Metals industry veteran and Petersen icon Dave Landis passed away at age 69

David Landis, Petersen employee for 24 years, died on March 14, 2025, after a long battle with cancer. Dave’s professional title with Petersen was project/field manager, but he was known by hundreds of colleagues and customers simply as the expert on everything relating to metal cladding, and a big-hearted, generous friend. Dave played a vital role in countless projects in his career as the go-to guy for Petersen employees – and customers – on topics including technical and installation issues, codes, testing, trouble shooting, product knowledge and virtually any aspect of architectural metal.

Dave’s impact on Petersen’s growth was vast and deep, contributing to the company’s expansion, brand building and respect within the industry. The impact of his retirement was felt equally as much by those who worked with him. Dave was also known as being one of the most selfless, generous, supportive and helpful people in the metal and construction industries. Some of those who worked with Dave at Petersen shared their thoughts, which are included below:

“Dave Landis was one of the most positively impactful team members in the 60-year history of Petersen. His combination of metal industry knowledge, hands-on skill and innate problem-solving ability made him uniquely valuable to architects, building owners, installers, our customers and all who worked with him. He could be both direct and charming. He knew his craft better than anyone and he was a great teacher to his peers. At the end of the day it was also darned fun to tip a few back with him. His long battle with cancer is over but he will never be forgotten by those of us that were fortunate enough to work with him. The architectural metal industry has lost a great one.”
–Mike Petersen, retired CEO, Petersen

“Dave was larger than life, and in many ways the face of Petersen Aluminum. I personally owe him so much for his support, encouragement, friendship and generosity. I can’t think of anyone who had a bigger heart or cared more deeply for those around him. We all leaned on Dave, not just for work, but for anything related to life. The number of times he would call or text just to ask “hey, how are you doing” was countless. We all lost someone so genuine and so special.”
–Mike Weis, vice president, sales, Carlisle Architectural Metals

“Dave was one of the few people that could tell a customer exactly what they didn’t want to hear, and even sometimes in a gruff way, and the customer would walk away thinking … OK. Anyone else who would say the exact same thing would get hell. But it was a testament to the respect customers had for his experience and his technical knowledge. I learned so much about the technical side from Dave – I could ask a question, he would give such an educational response, not just answering the question but the “why’s” behind it. Every technical question became part of my Landis file, that I could refer to for future questions, and learned how to figure out the next question that came my way on my own. Even after decades in the business, he said he learned something new every day, which made novices like myself not feel so small. His work on the architectural side and getting Petersen into specs separates Petersen from so many other metal service centers. He was one in a million and the impact he had on Petersen Aluminum will be felt for years to come. We are all so much better for knowing Dave.”
–Michele Nerone, supply chain manager, Carlisle Architectural Metals

“Who is Dave Landis? Well, he was one of the most gifted Petersen employees and a friend. Dave had an incredible gift of bonding with people; people of all walks of life. Customers, fellow employees, suppliers … anyone. His easy-going demeanor and welcoming approach made people like Dave immediately. What separates him from others is that Dave really knew his stuff, and was one of Petersen Aluminum’s most knowledgeable employees in all aspects, including product knowledge, installation guidance, testing and performance standards. He knew it all. Dave was the “go-to” guy for everyone at Petersen, but his gift was his ability to connect. No one did it better. He would connect and bond with anyone in any walk of life. Whether estimating, performing inspections, flying drones (groundbreaking at the time) or preparing the very professional reports he put together, I was so very impressed. Dave was a talent that will be hard to duplicate. He will be greatly missed and never replaced.”
–Tom Creigh, project manager, operations, Carlisle Architectural Metals

“David Landis was the most knowledgeable person I know of in the metal roofing industry. And incredibly, he was able to share that with customers, architects and even project managers and in the end they all agreed with his opinions. A rare talent in our business.”
–Tom Bell, retired vice president, Petersen

“Dave Landis had a wealth of knowledge regarding all things in the roofing industry, and was always ready and willing to share this knowledge with anyone that may have needed it. The only thing that possibly could surpass his level of knowledge was his relentless work ethic. He put everything that he had into his profession every single day while doing so with a tremendous amount of character. His personality, strength and spirit were inspiring and admirable. Dave did a great deal to help many people all over the country make their way in this industry and he will be sorely missed.”
–Brad Lewis, territory sales rep, Petersen

“As the saying sort of goes, Dave forgot more about architectural metal than most people will ever know. His incredible amount of knowledge was surpassed only by his desire to share it with anyone who needed help. He had his hands in so many aspects of Petersen business at any given moment, yet he would drop it all if you were in a bind and needed his help. And he had a gift for making you feel good even when he was correcting you. Dave kept files on everything, on paper and in his head. I could tell him I needed pictures of a project with a specific PAC-CLAD product in a specific color with specific features and he would think of one instantly, and then he would send me the photos that night; he was so organized. Dave was amazingly generous with his time, and he found a way to be many things to many people … friend, mentor, colleague, expert, confidant. I never heard him complain about anything. The void that was created when he retired was huge, and will take a long time to fill. You are terribly missed, Dave.”  
–Rob Heselbarth, director of communications, Petersen