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.
The Strongest Link of Communication from Clients to Crew
As a Project Manager, Ed is the primary point of contact for our clients throughout the course of their remodeling project. He is the link between his crew members and homeowners, making sure that the lines of communication are working well. He also oversees the entire crew working on a project, making sure that everything is done to his, and ADB’s, high standards.
A friend of Ed’s enjoyed working for ADB and recommended he apply for an open carpenter position. Ed checked out ADB on Guild Quality and other websites and was glad to discover “a stellar reputation.” He chose to apply at ADB because from what he found out about us online, “It seemed they like to do things once and do it right the first time, and that is the same way I am.” He also appreciated the level of ADB’s craftsmanship as he saw it displayed on our website.
Additionally, one of the reasons Ed enjoys remodeling with ADB is that he works on a lot of projects, especially bathrooms and kitchens. There is variety in the project locations and the rooms being remodeled, different than while he was in new home building where he stayed in one place for a long time repetitively doing the same thing. He did not want to build the same houses over and over. Ed appreciates the challenge of completing various projects, managing his crew, working with his hands, and applying real craftsmanship to ADB’s projects.
Hardworking and It Shows
When he is not working, Ed enjoys spending time outdoors, especially hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking. He also likes drag racing, and fixing up old Chevy trucks in his spare time.
One lesson his long career in construction has taught him is “Don’t just double check your crew member’s work, double check your own work!” Ed is hardworking, and he hopes it shows. A willingness to critique his own work, and enough humility to admit he holds himself to the same standards as his crew, shows us how lucky we are to have such a great Project Manager and craftsman on our team!