CRB Names John R. Lupa, Jr. as VP of National Construction

CRB has named John R. Lupa, Jr. as vice president, national construction.

Lupa brings more than 30 years of experience leading complex capital programs into CRB’s national construction leadership team. Lupa has deep expertise across the full project lifecycle – from early planning and design through construction, commissioning and turnover.

Lupa’s career includes oversight of major EPC and EPCM projects exceeding $1 billion in total value, as well as leadership of multisite engineering and construction organizations across the life sciences, biotechnology and energy sectors.

“John’s experience and leadership will play an important role as we continue to strengthen how we deliver complex projects for our clients,” says Vahid Ownjazayeri, president and CEO of CRB. “He understands what it takes to execute at scale – safely, efficiently and with discipline – and he brings a practical, people-first approach that aligns well with CRB’s culture and long-term strategy.”

CRB says Lupa’s appointment supports its 2026 strategic plan, which prioritizes greater project certainty, faster execution of complex programs and a more integrated and scalable construction offering for clients developing advanced therapies, biopharma, food and beverage manufacturing, and complex industrial facilities.

Prior to joining CRB, Lupa served as senior director of global engineering, planning and project controls at Lonza Biologics, where he led manufacturing expansion programs. His work included overseeing the design, construction and commissioning of $500 million in capital investments at the recently acquired Genentech large-scale mammalian facility in Vacaville, California.

Earlier in his career, Lupa spent more than a decade with Fluor Corporation as an EPC project director, helping shape execution strategy, advance construction performance and deliver measurable project results. He also held engineering and construction leadership roles at Pfizer, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Duke Energy.

In his new role, Lupa will focus on expanding CRB’s national construction capabilities, reinforcing consistency across regions, and strengthening alignment between design, construction, project controls and commissioning teams.

Lupa holds a Master of Science degree in business analytics and risk management and a Master of Business Administration from The Johns Hopkins University, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Connecticut.