Ed DePriest, is originally from Middle Tennessee. Ed and his wife relocated to Marietta in 1999 because her family is from the area. He grew up in very rural Tennessee so everyone was self-reliant when it came to building whatever they needed. Family members and neighbors taught one another the skills necessary to be self-sufficient from a young age.
Ed’s high school offered the Trades & Industry class. The T&I class had either a mechanical focus or a building focus. Ed chose a building focus, and with his classmates, built a greenhouse for the agricultural club. They started the project from scratch, laying the block and installing fiberglass panels on the frame they built. This class helped lay the foundation for Ed’s future.
A Solid Foundation of Construction Experience
Ed has worked in construction for more than thirty years. He started out working for a custom home builder. He had to do every task on the jobsite, from cutting trees on the property, to roofing—it was like a crash course in building. Working in custom home building gave Ed the opportunity to learn every angle of the building process.
For approximately 18 years prior to working at ADB, Ed performed construction supervision and punch work. He progressed into the supervisory role due to the length, and extent, of his experience, and his sharp eye for detail. Ed still enjoys the building process. Part of his management philosophy is that he wouldn’t ask his crew to do anything that he wouldn’t be willing to do, including ditch digging. “It’s noble to say that, until you’re in the ditch,” he joked.
Ed’s previous experience doing punch work honed his ability to spot any errors or incomplete tasks left at a project’s completion. He inspected completed homes and repaired or finished anything that was not up to his high standards. His great attention to detail is still a wonderful asset as part of the ADB team and it serves him well in the role of Project Manager.
