design-Build Institute of America and received seven separate awards for design, construction process improvements and sustainability and the 1400 Page Mill Road project which achieved Net-Zero electric and received eight awards for architecture and energy performance. “I am driven every day by the opportunity to work with the incredible architects, project management teams, and field crews at Devcon to design and build aspiration projects for our clients including Net-Zero Electric, LEED Platinum, Living Building Challenge, Net-Zero Carbon, and Progressive Design Build Campuses.”  

“Treat every job like it’s a test,” says Jonathan Harvey, Senior Vice President of Construction. “Devcon’s reputation has been built by satisfying customers.”

?

Harvey joined Devcon in 1994 as a Project Engineer, was promoted to Project Manager/Estimator in 1996, and was named Vice President of Construction in 2010. He is currently a Senior Vice President of Construction. “I came to Devcon because I believed in Gary Filizetti,” Harvey explained. “He motivated me to lead, and gave me opportunities for critical decision making.”

?

Today, Harvey enjoys playing a similar role himself, mentoring the young professionals he helps recruit. “I want them to learn the lessons I’ve learned without having to go through it themselves,” he said. “If you didn’t learn something today, then it was a wasted day.”

?

Harvey earned his bachelor’s degree in Commerce with an emphasis on Finance from Santa Clara University in 1991. How did that lead to managing projects for a general contractor? “The tangible results of construction are pretty rewarding,” he said. “Budgeting and finance are continuous processes. You never finish. Here I can look at a building and say, ‘Hey, I helped create that.’”

?

His extensive training and experience with scheduling, estimating and project management software made Harvey a natural and early advocate for Devcon’s adoption of lean construction techniques, green building and building information modeling (BIM). Further, he earned a certification in LEED, Concepts and Strategies.

Peter Copriviza joined Devcon in 1990 as a Project Manager after Bret Sisney introduced him to Gary Filizetti. “I wasn’t looking for a job, but I was curious about Devcon because their reputation in the industry was impeccable,” Copriviza remembered. “I discovered that Gary’s passion for building and customer service was contagious! He hired me on the spot. Since then I have gone to work every day proud of who we are and what we do.”

?

For Devcon, Copriviza has managed construction projects in retail, high-density housing, hospitality, manufacturing, child care, food service and more. In addition to developing office buildings and corporate campuses, Copriviza has managed the construction of sports facilities, data centers, conference centers and engineering labs. He earned the title of Vice President of Construction in 2013 and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2018.

?

“I studied engineering because I have always enjoyed figuring out how things worked,” Copriviza said, “I thought I would be a design engineer until I decided to remodel my house and realized the satisfaction you get from transforming an idea to a reality.”

?

Copriviza has a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, both from Santa Clara University. His strong technical background and business sense provided the foundation for his success in managing the preconstruction and construction processes. Copriviza embraces new technology in construction, and has been responsible for Lean and LEED projects for Devcon. He is a certified Engineer in Training, and has earned certification in LEED, Concepts and Strategies.

As a Vice President, Tony Taormino handles client contact, coordination between the architect, designers and engineers, estimating, managing interiors and building shells, scheduling of projects for maximum efficiency, and cost control, materials and labor management for a portfolio of clients, and often collaborates with other executives on their projects.

?

“Since I was a child, my passion has been to construct and being a part of the Devcon Team gives me great pride with that.  There is no better feeling than watching a vision transform into a physical structure.”

?

Taormino joined Devcon Construction, Inc. in October 2004 as a Project Engineer and was promoted to Project Manager in 2006; he was then promoted to Sr. Project Manager in 2013 and Project Executive in 2015.  Tony has been involved in projects of various sizes, ranging from tenant improvements to commercial to high density residential, as well as the preconstruction and construction phases for multiple projects.

?

“We are dedicated and driven to meet our client’s needs.  Coming to work every day to contribute to that mission gives me great satisfaction.”

?

Tony holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University.