Getting to know: Darren Sperling, President, Summit Steel Buildings

As part of a closer look at the people behind your next construction project, we interview Summit Steel Buildings’ leadership team…

So how does someone from the south-eastern region of the U.S. end up living in Vancouver and building industrial steel facilities across the continent? It’s not a short answer, but one Darren Sperling is happy to share his humorous stories of travel and adventure over a good meal or a drink.

After graduating from the University of Florida business school (go Gators!), Darren worked for a steel building company developing and overseeing new building projects across North America and overseas. From working on large government contracts to partnering with companies like LaFarge and Walsh Construction, it was there he learned about the steel building industry and the opportunities that existed. These experiences would eventually turn his dreams into the reality of founding his own company.

“I’m really proud of the projects we did during my early tenure. The clients and projects were fascinating and varied widely among different commercial, industrial and governmental segments,” he says. “In particular, I like the work we did with NASA, the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.” 

Among the business connections he developed doing sales and project management, Darren found his future business partners, Frank Melo and John Lohan. In time, the three started Summit Steel Buildings after recognizing the amount of demand for agricultural and industrial steel facilities throughout Canada. Locating their office in Vancouver was critical as the high demand from Canada’s western lumber mills required personal onsite attention to ensure the design of the buildings met the needs of the company and site constraints.

Darren is responsible for business development, contract negotiation, project management and overseeing the design, fabrication and delivery of the company’s metal buildings. He enjoys working side-by-side with his business team, being able to solve problems and the feeling of accomplishment he receives from completing a job well. Darren is inspired by working with people who share his positive attitude.

“Another facet of this industry I really enjoy is the ability to travel, which I’m lucky enough to do quite a bit,” Darren says as he looks aside to a map on the wall, a glint of adventure in his eyes. “Being a part of so many different interesting buildings and projects in different parts of the world has given me the opportunity to meet and work with so many industry leaders.” 

When asked about some of his more interesting work locations, he quickly details the various developments he’s done in Africa. “Those projects stand out. It’s just such a different environment with so many completely different logistical issues to solve. I loved the people and culture. Working in that extreme of heat is something I can do without.”

With Summit Steel Buildings completing projects in northern B.C., Iqaluit, Nunavut and Northwest Territories (among other Canadian locations) warm temperatures aren’t always the biggest problem. The biggest challenges in his role? He points to the “things you wished worked quicker but you don’t have any control over.” In a complicated manufacturing and construction process, involving so many different talented skilled people and partners, patience is a virtue – along with late nights in the office and many follow-up calls to ensure everything is on schedule.

Fortunately, when he’s able to take a short break from business, he can escape the winter by visiting his family in South Carolina or heading to Mexico, lately his preferred vacation destination. He doesn’t claim to have a best location (he says the word ‘best’ can mean so many different things to different people), although he does say his top three destinations are the Greek Islands, Amsterdam and Zermatt in Switzerland.

Adventure is certainly a theme in Darren’s life. With Summit Steel Building’s growth and exciting prospects for the future, he looks forward to more opportunities to explore Canada and get involved with projects that will both challenge his abilities and express his company’s talent in metal building construction.

Seven questions with Darren Sperling:

1. What was your favorite subject in school?

Math

2. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

A professional baseball player

3. What’s the best concert you’ve been to?

Rage Against the Machine

4. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?

Jesus

5. What three items would you take with you to a deserted island?

Food, water and a boat

6. What’s your favourite book?

Tie between Atlas Shrugged and Jurassic Park

7. What’s the one skill you’d like to improve?

Being fluent in my second language, Spanish, or a third language (my business partner can speak Portuguese so that would make a lot of sense).

Darren Sperling has specialized in the engineering and delivery of pre-engineered steel buildings for over 15 years and has experience in over 20 countries worldwide. He can be contacted at Summit Steel Buildings at (877) 417-8335, by email at darren.sperling@summitsteelbuildings.com or on LinkedIn.