It is our pleasure to introduce our new Senior Director, Ralf Elsaesser. Originally from Germany, Ralf came to the US over 20 years ago, and since then, he has become an essential part of our Dome family. We interviewed Ralf to get to know more about his goals in this new chapter of his professional career, and we are delighted to share his story. 

Ralf came to the US in 2000, and soon he joined Dome as a Project Engineer Intern.  “Initially, I intended to stay one year, but Dome sponsored an H1B visa, which allowed me to stay in the US and grow within Dome.“  Ralf continues, “Over the past twenty years, I enjoyed the support and guidance of great mentors both within and outside of Dome.“ 

As we look ahead into 2021, we asked Ralf what he is looking forward to accomplishing as Senior Director. He shared with us, “One of the key responsibilities in the Senior Director role is to provide opportunities for every person on our team.  Our team‘s talent and depth are exceptional, so I very much look forward to the years ahead.  Seeing the growth and success of individual team members is the most exciting and rewarding part of my job.“ 

Ralf also commented about Dome‘s future and its potential growth, “I see significant changes in our future.  I believe we are destined to see significant growth here in the Bay Area and our SoCal offices.  Along with this growth, it is our goal to become a highly inclusive company.  Under Melissa Berg‘s leadership, we have put the wheels in motion to set a new benchmark for the construction industry in diversity and inclusion.   Additionally, our Innovation and Learning department under Steve Long‘s leadership will ensure that we continue our Lean journey.  I see the speed of change in the construction industry accelerating.  Successful adoption and implementation of new tools and processes will be crucial to navigating the years ahead. 

One of Ralf‘s career highlights is his commitment to working in the Biotech industry, in which he has developed both deep expertise and a broad network. He believes that the Life Science and Technology industry is going through an exciting time that will promote both investment and construction activity in the Bay Area. Ralf emphasizes, “Besides the expected and well-known growth in Research & Development, which we support with labs, vivarium spaces, and pilot labs, we also see a trend towards keeping more of the cGMP manufacturing here in the Bay Area as opposed to moving it outside of California or the US.  We see many of the younger biotech firms building their manufacturing capacity here in the region, often to produce small volume quantities in support of clinical trials. With personalized medicine growth, we also see small scale commercial production here in the Bay Area.  Building cGMP manufacturing facilities is a complex endeavor, and our multi-decade expertise sets us apart from the competition for that type of work.“ 

Ralf‘s professional journey has helped shape him to be the strong leader he is today. A vital part of that experience was enriched by Ralf‘s 15 years of volunteer experience with ISPE (International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering), the world’s largest not-for-profit association serving its Members by leading scientific, technical, and regulatory advancement throughout the entire pharmaceutical lifecycle. Ralf reflects on the rewarding experience, “My professional network has grown exponentially, and I have learned about the successes and struggles of my peers, clients, business partners, and competitors from all kinds of different perspectives.  To this day, I am maintaining many business relationships and friendships initiated during my time with ISPE.“ 

Outside work, Ralf is passionate about trail running and exploring the Tahoe backcountry during winter months on his split board. He shared that “Home life is busy in the Elsaesser-Kim household.  Mainly thanks to my wife Clara, things stay on the rails with our two high schoolers Joshua (16) and Evan (14), plus our dog, a 2-year-old husky girl.“ 

We are delighted to welcome Ralf as our new Senior Director, and with great enthusiasm, we celebrate the continued growth of our team! 

To learn more about Ralf and the other Senior Executive Team members of Dome Construction, please visit our Leadership page.