Member Minute with David Edleston

David Edleston of Simpson Construction Services will surely charm you with the first catch of his English accent. Here’s a little more about our newest member:

SMPS: Are you a Wichita native? If not, where did you grow up?
David: I grew up in Scarborough a small seaside town in England, moved to Sheffield where I attended University and decided to stay and start a family. I lived there until two and a half years ago when I moved to Wichita. My wife is a Wichita native and after having children we moved to be closer to her family.

SMPS: What is your degree in?
David: I studied Construction Management at Sheffield Hallam University.

SMPS: What are your hobbies?
David: I enjoy being out in the garden. My father was a landscape architect and I would work for his landscaping business during the Summer while I was in school. Since moving to Kansas I’ve had mixed success experimenting with plants in this climate. My family and I make frequent visits to Botanica; while Simpson was building the Chinese Garden I would take any excuse to go down and check on progress. I also like reading, running and have just recently bought a fishing pole and intend to get some good use out of it.

SMPS: What is your favorite kind of music?
David: I like most kinds of music. I’m still getting used to country, but enjoy the insights it gives me into local culture. I listen to classical while I’m at work and a wide variety outside of work.

SMPS: What do you like about living in Wichita?
David: I like the people, practically everyone I’ve met has been very friendly and welcoming. It is really easy to get about here. I spent a lot of time sat in traffic back home, so it’s great having such a quick commute. There are a lot of good places to go out to eat, and fun things to do with family.

SMPS: We’re going to get a little personal now. Are you married? Any kids or pets?
David: I have been married for nine years, and have a five year old son and three year old daughter.

SMPS: Tell us a little about your position at Simpson.
David: I work in the Pre-Construction department at Simpson, focusing on feasibility studies, budgets & design review – I’ll work with owners on project delivery systems and exploring ways to make an initial scheme a reality.

SMPS: Where did you work before Simpson?
David: I worked for a national contractor in the UK that dealt largely with institutional clients building schools, prisons and leisure centers. Although terminology and preferred construction methods vary, the biggest difference between the UK and Wichita is that an overwhelming majority of commercial projects in the UK are design build, and the commercial AEC industry is geared to cater for that. As the market matures in Kansas I can see DB becoming more popular with owners but on the whole a lot more education needs to be done so that they can fully take advantage of it.