2011 40 Under 40: David M. Brooks, PE, 39

Senior Vice President, McGuire Engineers Inc., Chicago

By Bettina Chang, Content Specialist, and Amara Rozgus, Editor-in-Chief May 13, 2011

David M. Brooks, PE, 39

Senior Vice President, McGuire Engineers Inc., Chicago

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, BS Mechanical Engineering; Louisiana State University, MS Petroleum Engineering

Brooks is senior vice president and part owner of McGuire Engineers, where he has spent 12 of his 15 years of professional life. During that time, Brooks proved his talent for project management with two major clients in Chicago, the Field Museum and the Museum of Science and Industry. Brooks was the primary client contact and design manager for all Field Museum projects, including a cooling plant with thermal energy storage and variable secondary chilled-water pumping, and fire-protection distribution pumping throughout the building, which spans more than 1 million sq ft. He also helped the firm win its largest project, the design of a cooling plant and central air handlers for the Museum of Science and Industry. His creativity and innovative design was noted in local news programs and industry articles. Both projects earned “Best of” awards from Midwest Construction. Between these two projects, Brooks spent three years in Louisiana assisting in his family business Delphi Oil Inc., a small oil and gas exploration and drilling company, while completing a master’s degree. In the end, Brooks’ passion is in the building construction industry, and he serves McGuire Engineers in several capacities. In addition to managing projects, he is responsible for business development, marketing, staff development, retention efforts, strategic planning, and growth. He oversees the cooperative work study program with Christ the King Jesuit High School, which allows high school students with limited economic resources to work in a corporate environment. Brooks also uses his industry expertise to rehabilitate homes of low-income families with Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit organization. Brooks’ wife is a French national and their three daughters attend a French school in Chicago. The family travels to southern France every summer. Brooks is also a sailing enthusiast and has completed the two-week trip from St. Barth’s in the Caribbean to Charleston, S.C.

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