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My surveying story: Derek Muldowney

Written by: RICS
Published on: 3 Oct 2014

RICS Recruit meets Derek Muldowney MRICS, who works for Daytona Beach Florida, as part of the Surveying the Future campaign. He tells us, in his own words, about redeveloping an iconic motor sport stadium.

“Having originally completed a degree in Quantity Surveying at Trinity College Dublin, I’ve had a really varied career which has seen me working on a vast number of different projects in lots of diverse industries. In fact, I’ve worked for a surveying firm in London, and in the oil fields of Houston and Asia, before eventually ending up here in sunny Florida.

“Today, my day to day role at the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) sees me directing the redevelopment and construction of a large number of leisure facilities for my employer the International Speedway Corporation.

“One of the most appealing aspects of my current work is the scale and high profile nature of some of the projects I’m asked to oversee. At the moment I’m responsible for leading a team of architects, designers and building contractors, whose challenge it is to modernise and re-develop the famous Daytona International Speedway racetrack.

Daytona

 “In overseeing the huge redevelopment of such an iconic motor sport stadium, I’m really drawing on all of the skills I’ve honed as a chartered surveyor over the years. On a daily basis I have to apply my analytical thinking and communication skills in order to motivate and effectively lead the different teams undertaking the design and planning of the project.

 “The training and transferable skills I’ve developed as a chartered surveyor have certainly opened me up to a world of opportunity which I’ve tried to grasp with both hands. In fact, I’d even go as far as saying that surveyors in some ways have to play the part of a psychologist in order to communicate and get the best out of the vast number of people they end up working with on any given project.

 “One tip I would give to anyone looking to enter the industry would be to persevere and stay open minded to the opportunities that you will be presented with. With the broad range of skills you’ll develop as a chartered surveyor you’ll be able to turn your hand to anything further down the line, whether it’s directly linked to surveying or aspects of another industry.”

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