Leadership

Rich Gates
President

Rich is deeply committed to going the extra mile for clients and partnering with them to achieve fair pricing and successful project delivery. From highways and bridges to infrastructure, airports, rail and mass grading, Rich sees DeSilva Gates as a premier construction company with strong family roots and a commitment to the California counties it serves. Rich most values the trust clients place in the firm and the intelligence, professionalism, and resourcefulness of our employees. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University and joined the firm in 1976.

Edwin DeSilva
Chairman Emeritus

Ed DeSilva began working with his father, Oliver de Silva, in 1958 after finishing his military service with the Marines, where he earned rank of First Lieutenant. He brought a new style of leadership to the business that focused on building strong relationships with employees, partners and developers and creating transparent communications, logistics and accountability.  

Ed gradually took on the company’s leadership role as Oliver began stepping away from daily operations and became instrumental in building the business’ reputation for quality construction. He felt honored to be awarded a contract and was always committed to delivering the best possible outcome for every job – a passion we continue to have today. As testament to his drive to make things happen, Ed also led the company’s initiative to develop its materials businesses, all of which have become integral to DeSilva Gates Construction’s service offerings. 

With a philosophy that success comes when we all work together, Ed brought tremendous leadership, passion, opportunities, and success to DeSilva Gates Construction. His valuable knowledge continues to be influential to this day. 

David DeSilva
Chairman

The values handed down through David’s family are reflected in his emphasis on service and quality—taking care of clients and employees and getting things done right. He promotes a culture of partnership with clients and stakeholders to achieve project goals and believes in empowering employees to respond to client needs with innovation and creativity. He has led the charge at DeSilva Gates to bring tried and true best practices to the web and refine them to apply specifically to the types of projects undertaken by the firm. He has fostered a safety strategy that is centered on individual responsibility to identify hazards on a project and act to mitigate them. David holds a degree in Business from University of the Pacific and joined the firm in 1982.

Scott Archibald
Executive Vice President

Always a champion for the client, Scott acts decisively to keep projects on track. He is highly responsive to project needs and deftly maneuvers resources to address immediate challenges. Scott’s comprehensive background in earthwork, paving, rock crushing, and batch plants, combined with a thorough knowledge of accurate estimating, give him the experience to understand what it takes to get projects built. Scott has been with the firm since 1984. He holds a degree in Construction Management from Oregon State University.

Jim Summers
Vice President

As Vice President of DeSilva Gates Construction, Jim is involved in many of the company’s challenging residential, commercial and industrial projects that often require extremely difficult CEQA, environmental and regulatory permitting. He believes a pre-construction approach that is collaborative, robust and resource-rich makes for the most effective communication between stakeholders and enables clients to build their visions in a cost-effective and timely manner. With 40 years of experience in civil engineering design, land planning, construction management, and permit entitlement processing, Jim confidently leads the DGC team to meet project goals and exceed client expectations. Jim has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from San Jose State University, is a Registered Civil Engineer with the State of California and Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Pete Davos
Vice President Construction Operations

Partnering awards and on-time completions are just a few of the positive outcomes of Pete’s leadership. Through consistent effort and collaboration with others, Pete has led and contributed to the firm’s outstanding reputation for quality in service and construction management. In addition, he’s passionate about mentoring and empowering team members to grow in their careers within the company. Pete joined DeSilva Gates in 1983. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from San Jose State University.

Bill Kuchulis
Consultant (retired Vice President 2022)

Bill’s responsibilities and guidance in overall business operations of DGC have provided sound business practices since joining the company in 1982. Bill’s charge includes working hand in hand with all departments within DGC and its affiliated companies. Bill develops business and financial forecasts to model the company’s outlook for future planning related to all aspects of the company. Bill’s leadership in Risk Management provides clients high level of confidence in the viability and longevity of the company. Bill is a graduate of Long Beach State University and earned a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting.

Chris Hallum
Vice President CFO

Chris’s background as an auditor in Public Accounting while earning his CPA was greatly welcomed in 1995 when Chris joined DeSilva Gates Construction. Chris oversees accounting, finance and tax operations for DGC and its related companies and provides management with accurate and timely financial statements and project cost data. Chris provides new and innovative ideas thru technology and strives to constantly improve processes while never sacrificing controls or disciplines. Chris has a degree in accounting from Chico State University and maintains certification as a Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP) and a Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS).

Michael Gates
Vice President, Estimating

For Michael, it is all about creating value for the client. Michael is committed to ensuring every aspect of a job is covered when preparing estimates so clients have no surprises down the road. By communicating with each department as well as DeSilva Gates Construction’s affiliated companies, Michael brings together the strongest team for every project. He knows that happy clients become repeat clients and strives to ensure every project is done well so DGC becomes each client’s contractor of choice. Michael began his tenure at DGC as a summer intern during high school and continued interning while he was studying for his Construction Management and Business degree at the California State University, Chico. In 2002, he joined DGC as a project engineer in the field, became chief estimator in 2012, and VP of Estimating in 2020. His passion for the business is fueled by the variety of projects, vast amount of resources and great employees found throughout the organization. 

Matt Gates
Construction Manager

Matt is an integral link between DeSilva Gates Construction’s executive team and those in the field. His involvement in the safety, cost management, scheduling, pricing, and subcontractor interaction during day-to-day operations in the South Bay Area brings a valued perspective to DGC’s leadership. Client satisfaction tops Matt’s list of priorities and views safety and responsiveness as essential to ensuring DGC becomes the contractor of choice for every client. Matt officially joined DGC in 2003 after graduating from California State University, Chico with a degree in Construction Management; however, having held summer internships with the company since he was 16, Matt’s pride in DGC’s quality of craft and workmanship runs deep. 

Oliver de Silva
Founder

Born in 1906 in the Madeira Islands of Portugal, Oliver de Silva was a hard-working, kind man who started a small paving and excavating business during the Great Depression, weathered many economic challenges, and saw his business grow into one of the Bay Area’s most successful general engineering contractors. 

His incredible work ethic was born when his family sailed from Portugal around the cape of South America to Hawaii in 1912 in search of work. After six years of working in the islands’ sugar cane fields, Oliver’s family moved to California in search of new opportunities. As the years passed, Oliver spent his time working at a variety of jobs before attending Heald’s Business College in Oakland where he studied business and met his future wife, Hazel 

Oliver and Hazel were married in 1929 and began saving to buy a dump truck, a choice that would prove to be the start of an incredible legacy. In 1932, the couple started a business fixing pot holes, repairing driveways, and fixing retaining walls with a crew of just three. With Hazel handling the books, Oliver worked alongside his crew each day. Soon, an opportunity arose when houses began being built in Alameda. Oliver and his small team began digging basements – all by hand with picks and shovels – and then selling the soil to Piedmont homeowners who needed it for landscape projects. 

As his business’ growth was all taking place during the Great Depression, Oliver’s business hit a turning point when Roosevelt’s New Deal began helping cities recover and grow by financing infrastructure projects. By 1941, Oliver became a paving contractor and was paving driveways, playgrounds and service station pads. It did not take long for Oliver to land his first airport project, paving two lanes at the Santa Rosa Airport. This job started what is now one of DeSilva Gates Construction’s main public works fortes – airport runway paving. 

While Oliver and Hazel’s business saw many highs and lows, it was Oliver’s hard work, honesty, kindness, and consummate willingness to help others that kept the business afloat. He always recognized how lucky he was to be in America, work hard alongside his crews, and respected everyone regardless of their race or background. Leading by example in work as well as in the respect he afforded to others, Oliver created a culture in his business that lives on today.