Service Awards
John Sheppard / 35 years
John Sheppard, Gas Services Specialist II, recently celebrated 35 years of service. John began his long career at GUC as a General Utility Worker in 1990. In his current role, he solves customer issues with their natural gas service as well as turns on gas services for those who have recently moved or arrived in our service area. John spends much of his time talking with customers on service calls. Customer interactions are what he enjoys most about his work. He said he enjoys talking with customers, listening to their needs, and meeting new people. “I enjoy meeting and interacting with customers,” John said. “I’ve been doing this for so long, and I’ve met a lot of people who move here from another state.” John said he has been thankful for the opportunity to work with a lot of good people at GUC. “It’s a good place to work,” he said. “Through God’s grace and the loving support of my wife, Vonda, I have made it 35 years.”
Julius Phillips / 30 years
Julius Phillips, WWTP Operator III, recently celebrated 30 years of service at GUC. He began his career in maintenance at the Water Treatment Plant where he spent 12 years. Julius utilized GUC’s tuition assistance program to pursue a degree in environmental sciences. After earning his degree, a position at the WWTP opened and the rest is history. His current position includes monitoring the plant system as well as pump stations across the county. “I am a professional environmentalist,” he said, “and help make sure we treat the wastewater properly.” Julius said throughout his life, he has always gotten fulfilment from helping people. “I love that I get to serve people. This work is something that everyone needs. It is as important as anything you can do. What we do here is the difference between Pitt County being safe and modern or a third-world country,” Julius said. Over the years, he has a lot of memorable moments, but he said it was the flood of ‘99 that sticks out for him the most. “We made it through Hurricane Floyd and the flood and rebuilt in the aftermath and that took a lot of work outside of many of our job descriptions. Workers worked shoulder-to-shoulder with superintendents. I feel good about how we handled that situation. We kept water and wastewater plants operational in that entire period,” he said.
Kenneth Daniels / 30 years
Kenneth Daniels, Meter Field Tech III (Service), recently celebrated 30 years of service at GUC. Kenneth began his career in 1995 as a meter reader and over the years moved up to his current position. “GUC has been good to me,” Kenneth said. “I enjoy helping customers and seeing the smiles on their faces when we are able to explain and help them solve a problem. When you talk to them, they are happy that you took the time to explain the issues and what’s going on. They are joyful about it.” Kenneth said it is customer engagement and relationships he’s developed with his coworkers that are the most rewarding pieces of his work. “It’s a pleasure to work here. I love the people I work with and the friendships I have,” he said. Kenneth coordinates the stopping and starting of meters, whether that is beginning a new service, moving, or cutting services due to nonpayment. He assists with dispatch and scheduling in the Meter Section and is a core team member for the CCS system. Kenneth’s proudest accomplishment at GUC is centered around the CCS system. “I am proud that I learned the whole system and now am able to train the new guys on it,” he said.
Scott Getsinger / 30 years
Scott Getsinger, WWTP Maintenance Crew Leader, celebrated 30 years of service at GUC. “Thirty years has gone by so fast, but it’s because I like what I do,” he said. Scott began his career as a Pump Station Mechanic in 1995. He now oversees a three-member crew and ensures the maintenance of 46 pump stations across Pitt County. Though the sophisticated SCADA system offers around the clock pump station surveillance, the state requires that each pump station is personally inspected. “Every Monday, we visit every pump station. That is nearly 10 hours of driving,” Scott said. He takes pride in the work he does at GUC and enjoys the company he keeps. “It’s the people I work with that make it fun,” he said. “It is something different every day. We do a lot of things – we are a jack of all trades – and that means we don’t do the same thing day in and day out.” Scott has seen a lot of changes, especially around the issue of entering confined spaces for wet well maintenance work. He said, “I am proud to have designed a system to clean the wet wells without having to go all the way down in them. I designed a scraper using a bull float handle. We still use that 25 years later.”
Kevin Keyzer / 25 years
Kevin Keyzer, Operations Support Manager, celebrated 25 years of service at GUC recently. He began his career at GUC as the Safety Officer. Currently, he oversees four division managers in Operations Support, which include Facilities, Materials Management, Fleet, and Risk Management/Safety divisions. Over the years, Kevin has been a part of many large projects, including the development and construction of the Operations Center. GUC broke ground for the new facility in 2019 and we moved in during the pandemic in 2020, with Fleet’s facility being constructed 18 months later. He said he is proud of being a part of the team that saw this project come to fruition. “I’ve been able to work with great people, and I’ve had an incredible team to work with over the years,” Kevin said. “There isn’t anything that we started that we gave up on.” He and his team also piloted successful and game changing safety initiatives, including SafeAlign and the Lighthouse process. From learning from industry partners and staying up to date on best practices and processes, Kevin said his time at GUC has been marked by learning and growing. “I think my job is continuously changing and it keeps me interested and challenged. I appreciate learning and being challenged to do things I haven’t done before.”
15 Years
Zachary Hamilton, WTP Operator III
Jay Wetherington, WWTP Inventory Work Management Coordinator
Promotions
Quentin Pool, Water Systems O/M Technician II
Isaiah Bradshaw, IT Support Specialist II
Tucker Foell, Lineworker Second Class
Eban Kea, Network Analyst II
Alex Congleton, Water Systems Crew Leader I Diondre Moore, Water Systems O/M Crew Leader I
Chaz Hathaway, Water Systems O/M Crew Leader I
Congratulations
Congratulations to WWTP Chemist I Bryce Brinson on his marriage to Hope Everingham.
Condolences
Our condolences go to Director of Information Technology Andy Anderson and his wife, Angela, on the passing of his father-in-law, Walter “Tim” Shivar.
Our deepest sympathies to the friends, family, and co-workers of Seth Shoneman, Energy Services Specialist, who recently passed away. We will honor Seth with a tribute page in the September/October Spotlight.
Thank You's
Mr. Dattero called to compliment Timmy Pollard, Troubleshooter Crew Lead; Jeff Oakley, Engineering Coordinator; and Chandler Fornes, Lineworker Third Class, for coming out to restore his power in the rain. He mentioned that he knows it’s their job but appreciated how quickly they worked to get his power back on despite the rain. Overall, he wanted to let them know that they are “really appreciated!”
Patricia Doyle reached out to share her appreciation for Energy Services Specialist Jonathan Sergeant offering valuable insight and advice on how she might be able to reduce her bill. She said that Jonathan was awesome and expressed how thankful she is that GUC offers this kind of service.
Ms. Hearn called to express her appreciation for Gas Service Specialist I Jacob Roberti’s assistance during her gas reconnection following. She wanted it to be known that he did a great job.
New Hires
