In Fall 2008 the Building Construction Program started the Professor of the Day Series. Through this initiative, local construction professionals are invited to be guest lecturers and share their expertise with students. Not only do students get timely, real-world advice from people who make their living in the construction industry, but they also have an opportunity to make contacts that can lead to jobs or internships.

So far the following members of the construction community have participated as a Professor of the Day!

Dale Purvis

On October 21, 2008, Dale Purvis, a registered roof consultant with Thompson Engineering, Inc. in Pensacola, gave a lecture on estimating roofing to students in the Estimating course, providing hands-on vendor product information and current pricing that the students could then incorporate into their own estimating projects. He also discussed the benefits of belonging to RCI, an international association of professional consultants, architects, and engineers who specialize in the specification and design of roofing, waterproofing, and exterior wall systems, and invited students to become involved in.the RCI-Florida Panhandle Branch Chapter and other professional organizations.

Mr. Purvis is a native of Mobile but has been a resident of Pensacola for the past 20 years. Prior to becoming a Roof Consultant, he had 32 years of experience as a roofing contractor, primarily in commercial roofing. Mr. Purvis is certified as a Registered Roof Observer (RRO) and Registered Roof Consultant (RRC) through RCI, Inc. He graduated as a Construction Document Technologist (CDT) from Construction Specification Institute, earned a BS in Business Management from Troy University, and did graduate work at Troy University.