David Denny Oversees the Dispatching of Equipment and People

Each morning at about 5:30 a.m., Castle Field Operations Director David Denny kicks off his workday by responding to a steady stream of calls and texts.

“From 5:30 to 7:30, I’m usually putting out fires — switching manpower around, answering questions, solving problems,” he says.

After driving his kids to school, Denny arrives to the Castle warehouse to continue the mission of ensuring that all equipment and people are in place to execute their daily assignments.

About 50 percent of Denny’s job involves overseeing Castle’s fleet of owned and rented equipment assets, while the other half is devoted to managing manpower. This includes the development and training of apprentices, craft workers, foremen and superintendents.

“I have a team that helps me manage equipment purchases and the daily logistics of moving equipment assets,” says Denny, who relies on a sophisticated dashboard, dispatcher software and an automated process for accurately allocating equipment costs back to specific projects.

During the middle part of his workday — from about noon to 3 p.m. — Denny’s focus shifts to the next day's manpower. “My phone’s ringing pretty continuously in the afternoon, so I try not to schedule any meetings then,” he says.

Later in the afternoon, he starts contacting the folks who will be shifting from one job to another the following day to share important details about their new assignment.  

Helping to develop people is Denny’s favorite part of the job. “I enjoy working with our field crews — whether it's an apprentice who’s just getting started or one of our seasoned superintendents,” he says. “The biggest satisfaction I get is when I create a performance plan for someone and then hear feedback that they've improved some behaviors and that previous weaknesses are now strengths.”

Denny’s journey to Castle began when he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He completed a co-op with the Illinois Department of Transportation and worked for St. Louis County’s highway department before transitioning to project management and estimating positions at a few St. Louis construction companies.

He joined Castle as estimator/project manager in 2012 and assumed his current role a year later when former Castle Vice President of Operations Mike Myers created the new leadership position to help manage Castle’s growing project work. “It was challenging to carve out a new role at the same time that I was still doing the project management role,” Denny recalls. “But it's fun to look back and see what we accomplished on the heels of those first couple of years.”

Castle’s commitment to the “three I’s” — integrity, intensity and intelligence — continue to inspire and drive Denny. “We're a friendly company that treats everybody like they should be treated, but at the same time, it’s a very intense work environment where you're expected to perform at a high level. I think that makes us unique,” he says.

Outside the work environment, Denny enjoys hunting, fishing and watching his four kids play sports. He and his family live in Columbia, Illinois, a rural setting that suits their laid-back lifestyle. His oldest son, 18, is embarking on a similar career path as his dad by pursuing a civil engineering degree at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.