40th Anniversary Book 10.5x13.5 FINAL

Lea+Elliott Washington, D.C. staff

Regional Director David Casselman, AIA| Central Region

As DFW Airport’s project manager leading the first terminal expansion program in 1979, Dave’s office was literally next door to the Dennis Elliott & Assoc. (DEA) office. They were the consultant responsible for designing the expansion of the Airtrans system. Later, in 1988, after DEA was selected for the planning, design, and implementation of the new Denver Airport AGTS, Dennis called Dave and invited him to join the firm. Dave brought to the company the broad perspective of airport program management, as well as specialized airport- and transit-facilities expertise. Dave’s skills were well received by our clients, our prime consultants, and other subconsultants because he could see the context beyond just the APM portion of a project. Dave takes the long view on most things. He considers one of Lea+Elliott’s greatest attributes to be “the growth of staff into newer and bigger roles.” He speaks with pride of watching young project engineers take over projects and grow into principals. As regional director, he ensures that happens by providing as many opportunities as possible. He

goes beyond giving an assignment, taking the time to explain the “why” behind the task. He says things like, “Why do we put these elements in a proposal? Look at it from the clients’ angle; what do they expect to see? Find the solution that’s best for the client, and it will also be good for the company.” The process he espouses is used in everything we do: be it proposals, approaches to projects, design, or documentation.

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