Dave Fulton
Posted
10/29/2012
Dave
Fulton is no stranger to the metal building industry, having spent
his entire working career in metal construction. While he claims he
got started in the industry by accident, it is that long and active
career, along with his advancements in product development, that
stood out to the judges for the Metal Construction Hall of
Fame.
Fulton's start in the metal construction industry began before
he even graduated college. In 1965, he began working for Ambridge,
Pa.-based H.H. Robertson Co., where he did drafting for the metal
wall panel company. After graduating from Geneva College in Beaver
Falls, Pa., in 1976 with a degree in civil engineering,
Fulton continued his career at E.G. Smith in Emsworth, Pa., where
he ran their Research and Development department. In 1979, Fulton
moved to Cambridge, Ohio, when the company decided to move its
research center to be near the foam panels manufacturing plant.
From there, Fulton moved to Houston in 1982, when he took the
position of engineering manager for Moncrief Lenoir Manufacturing,
a siding and foam panel business. Fulton's career took another turn
when he started the research center for Houston-based MBCI in
1986.
After nine years at MBCI, Fulton got involved in the metal
building side of the business at NCI Building Systems. As the vice
president of research and development, he was responsible for
bringing in new products as well as developing the company's
quality control program. In addition, he also received his
Certified Welding Inspector's License. Fulton stayed with NCI until
2000 when he went to Whirlwind Steel Buildings as the vice
president of research and development. At Whirlwind, Houston, he
developed their quality control program, which consisted of its
AISC MB Certification, Canadian Welding Program and IAS
Certification.
In 2009, Fulton moved on to start his own consulting company
D-Cubed. In addition to his consulting company, he also works for
Pittsburgh-based Triangle Fasteners Inc., as the director of
engineering, is an IAS auditor for Farabaugh Engineering and
Testing, represents Painesville, Ohio-based TopHat Retrofit
Systems, and also consults for Metanna, Monument, Colo.
Throughout his 47-year career in the metal construction
industry, Fulton has developed three patented products. His first
patent, a standing seam roof clip called the articulating clip, is
with MBCI. While at NCI, Fulton developed a vented outside metal
closure for standing seam metal roofs. And his third patent, which
is still pending, is under D-Cubed and is called the Pitch Clip.
The Pitch Clip is for retrofit construction, and allows the pitch
of a roof to be built up from a flat roof.
Fulton spent nine years on the board with the Metal Construction
Association and is still active on the technical committee. He is
also active in the Metal Building Manufacturer Association, serving
on the energy committee and other subcommittees, including Oak
Ridge National Laboratory. He also represents the MBMA for the
American Welding Society for their codes, and is on the committee
for sheet metal. Additionally, he is on the ASTM Committee EO6 on
Performance of Buildings; chairs the board for the Cool Metal
Roofing Coalition; and is on the American Iron and Steel
Institute's committee on specifications. He is also active in the
Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues Inc. (RICOWI), where
he investigates the effects of hurricane damage in relation to the
metal industry. Over the years, Fulton has also written articles
for a variety of industry publications.
"My entire working career has been in this industry, working for
many different companies. I have developed friendships with many
people in all of the different types of companies and associations
that created this industry," Fulton says. "This is a great industry
that has weathered the highs and lows of our economy and I am proud
to be a part of it."
When he's not working, Fulton, who just recently welcomed his
third grandchild, enjoys playing grandfather, golfing and scuba
diving.
As Fulton says, the metal construction industry is a great
industry, and once you get involved, you never really leave it. One
of the things that he's most proud of though, is that his youngest
daughter, Carrie, is also involved in the industry. While she
currently works for Houston-based Rigid Global Buildings, they had
the opportunity to work together at Whirlwind, where they worked as
a team, spending time together whether it was traveling to
different committees and meetings, or carpooling. Fulton's legacy
will always remain within the metal construction industry-two
generations strong.