Kevin’s journey at GUC stretches back to August 2000, when he first joined as the Safety Officer. Over the years, he steadily expanded his responsibilities and expertise, serving as Resource Exposure Manager, then Risk and Facilities Manager, followed by Operations Support Manager. Today, he leads GUC’s newly formed Operations Support Department as its Director, continuing a career shaped by both experience and a deep commitment to workplace safety and operational excellence. You can read about the new Department here.
Before coming to GUC, Kevin worked with the North Carolina Department of Labor as a Safety and Health Compliance Officer, a role that laid a strong foundation for his career in risk management and organizational support.
Kevin’s professional path began in the classroom and on the basketball court. He started college at Pitt Community College on a basketball scholarship before transferring to East Carolina University. He graduated from ECU with a B.S. in Environmental Health with a concentration in Industrial Hygiene, setting the stage for a career focused on protecting employees, improving processes, and supporting safe operations.
FUN FACT: Kevin’s dad is one of seven siblings. In 1986, Kevin - along with his dad, aunts, uncles, and many of their children - built a vacation cottage for their families to share on Lake Phelps in northeastern North Carolina. What a great first lesson in teamwork!
Did you choose leadership or did leadership choose you?
I worked for my uncle on his dairy farm. As a teenager, my uncle and his family went on vacation and left me in charge. If you say that’s leadership choosing you, then that’s my claim. I had to figure things out quickly in that situation.
What have you enjoyed most about your leadership role?
Seeing people develop into their full potential and be successful to the highest degree they can while helping them get there. Sometimes all it takes is a little encouragement and a runway to help people overcome their barrier of doubt.
What have you enjoyed most about your career in the utility industry?
The fact that what we do has a daily impact on our customers. We provide essential and life enhancing functions that I can contribute to in some way, every day. That’s amazing to me. We’re not making little widgets that sit on a shelf in a warehouse and may or may not get bought or sold. We provide light, heat, water, air conditioning – all the things that are in the background to so many of us except when it doesn’t work. This is another reason why I like Operations Support so much. We are internally a mirror image of what the rest of the organization is externally to our customers.
What advice do you give to those new to a leadership role?
Ask more questions than you give answers. As a leader, you’re the one who’s ultimately responsible for results. However, most people already understand the ‘what’ and the ‘how.’ My role as a leader is to make sure they have what they need and that they take ownership of the outcome. When leaders create an environment where our team members can connect to the work they’re doing – to see and feel the difference they make – that in and of itself is the “reward of work” that cannot be produced in any other way.
How do you approach decision-making in challenging situations?
First, it’s important to gather the facts and the right people. The best decisions are made with full consultation. Of course you have to weigh the cost versus benefit. On our team, we don’t do consensus decision making. We make decisions unilaterally because it’s in our area of expertise or is a routine thing, or we do it unilaterally with consultation because it’s unusual or extraordinary to our regular work. With the latter, everybody has a different perspective and experience to contribute to the decision-making process but also realizes that the decision and responsibility of the outcome lie with a single person.
Did you have any role models or mentors who helped you along the way, and can you share any of their advice?
Anthony Miller, our former Director of Gas Systems, was a huge mentor to me throughout my career. He had some experiences as a leader here that quickly led him to focus on safety. In my role as a Safety Officer and other roles as I grew up in the organization, I would go to him for advice, support, and encouragement. Of course, my dad was also a big influence. Growing up, I had a drive to discover and find information. I can remember busting into a room with a newfound fact to me, and he would always, in some shape or form, make me prove it to him. I’d have to find a reference or refer to an authority to backup up my new discovery.
How do you prioritize work-life balance as a leader?
This is a tough one. I always feel like I’m available for work and for my family. I think for us, as employees, this is something that GUC provides - an opportunity to be flexible. Even when you’re working on a big project or here for long hours, there’s time to take a call from your child or spouse and handle something.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I wanted to be a farmer because I grew up farming, but my dad talked me out of that.
What is your proudest career accomplishment?
There are two that stick out for me. One is the safety culture change at Greenville Utilities. That’s huge in my mind. It became really visible with Lighthouse. Even though we had a safety initiative here, it got taken up a notch with Lighthouse. The other is the design and construction of our new Operations Center. Being a part of that team and contributing to both of those projects were game changers for our folks.
What was your very first job?
Working on the family farm.
What would you like us to know about your family?
My wife, Wendy, and I met at ECU. We both grew up in Beaufort County. We have two daughters. Riley is a graduate of UNCW and works in marketing for an international banking software firm, and Emma is a senior at D.H. Conley High School.
What is your favorite family or holiday tradition?
I love Christmas when everybody comes together. Riley comes home on break, and our extended families come back into town.
Who is your favorite band, singer, or music genre?
Country music.
What have been your favorite travel destinations?
Acadia National Park. We went there for Thanksgiving, and it was amazing.
Do you have any hobbies?
Saltwater fishing.
What is at the top of your bucket list?
Wendy and I have always wanted to visit Italy and started planning for this trip a few years ago. Our daughter, Riley, is a major traveler and is helping us plan the trip, which we have planned to take next year.
What’s your favorite season of the year?
Fall.
Do you have a favorite sports team?
ECU Pirates, no question.
Do you have a favorite quote?
“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.” Matthew 28:6
