Utilities

I love trash. In my job, I get to manage all kinds of it - from household hazardous waste to bringing composting into our internal operations. I am lucky because every day I feel like I am making a difference. I have always been passionate about clean water and recycling. We are here to educate others on how to be more civic-minded and keep things clean. Protecting the environment and our water is important to all of us. Our free Household Hazardous Waste Events are one of the ways we serve the City. These free events help residents reduce waste. When I’m not at work, you’ll find me planning our next dive. My husband and I started scuba diving on our honeymoon, and we have more than 120 dives under our belt. My son was certified last year, too. The biggest highlight so far was seeing an octopus in Cozumel.

Mindfulness is a huge part of who I am personally and professionally. It sparks innovation, creativity and productivity, while decreasing stress. I try to implement it in all I do. I fell into utilities by accident, since when I graduated from college there was a recession. I ended up being fascinated with how the industry was evolving. In general, people don’t know all the parts of utilities, and what it takes to deliver. I’m passionate about explaining and educating our customers and finding areas we can improve to better serve them. I grew up an army brat and moved a lot. I think that upbringing enabled me to be adaptable and deal with all kinds of personalities. I love people. In fact, what drives me the most is the people, processes and then performance. When I’m not at work, you’ll find me in nature. My happy place is in the mountains, right next to a water feature - camping, walking, fishing or hunting. I’m pretty proud that I got my first elk this year. When I stop and reflect, my proudest accomplishments are my kids. I’m in awe at how I created a life and get to be with that life a long time.

My wife and I are Fort Collins natives. My father worked as a Water Treatment Operator and moved into source and supply. His background in the industry opened the door for me at the City, where I started as a lawn crew kid. Now, I get to serve the community where I’m raising my daughter. Our crews don’t have it easy – they put in 12 hour shifts and spend as much time at work as they do with their families. Everyone from maintenance to operations believes in what they do here and are committed to the same goal – providing clean, safe drinking water. We work 24/7 to make that happen. In our spare time, my wife and I love taking drives in the mountains. She loves to hike and I love to hunt, so driving is our compromise. One of my favorite things to do is to spend time outdoors riding horses.

Science is in me. I grew up examining insects as a kid and have always been passionate about nature. So as a Chemist that is tasked with verifying that our water is safe, it is very important to me. People would describe me as observant, meticulous and curious. I am proud to serve the community. You can trust that 24/7 someone is checking your water. I’m the right person in the right place.

My job is to check and verify that all the PH levels related readings are correct. I'm checking to make sure the instruments in the field are accurate because we run our plant based on these readings. This is important stuff. People drink this water and we take it very seriously. You may not realize that when you turn on the tap, there is so much involved in the process. I want people to rest assured that someone is personally checking your drinking water. I love my job and I'm honored to do it.

In this job there is a tremendous obligation to protect our water resource and public health. This obligation is vitally important to us as a utility and for me personally. I wish the public knew that what they put down the drain has a huge impact on what takes place at the plant. Some people have the mentality of flush it and forget it. But the truth is that anything you put down the toilet impacts the facility and eventually it will discharge to our watersheds and water cycle process. We’ve seen it all – cell phones, credit cards, jewelry, even a set of false teeth. You’d be amazed at what comes down the drain. One of the parts of my job I love the most is the public outreach and education opportunities. We have hosted elementary, middle and high school tours, and I love seeing the astonishment in the kids' faces when I explain the entire process. When I’m not at work, you’ll find me hunting, fishing or doing something sporty with my family.

Sometimes it's difficult to design floodplain solutions that adhere to FEMA's strict regulations and oversight. But early in my career, a mentor challenged me to, 'find a version of yes.’ This mentality has stuck with me. So, I do everything possible to partner with the development community to come up with an option that not only meets the requirements, but that will work for them. I try to be positive in everything I do, and I'm honored to be a part of a team that is very forward-thinking, supportive and open to new initiatives. If there was one thing I wish more people understood, it's that floods can happen in Fort Collins. I love working at the City. I ride my bike or walk every single day. I love skiing, hiking, camping, reading and I absolutely love traveling. I try to take a big trip every year and if I had to pick a favorite place, my heart is in Paris.

I really enjoy seeing the progression in the way work used to be done to how it’s being done now. We are so much more mindful about how we handle process improvements and customer satisfaction. My team is always trying to expand the community understanding of what we do and the services we provide. I love getting out on the street and talking with citizens. Most of our utilities are underground, which often means they’re out of sight and out of mind. I take great pride in telling people that our reliability is higher than 99 percent and we typically respond to outages within 20 minutes. I'm always trying to make things just a little bit better, a little bit quicker, a little easier and more clear. We do everything we can to eliminate the things that do not provide value. When I’m not at work, you can find me in a jeep off adventuring on a four wheel drive trail.

My job is different every day. I never know what to expect and I like it that way. I have always enjoyed working with the public. Every conversation is an opportunity to help someone. Some days are tougher than others because I may be working with someone having difficulty paying their bill. I do my best to work through their issues, explore their options and educate them on the different programs we have in place to save energy and money. I love the one-on-one interaction. As the oldest of eight siblings, I'm supposed to be the responsible one. Many people are surprised when I do things they don't expect, like traveling to meet my son in China with only a backpack. Traveling, golf, decorating and music are a few of my favorite things.

"I’ve been coined the office mom. I think that’s fitting because I thoroughly enjoy helping make everyone's job easier. Give me databases and let me create spreadsheets and I’ll figure out how to do get your project done. In fact, the most exciting thing to me is a blank spreadsheet. My favorite part of my job is the people. Everyone here at Utilities works hard and is committed to providing the best solutions for our City. I love playing a small part in the big picture planning that takes place day in and day out. Fort Collins is an innovative City. As a proud mother and grandmother, it gives me great satisfaction to know that Fort Collins is already planning for the next 25, 50 and 100 years."

"I started working at Utilities three months before the 1997 Spring Creek flood. That experience will be something that I never forget. It was amazing to see the City staff, first responders, field workers and the entire community come together. So much of what we do in stormwater today came about from that historic flood. Stormwater tends to be one of our most misunderstood utilities. When it’s working, you don’t see it. I hope people know that we are constantly working behind the scenes on something related to flooding to keep our community safe. There is no true off season. It’s not if we will have another flood, it’s when and where. We are fortunate in Fort Collins to have the support that we do. I love working in the community that I live in. I take a lot of pride in the progress we have made and in being able to help citizens make informed decisions."

"I started as a volunteer with the City and was tasked with developing the social responsibility program. Looking back, I feel like I’ve come full circle. I'm now the Volunteer Program Coordinator for Utilities and today, nearly four years later, we have multiple affordability programs designed to help our more vulnerable population. Affordability and social issues can be complex and one of the most important things I’ve learned is to be genuine. Whether I’m training and mentoring new volunteers or talking on the phone to individuals that really need someone to listen, I feel like I’m making a difference. I hope that people understand that we want to help as many people as we can through our affordability programs. Talking with individuals that directly benefit from our services helps keep me grounded. I love helping people that really need it."

"I wear a lot of hats. Our team is responsible for keeping all the instrumentation, electrical, lighting, computers and pumps up and running. I love the diversity in what I do. It’s a lot different than the submarine I used to work on in the Navy. From maintaining the SCADA systems to bending conduit and coding new programs, I’m never bored. Our team is awesome and makes me want to come to work each day. We all have our strengths and I’m known as the techie guy. Safety and going above and beyond to get it right is what we’re all about. Even if it does mean nine hours straight replacing a roof handler unit on the highest point of the rooftop, in late November - we are here for each other. I hope that people understand where their water comes from and how many people are involved in how they get it."

"I literally started from the ground up, as a Groundman. Recently, I was promoted to Special Services Supervisor. It’s been almost 19 years of PUD and fiber optic installs, repairing damaged light poles, rolling with all the changing technologies and systems, and I am most proud of right where I’m at today. It took a long haul to get here and a lot of hard, honest work. I can’t help but smile inside when I get wind that my son tells his buddies as he scurries up the obstacle course during his outdoor education class, “I have lineman in my blood. I hope the members of our community appreciate the service we provide. We all take great pride in what we do. We go above and beyond, every single time. This job means something more to all of us, other than just a paycheck. We work all day and sometimes overnight to get it right. Street lights don’t seem like that big a deal, until they’re out. And unfortunately, bad things can happen when lights are out; we want the people in our community to be as safe as possible. What drives us daily is creating a safe haven for the people in this City.”

"It may come as a surprise, but despite growing up on the high, dry plains of Colorado, I’ve always had a passion for sailing. Of course as a native Coloradoan, a wide-range of outdoor activities have always been a big part of my life. Maybe it’s that love for nature that made my career in solar technology such a natural fit. For more than 10 years I’ve helped the City steer solar policy. In fact, Fort Collins was recently recognized as a “SolSmart Gold” designee by the U.S. Department of Energy. With the City’s solar policy on the right track, I’ll soon be retiring and sailing my boat Mirasol, into the sunset. During one of my travels, a Brazilian host explained that Mirasol translated loosely as ‘looking for, or reflecting the sun.’ Having lived such a sun-centered life, I couldn’t imagine a better name for my boat."