Not many people can say they work with their sibling. But for Brian and David Hilpisch, it’s the mundane things in life that have kept their bond so strong.
Brian is a Grants Administration Accountant in the Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs, and David is the State Transport Police Facility Manager in the Office of Support Services, both of which are divisions of the Department of Public Safety. Growing up in Sumter County, the brothers established a tight bond as children that carried over into adulthood.
“It was that morning bonding experience,” said David, who is the younger of the two. “Eating breakfast with someone every day, all your life. We used to ride bikes around our neighborhood for hours at a time. It was great, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
They attended high school together, and even had similar classes despite Brian being a few grades ahead.
“It was nice to have someone older around the house that you can learn from,” David said. “Nothing is ever boring.”
Brian recalled drives and trips in his old Jeep.
“He was always in the front seat riding with me,” Brian said. “I think he definitely found a love for classic rock, listening to Dave Matthews and Linkin Park riding in the Jeep. We even drove up to New York to Times Square together for New Year’s Eve 2007.
In their college years, the brothers attended The Citadel, where Brian recalled one of his proudest moments as a big brother.
“The day-to-day minutiae and seeing your buddy that you grew up with excelling and doing his thing,” he said. “The Citadel graduation was a big one, it was great seeing David walk across the stage.”
That sibling bond carried over to when David, who previously worked in property management doing inspections, moved to Columbia for his now-wife. He began working at the Department of Public Safety in 2021 as a workplace safety coordinator for the state’s largest law enforcement agency. When he learned of an opening for a grants accountant position, he passed it along to Brian, who was working for a different state agency.
“I applied, and within a week, I did an interview and I got a call with a job offer,” Brian said.
A driving force for the brothers to come to DPS was the agency’s focus on safety.
“I felt my goals were the same as DPS’s safety goals,” David said. “I consider it one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career, and maybe in my life.
Even though they work in different divisions of DPS, their unique last name has created humorous stories and confusion, with some coworkers expressing disbelief that they are brothers. Sometimes one will receive an email that was intended for the other.
The brothers acknowledge how special it is to work in the same building, and admit that their shared experiences of working for the same state agency and being dads with young children have made their bond stronger than ever before.
“It’s a cool thing to be able to see him every day,” Brian said. “Knowing you’re just an elevator ride away is a satisfying thing.”
