David Leroy Grumman Sr., founder of nationally recognized engineering firm Grumman|Butkus Associates, died peacefully on Jan. 3, 2025, at his home in Evanston, IL. He was 90.
Grumman’s lifetime of work in the consulting engineering field, and his tireless advocacy for sustainable facility design, positively impacted the energy efficiency and indoor air quality of buildings worldwide.
In the early 1970s, while employed as an engineer at Perkins & Will in Chicago, Grumman realized that sharply increasing energy prices meant that building managers and owners would need help figuring out how to design and operate their facilities more efficiently and economically.
“I knew a lot about building systems and what made them tick, or at least I thought I did, so in early 1973 I decided to start such a firm,” he said.
Grumman opened a three-room office in Evanston, and his wife, Blair Perkins Grumman, went to work as his unpaid, part-time assistant. He named the new company “Enercon” to underscore its focus on energy conservation.
A fortuitous recommendation from Professor Will Stoecker of the University of Illinois’ Mechanical and Industrial Engineering School introduced him to Al Butkus, who joined the firm in spring 1974. By 1982, as business continued to expand, the duo began doing business as Grumman|Butkus Associates (GBA) to reflect their burgeoning consultancy and partnership, and they moved to larger offices, ultimately establishing their headquarters at the current location at 820 Davis Street.
Today, GBA is a full-service MEP/FP engineering firm, boasting more than 150 employees in Illinois, Wisconsin, and New Jersey. GBA specializes in energy efficiency consulting and sustainable design engineering for large institutions and complex facilities, including hospitals, hotels, universities, laboratories, and commercial buildings.
Grumman’s impact on building codes worldwide was underappreciated, according to GBA-Illinois Chairman Dan Doyle. As a committee leader with the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Grumman pioneered the development of multiple standards, including the groundbreaking Standard 90, which passed in 1975. Initially called “Energy Conservation in New Building Design,” Standard 90 has been the basis for all building energy efficiency codes across the US since its passage. It remains an industry cornerstone and is regularly updated; Grumman’s advocacy included testifying before Congress regarding proposed addenda in 1984.
“This standard altered the course of new building design and major renovations ever since,” Doyle says. “Every building energy code around the world owes something to David’s work and leadership. Before his work, there was no bar and no limitations on poor building energy efficiency.”
As chairman of the ASHRAE Standards Committee, Grumman also shaped the development of Standard 62, “Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality”: notable for its first-ever prohibition of indoor smoking in public buildings. He withstood years of vehement and widespread objections from industry groups, particularly tobacco lobbyists, who fought unsuccessfully against the new standard.
In addition, Grumman was the editor and a primary author of the influential “ASHRAE Green Guide to Design.” He was ultimately honored as an ASHRAE Fellow and Life Member, and he received the association’s Distinguished 50-Year Member Award in 2014.
Always civic-minded, Grumman was a member of the Evanston Plan Commission, Evanston Energy Commission, and Evanston Utilities Commission. He served on the boards of the Grumman Corporation, WTTW/Channel 11, the Community Hospital of Evanston, and the Ellis L. Phillips Foundation.
A devoted family man and the father of three children, Grumman was an accomplished sailor, squash player, and woodworker.
David Grumman was preceded in death by his wife, Blair. His second wife, Mary Ann, survives, as well as children Roy (Susanne), Cornelia (Jim Warren), and Eleanor (Mike Husman), and six grandchildren. Refer to this site for a more detailed obituary, as well as information regarding his Celebration of Life on January 18.
GBA, which celebrated its 50th year of business in 2023, is proud to continue the founder’s legacy of innovation, integrity, energy efficiency, and customer service.
