A Salute to David Birmingham
Material Handling Industry Legend Retires
David Birmingham
David Birmingham will retire at the end of 2025, concluding a 41-year career in the material handling sector. Mr. Birmingham joined SilMan Industries in 2015 and has provided unparalleled contributions to client success and the growth of the SilMan Integration team. His first job was as a draftsman for the Arkansas Department of Transportation, then at Hytrol, and later as a partner in a material handling venture.
“I don’t know anyone else who can retire without a single negative word said about him.”
A commonly repeated sentiment by Birmingham’s teammates
The Path to SilMan
David Rebata (VP of Material Handling) and David Birmingham have known each other since the 1980s, having worked together on projects. In 2015, Rebata learned that Birmingham was at liberty and was able to connect just as Birmingham was scheduled for medical procedures.
In true Birmingham fashion, his first drawings for SilMan were created in a recovery ward!
However, by all accounts, the true measure of Birmingham’s impact on SilMan’s meteoric growth in the last decade lies in his personal connections and care for upcoming engineers. A snapshot of the Engineering team tells the story: In 2015, the department included our founding engineers, Ian Fulton and Garrett King, both recent graduates, and a draftsman. Since then, the Engineering team has blossomed to 25, with specialized teams for Mechanical, Electrical, and Field Engineering.
A Personal Touch
King, who now leads the Engineering team, reflected on Birmingham’s influence in his role in both technical and interpersonal aspects.
“David provided valuable guidance during my early years with SilMan and was always generous with his knowledge of drawings and equipment. And even as a remote team member, he is always available for advice while leaving space for my own ideas and experimentation. He is also a trooper in the field, whether for site investigation or installation. It is not uncommon to see him on a ladder or on his knees with a tape measure. But most valuable of all were his life lessons, such as understanding team dynamics, and, for many of us, his readiness with a gentle word to teammates who may be struggling outside the office.”
Birmingham’s generosity of spirit continually provided wisdom beyond Engineering. Tommy Ethridge, VP of Southern Operations, remarked, “He always made himself available to help others, especially when dissecting a facility for optimal equipment and layout. He has an amazing imagination for solving logistical and technical problems.”
David Rebata echoed this sentiment, saying, “It is no exaggeration that I owe a considerable amount of my success to David’s expertise. His abilities to draw, validate systems, and work with internal and external teams are only surpassed by his considerate demeanor and sage advice.”
About the Company
SilMan Industries (previously SilMan Construction) is based in San Leandro, Calif., with Engineering and Field Operations offices in Tupelo, Miss. The firm provides integrated turnkey solutions in the Industrial, Manufacturing, Distribution, and Public Works sectors.
Notably, in 2010 SilMan Industries was contracted to dismantle and remove the NUMMI assembly line in Fremont, Calif., transport the equipment, and reinstall the system in Blue Spring, Miss., establishing Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi (TMMMS). This high-visibility project ignited the company’s meteoric growth, laying the foundation for SilMan’s national service area.
For more information, please visit www.silmanindustries.com/about.
