Today we’d like to introduce you to David Whiteley.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and sailed aboard merchant vessels as an Engineer for 25 years, 9 of those years as Chief Engineer on a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) ship. While I was sailing in a 4-month on, 4-month off rotation aboard the LNG ship, my wife, Diane, returned to school at Sam Houston State University to earn her degree. I would go with her while on vacation and take random courses. I stumbled onto home design and proceeded to take every available course on home design and construction. Eventually, I found myself 30 hours from a degree in Design and Development and took the requisite classes (like cultural anthropology) to complete the task.
I planned on sailing another 8-10 years but my ship was unexpectedly re-flagged to The Marshall Islands and I was replaced by cheaper labor. I was suddenly unemployed, and would have to go back to the union hall and ship off the “board” on God knows what. I chose to retire after only 25 years at sea. My wife suggested that since I had a degree in Design and Development and liked designing houses so much, I should open an office and do just that. Our retirement package would carry us until I got established.
The design business slowly grew and today, I have been designing homes for 25 years, specializing in wheelchair accessible designs. I actually won a national award for one of my accessible designs. As the boomers age, we are finding ourselves caring for our elderly parents (or our elderly spouses) and have an increasing need for accessibility in our homes. Three of my immediate relatives, two brothers and a step-father, have each spent months in a wheelchair. For this reason, every home I design with over 2000 square feet of living space has one (or more) bedroom with full accessibility. I can also design smaller accessible homes on request.
Most recently, I wrote a book titled “In Peace and War. The True Story of a Maritime Union’s fight for Democracy.” While I was working at sea, the new union president wanted to merge with an unlicensed maritime union. The idea was to increase efficiency and reduce cost but the officer’s union was concerned because our pension plan was fully funded while the unlicensed union’s pension plan was in poor shape. We were concerned that the merger would dilute our pension plan. Our president promised that he would not merge the pensions, but six months after the union merger, he began the formal process to do just that – merge the pensions. He had lied, and the fight was on. The story is absolutely true and fully documented. It is a fascinating account of how the union membership took back control of their union, and what happens to people who lie. The book is currently #2 in it’s category at Amazon.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My life has been filled with both lucky breaks and struggles. I rose to the top of my field in the maritime industry and then they reflagged my ship and replaced me with cheaper labor. I had earned my degree nine months before the ship was reflagged, so I was fully prepared for a second career.
The business grew over time but then my wife had some significant health issues and I needed to move my office into my home, so I could take short breaks from work and care for her. Moving from the office into my home saved over $10,000 per year in office expense and my reputation had grown to the point where most of my work was referrals, so I didn’t need a presence in town. My union insurance continued to cover both my wife and me until I was 65 and went on Medicare. Now the union insurance is the supplemental policy.
My daughter got divorced and eventually was able to purchase the house next door. She is a single mom who has to work long hours to support herself and her daughter. My biggest challenge today is keeping up with my workload while caring for my wife and helping with my daughter and granddaughter next door. Its a small price to pay for the joy of having your family so close.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The first 25 years of my working life were spent on ships traveling around the world, but I worked in the engine room where it is always hot and greasy. My degree was in Marine Engineering and while I did excel in my field, I found it repetitive and somewhat boring. When I discovered home design, it filled my creative side and I loved it.
When I was coerced into retirement, shifting to home design as a profession was a welcome change. Over time I acquired additional design credentials; I became a Certified Professional Building Designer (CPBD) and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS). My move into accessibility also requires creativity because besides being in a wheelchair many people have other issues. One client in a wheelchair had reach issues, so I needed to make thing not only accessible but also reachable. Another client was paralyzed on one side, so I needed to make as much as possible within reach of his good side.
The book is a new form of creativity. I started writing a book about my lucky breaks at sea but when I found all the documentation on the union fight (hundreds of documents), I felt I had to write the book about the union members and how they fought the leadership and won. I loved writing the book and have decided to go back and write the original book on my lucky breaks at sea.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
First and foremost, I credit my wife, Diane, for all of my successes. She has always supported me and sometimes guided me in the right direction. We have been married for over 52 years and I don’t know where I’d be without her.
When I started my business, I knew how to draw houses and I did have a minor in business from SHSU, but that’s not how you learn the nuances. I hired a business coach, Steve Scott, who taught me how to run a business. The most important lesson was, “Only do business with people who want to do business with you . . . .YOUR WAY.” You can’t keep changing your business model to suit your clients.
When I sailed on the ships, I worked with Larry O’Toole on the LNG Virgo for six years. He was very active in the union fight and was editor of the opposition’s newspaper, the “M.A.D. Journal.” He had saved all the documents used to write the newspaper and stored them in boxes in his barn for 30 years. He gave me access to the boxes and I left with hundreds of documents stacked over one foot high! That’s how I was able to write the book.
Last but not least, I sailed on the LNG Virgo with Captain George Overstreet for 13 years, nine years as Chief Engineer. He was 25 years older than me and had a daughter my age. From 9 to 5 He was the Captain and I was the Chief, but after 5:00, he was George and I was David. He treated me like the son he never had. He replaced my father, who had died when I was only 25 years old. George lived to be 95 years old and we were friends until the day he died. I gave the eulogy at his funeral.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.WhiteleyDesign.com
- Other: HOUZZ.com Search for Whiteley & Whiteley Design Group, Inc.
Image Credits
All photos were taken by David Whiteley. The book cover was designed by the publisher, Harvest Creek Publishing and Design.
