From Trion Georgia, David Simmons attended Clemson University and graduated with his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1974. He immediately began his career journey with his first professional position as a Supervisor and Project Manager for Textile Mechanical Service. Over the next four years David worked to install textile equipment and finishing plants for the carpet and textile industries. In 1979 he began a ten year position as a Project Engineer in the technical department for Bigelow Sanford working in carpet. He became a Plant Engineer for Forstmann and Company’s Worsted Wool Finishing Plant in 1989. Six years later he had secured a Plant Engineer position for Phoenix Finishing and rounded out his career with another two years in the textile industry. By 1997 David found his way to I&M Industrials and became a huge part of the company family. He has since worked in sales at I&M Industrials for nearly 20 years.
Outside of work David has broad range of interests and accomplishments. In a time period nearly as long as the span of his career, he has been with the Boy Scouts of America for 38 years. Of those, 27 years have been spent as an adult volunteer in Scoutmaster and Commissioner positions with the Georgia Carolina Council and the Palmetto Council. He currently maintains positions as District Commissioner for the Three Rivers District, Order of the Arrow Skyuka Lodge Adviser, and Executive Board Member for the Palmetto Council. David also continued his outreach to local youth as a commissioner and referee for youth recreational AYSO soccer and has spent time with the YMCA as a Division II Swim official form 1997-2007.
Of all his many titles and activities, David is most proud of the family he and his wife of 43 years have built together. Their son grew up to become an Eagle Scout, fellow Clemson graduate, husband to another Clemson graduate, and everything David could have wanted him to be.