NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION - Key Persons


Darryl Jewell - EVP, President

Job Titles:
  • Executive Vice - President
  • President
Darryl Jewell began his career in the construction industry in 1985. Darryl started at National Fire Protection in the Rockville office in 1995 as a Project Manager. Darryl Jewell began his career in the construction industry in 1985. Darryl started at National Fire Protection in the Rockville office in 1995 as a Project Manager. In 2007, Darryl oversaw large projects in the Mid-Atlantic and South Florida as a Construction Executive. Darryl was promoted to Vice President of the S.E. Division, and relocated to the Florida office in 2009. Darryl was promoted to the role of Executive Vice-President in April 2019 and is responsible for leading National Fire Protection's Business Development and Strategic Partnering. In 2021, Darryl was again promoted to the position of President. Under Darryl's leadership, National Fire Protection has continued to compile an outstanding record of construction performance, sustainable growth, safety, and quality.

James Arechigo

Job Titles:
  • Senior Construction Executive
James Arechigo began his career in the construction industry in 1995 in Minneapolis, MN. James started as an apprentice and by his third year he was promoted to foreman on various jobs. James Arechigo began his career in the construction industry in 1995 in Minneapolis, MN. James started as an apprentice and by his third year he was promoted to foreman on various jobs. By his 5th year he was traveling around the U.S.A. overseeing various large projects. James was promoted to Superintendent soon after. James began his career with National Fire Protection in 2012 as a Superintendent of the National Projects Division. James was promoted to the position of Construction Manager in 2015. James is responsible for managing the operations and manpower for all regions of National Fire Protection.

Joshua Smith

Job Titles:
  • Director of Business Development
Joshua started his career in the construction industry in 2007 and joined the National Fire Protection team in 2009. Joshua started his career in the construction industry in 2007 and joined the National Fire Protection team in 2009. Through his career with NFP, Joshua has held positions in Design, Project Management, Sales/Estimating, Data & Analytics Management, Infrastructure and Staff Development. In these roles Joshua was involved in several complex projects through the Mid-Atlantic and national markets. His involvement ranged from providing hydraulic calculations and code compliant design to oversite and management of large-scale commercial, government and military projects in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Florida and Oklahoma. Joshua also was responsible for developing the companywide training program which is still in place to date. In his current role as Director of Business Development Joshua focuses on cultivating and developing relationships with clients for the company. With a mindset towards customer service and a background in both the fire protection industry and marketing, Joshua strives to create long lasting business relationships in all market areas which NFP operates. Joshua holds a degree in Graphic Design and Marketing. In addition, Joshua also holds certifications in Microsoft Office (MOS), AutoSPRINK, Adobe Creative Suite (ACE), Procore Project Management and is recognized as a Certified Layout Technician by NFSA.

Perry Ehli - COO

Job Titles:
  • Director of Operations
Perry Ehli began his career in 1979 starting in the field. Through the years he worked through the ranks and became a field manager in 1985. Perry Ehli began his career in 1979 starting in the field. Through the years he worked through the ranks and became a field manager in 1985. In the early 1990's he moved into the front office first as a Total Service Manager and eventually to Operations Manager. In 2014 he took a regional role for overall installation covering (11) offices. Most recently, Perry came on board as the Director of Operations for NFP. In his role he has oversight on all construction processes, design processes and oversight on installation and their associated processes looking for continuous improvements. He also is part of the NFP Safety Team, works with our estimating teams and has constant interaction with the entire staff including service.

Robert Mitchell

Job Titles:
  • Director of Quality Management
Robert Mitchell began his construction career in 1981. Robert started at National Fire Protection in Frederick Office 1994 as Engineering Technician. Robert Mitchell began his construction career in 1981. Robert started at National Fire Protection in Frederick Office 1994 as Engineering Technician. From 1998 to 2013 Robert was Senior Engineering Technician transitioning to South Florida Office. Robert was promoted to QAQC Manager in 2013 through 2018. Robert rejoined National Fire Protection in December 2020 as Director of Quality Management. Robert is responsible for Quality Control for all of National Fire Protection's projects throughout the Southeast & Mid-Atlantic Locations. Locations currently include 3 offices located in Fort Lauderdale (FL), Tampa (FL) and Gaithersburg, MD. Robert is NICET Certified Level IV in Fire Sprinkler System Design; Level II in Special Hazard. He has a multitude of experience ranging from office buildings, High Rise Buildings, Airports to Special Hazard projects including various Foam Systems. His knowledge in these fields of business can assist our clients with undertaking projects from the initial design concepts through final completion of the project.

Shirley Manning

Job Titles:
  • Director of Project Controls
With more than 25 years in the construction industry, Shirley brings expertise and experience to her role at National Fire Protection. With more than 25 years in the construction industry, Shirley brings expertise and experience to her role at National Fire Protection. Her background is heavily weighted in operations, project/program management, project controls and corporate governance but includes skills in finance, human resources and marketing. She's been with National Fire Protection as the Director of Project Controls since January of 2020 but has consistently worked with our firm since 2008 from a corporate vantage point. Focusing on cost controls, project financial performance, ETC/EAC forecasting and earned value analysis, Shirley trains, supports and leads our project management and supporting team members in industry best practices, NFP processes, and their associated technology platforms. With a goal of maximizing ROI and enhancing controls, she has most recently implemented new or improved workflows for project booking and close-out, invoice routing/approvals, billing management, change orders, subcontracts and material procurement, and equipment management. She standardized cost structures that serve a variety of our most typical work categories and partners with project management in the development of more refined work breakdown structures so that controls, tracking, reporting and analysis will prove meaningful throughout the project's schedule. She works collaboratively with every project management team member and interacts with executive stakeholders in order to push forward on key objectives. Shirley has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina Charlotte and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP)®. She serves as NFP's subject matter expert and admin on our ERP platform Viewpoint along with a number of integrated software components. She is Procore certified and served previously as a member of their customer advisory board.

William Teets

Job Titles:
  • Safety Director
William Teets started in his career as a safety professional in 1994 with Electrical Engineering Enterprises. Based in Tampa, Fl. This company designed, installed and serviced, the high voltage electrical field. William Teets started in his career as a safety professional in 1994 with Electrical Engineering Enterprises. Based in Tampa, Fl. This company designed, installed and serviced, the high voltage electrical field. While in that field he started as a sales director and worked his way into the Sales and Safety Director. He managed a staff of over 75 electrical professionals for 18 years. In that time the company's annual EMR rate was always under .80. In 2014 Mr. Teets accepted a role as General Manager for the largest Breaker repair facility in the state of Florida CBS Service group. The group only had twenty individuals but grossed over 20% of the company's national income. While with this company the company had no Recordable or Reportable injuries to OSHA. In 2018 Mr. Teets accepted a role of Regional Safety Manager for the entire east coast of the United States. This role included heavy civil projects spanning from Bridge and Pier design. Demolition work of million-pound projects. Lift plan work of 200-million-pound crane work with multiple crane lifts. Managed a crew of over 1500 people for safety designs, training in all OSHA required fields. Mr. Teets joined the National Fire Protection team in 2021, where he brings his experience to ensure that all team members perform their daily operations safely and efficiently to promote company success and well-being.