Dutch Purnell, Rope Access Painter, Denver

Like any Daredevil, you obviously have a knack for finding the best life has to offer. A lifestyle of performance, creativity and bold efficiency isn’t complete without a fun tale. Tell us a story about when you took a calculated risk, played a practical joke on a fellow tradesman or about one of the most extreme jobsites you’ve encountered in your career.

In my day-to-day business, every day and every job is a calculated risk. We take a risk each day – I have guys hanging on ropes on a structure from grain silos to baseball stadiums to radio towers. My goal is to bring each and every one of my employees back home safe to their families. One of the most extreme job sites we’ve had would be the painting of the retractable roof at Miller Park in Milwaukee. We performed this painting during the end of fall, just after the Brewers finished up their season. During the five-week-long job, we had to deal with relentless weather as well as the closing and opening of the roof. Since our guys were rappelling off the girders of the roof each time it moved, they had to jump out of the way to avoid being crushed.

What Daredevil products do you use and how do you use them?

I use Daredevil spade bits when I work on wood projects, but a majority of my projects are steel and concrete.