We provide fully integrated facility solutions that ensure the execution of capital projects across markets, offering local presence and global reach to the private and public sectors.
With broad-based expertise across disciplines, we are an unparalleled source for performance-driven facilities built to deliver, from concept to ribbon-cutting.
With a broad range of in-house engineering expertise, we can optimize your current operations or take your new project from concept to completion, providing unrivaled service and results.
Haskell is a global network of experts providing integrated design, engineering, construction and professional services to clients and communities.
Home / News & Insights / Haskell’s E-Week ‘Pioneer of Progress’ Spotlight: Darrell Purkey
In a career that has spanned more than 45 years, Darrell Purkey has created designs for a variety of facilities, including hospitals, military buildings and many food-and-beverage plants. But much of his work can’t be seen during a site tour, because most of his designs are in the unseen pipes and drainage systems.
For the past decade, Purkey has been a senior plumbing designer with Haskell. His work starts at conceptual planning and doesn’t stop until a project is complete. It often requires intricate designs to create safe food and beverages for customers.
Purkey’s career began when he was a draftsman working for a small mechanical, engineering and plumbing firm, where he worked with architects and engineers to learn all aspects of design. When a plumbing designer left, he was elected to fill the position. He found it to be a good fit.
“I enjoy it because every project is another challenge,” Purkey said. “There are so many facets of it – there’s always something to learn or a potential new way of doing things.”
When Purkey began working on plumbing-design projects, he created hand drawings with straight edges and ink. Now, he relies on computer renderings, which streamline plumbing designs to create innovative solutions.
For example, Purkey created the plumbing design for a battery manufacturer, which he said was one of the most challenging projects he’s ever worked on. The design had to include components that dealt with acidic waste, including Hydrofluoric acid. In the clean rooms, the air needed to be extremely dry to a minus-63 degree C dewpoint.
In the past decade, Purkey has focused on designing food and beverage facilities. It’s a complicated process that must ensure high quality and adhere to strict food-safety guidelines.
“The rules change frequently because of the spread of bacteria and trying to keep that at a minimum,” Purkey said. “Clients are getting a lot smarter on how they handle sanitation and hygiene in the plants.”
The occurrence of a plumbing design flaw could force clients to halt production, but Purkey’s experience in design safeguards clients from having any plumbing-related issues. He must always be aware of proper temperatures and other constraints, making each project have its own challenges.
Purkey said some of the most interesting plants are chill facilities that create ready-to-eat products because of the complexities presented by meeting numerous and exacting temperature requirements.
“That’s where the challenge and the fun come in because you can’t just jump from one type [of project] to the other and everything will be fine,” he said. “You’re in a constant learning phase, which makes it enjoyable.”
Haskell, Purkey said, fosters an environment that encourages ongoing education, provides necessary resources and fosters a close-knit working environment.
“Every company that grows reaches a point where the global family atmosphere tends to leave,” he said, “but Haskell keeps everyone close-knit, even between districts and divisions.”t Haskell keeps everyone close-knit, even between districts and divisions.”
Haskell delivers $2± billion annually in Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) and Consulting solutions to assure certainty of outcome for complex capital projects worldwide. Haskell is a global, fully integrated, single-source design-build and EPC firm with over 2,400 highly specialized, in-house design, construction and administrative professionals across industrial and commercial markets. With 25+ office locations around the globe, Haskell is a trusted partner for global and emerging clients.
Bring up climate change in a large room, and you’ll likely get a variety of opinions – perhaps even an argument or two, some...
Clean-in-place (CIP) and steam-in-place (SIP) are essential pieces of the cleaning puzzle for manufacturing facilities,...
The beverage industry has undergone significant evolution since Haskell performed the first of more than 1,000 jobs for...
Every year, the annual meeting of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) is a convergence of global...
Editor’s note: Haskell.com is celebrating Engineers Week 2023 by leveraging the expertise of our nearly 200 engineers...
Editor’s note: Haskell.com is celebrating Engineers Week 2023 by leveraging the expertise of our nearly 200 engineers...
Editor’s note: Haskell.com is celebrating Engineers Week 2023 by leveraging the expertise of our nearly 200 engineers...
The United States is essentially a nation of carnivores, with meat consumption hitting 264 pounds per person in 2020. But...
[sc_fs_multi_faq headline-0="h2" question-0="What does a manufacturing consultant do?" answer-0="A manufacturing...
Although Engineers Week is essentially an American event, Haskell’s engineering teams in Latin America and Asia-Pacific...
Editor’s note: February 20-26 is designated as National Engineers Week 2022. All week, Haskell.com is featuring innovating...
Editor’s note: February 20-26 is designated as National Engineers Week 2022. All week, Haskell.com is featuring innovating...
Editor’s note: February 20-26 is designated as National Engineers Week 2022. All week, Haskell.com is featuring innovating...
Editor’s note: February 20-26 is designated as National Engineers Week 2022. All week, Haskell.com is featuring innovating...
Creating the processing, handling and packaging procedures that satisfy the rigorous standards associated with Halal...
Editor’s note: Haskell is proud to join its more than 650 design professionals in celebrating Engineers Week. Founded...
Editor’s note: Haskell is proud to join its more than 650 design professionals in celebrating Engineers Week. Founded...
Editor’s note: Haskell is proud to join its more than 650 design professionals in celebrating Engineers Week. Founded...
Editor’s note: Haskell is proud to join its more than 650 design professionals in celebrating Engineers Week. Founded...
Editor’s note: Haskell is proud to join its more than 650 design professionals in celebrating Engineers Week. Founded...
The food and beverage industry is a demanding world. Businesses must quickly respond to a market that’s constantly changing...
Growing up near St. Louis, Todd Miller originally wanted to design roller coasters, so much so that it led him to a physics...
Tiffany Shaw grew up loving to build and fix things with her father. She never knew this love for problem solving would lead...
Leow Wei Jin has always been a very technical person. Since childhood, Leow preferred to understand concepts rather...
As a senior engineer for automation at Seiberling, a Haskell Company, Lon Reilly creates intricate electrical design...
Sue Tryon grew up visiting job sites with her father, a structural engineer. And while those visits sparked her interest...
Have you been challenged to install a packaging line quickly? This is becoming a frequent occurrence as companies strive...
A clean-in-place (CIP) system is among the largest users of consumables at a hygienic processing plant. Presented here...
For food companies, ownership of a production facility resembles ownership of an automobile driven by a teenager. While...
111 Riverside Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32202
© 2024 Haskell. All rights reserved.
We collect basic analytics to improve your experience. No personal data is stored. By continuing to use this site, you acknowledge this. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.