Dave Piersma
Senior Project Manager in the Chicago Office
I graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology with a civil engineering degree and have always been interested in the dynamic environment of the construction industry. I am continually intrigued by the multitude of people, companies, countries that are involved in a project, especially the overseas refinery projects I used to be involved in. There are hundreds of opportunities for something to go wrong anywhere along the “supply chain.” Trying to prevent the problem is the part of the challenge I enjoy the most.
Get to know Dave...
I joined Aspen because...
I finally had the opportunity to use my education and 35 years of construction experience to build something that had eternal significance.
The most rewarding part of my job is...
I enjoy seeing a completed project that is being used as a ministry tool to draw people to Christ. I like working with churches where the Holy Spirit is working as evidenced by the fact that they need to grow, want to grow, and want to reach others.
Outside of work I enjoy...
Flying. I enjoy flying because of the mental challenge of staying “ahead of the plane” and the challenges of navigation by “dead-reckoning” i.e. using air speed, winds aloft, and navigational charts to get from point A to point B and arrive at a precise calculated time. I also enjoy the “uncluttered” view from 6,500 ft. on a clear, crisp day as the everyday problems pass below.
Music on my iPod...
What’s an iPod?
Outside of work I enjoy...
Spending time with my wife, Mary of 37 years and our two kids. We started our family late in life because my previous jobs had me overseas often. Our oldest, James, is 19 and our youngest, Joy, will be 16. We adopted her from South Korea when she was four months old.
Last book I enjoyed reading...
The Painted House by John Grisham and Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
Words to live by...
“Do everything that you can do to the best of your ability and let God take care of the things you can’t do.”