Up until his retirement from the company in December, Hoopes had been the chief executive of San Francisco-based Swinerton since 2013. The commercial construction company named Eric Foster its 12th CEO earlier this month, Bisnow reported at the time. Now, after 35 years with Swinerton, Hoopes steps in as a construction expert for Katerra, a self-described tech company intent on revolutionizing the construction industry from design to supply chain to off-site, factory construction. The SoftBank-backed startup has reached a valuation of over $4B in pursuit of that goal, which Hoopes said he thinks is crucial in solving the labor and resultant productivity issues slowing down the industry and plaguing housing markets.