Service Awards 

Join us in congratulating these employees on their recent work anniversary milestones! 

Ron Girdharry / 35 years
Ron Girdharry, CADD Specialist in the Information Technology (IT) Department, electronically maps our facility data and maintains our basemap information. This mapped data is used to design new facilities on our system and provide key information that supports our field crews, analysis tools, and Work and Asset Management system. Additionally, this information can be used to respond to outages and ensure minimal downtime. Ron has served as a Lighthouse Observer since November 2013 and has identified many notable barriers to safety that the Barrier Removal Team has been able to address, reducing the risk of injuries for employees. Ron also served on the Lighthouse Steering Team for a number of years. “I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years,” said Ron. “When I started out, we used pen and ink for our maps. Now, we’re totally GIS and electronically integrated.” He said working at GUC is a joy. “I feel as if we are all like family,” he said. “It’s nice to know if there is a co-worker in need, others will step up to the plate to help.”  

John Daughton / 30 years 
John Daughton, Gas Systems Supervisor, leads the Gas Maintenance Section that is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Facility, cathodic protection system, and SCADA field instrumentation, as well as ensuring that regulatory requirements for each are fulfilled. John’s team also maintains GUC’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Fueling Station and all six gas regulator stations. Since the Gas Department must meet the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rules and regulations for pipeline safety, this section also ensures that we are complying with these standards. “I’ve enjoyed working with my guys over the years,” he said. 

Lee Eakes / 25 years 
Customer Contact Representative II Lee Eakes helps customers throughout the day to understand their bills, start and stop utility services, and transfer services to new locations. He also assists builders with new applications. Lee and his coworkers are often a customer’s first contact with GUC, either in person or on the phone. “I love knowing that when I come to work each day, I am appreciated,” he said. “GUC leadership and teamwork throughout the entire customer service team is outstanding.”  

Robbie Mooring / 25 years
Line Clearing Coordinator Robbie Mooring joined GUC 25 years ago as a Meter Reader before moving to the Line Clearing Section as a Tree Trimmer and Tree Trimmer Crew Leader. In his current role, Robbie oversees the line clearing program that covers almost 3,000 miles of distribution lines and high voltage transmission lines on our electric system. Tree trimming crews are also responsible for GUC’s vegetation management plan for our rights-of-way as well as clearing trees and underbrush from land that is being developed or needs new utility facilities. “I have enjoyed being in the field and seeing changes and development over the years,” said Robbie. “I’ve also enjoyed the people I work with as well as interacting with customers.”  

Vann Stephenson / 20 years
Vann Stephenson, Electric Engineering Substation Coordinator, assists with project management for our substations, generators, and any device that communicates to SCADA. This involves helping with project budgets, working on specs for contract bids, reviewing project drawings, building maps on SCADA, and working on internal design work and schematics used by our crews to install and interconnect equipment. Throughout each project, Vann works behind the scenes with programming, commissioning, and testing, ensuring that everything is working properly before equipment is put into service. He works closely with staff from across the Electric Department, especially in providing support on SCADA and substation security. The Department has its own electronic drawings, and part of Vann’s role is to manage those drawings. He ensures the drawings are correct when they leave the office and that any changes made out in the field are properly represented. He also manages the SharePoint site for the Substation Group. “What I enjoy about my career has changed over the years,” he said. “In the beginning, it was learning all the ins and outs of the job, and now I enjoy passing on this knowledge.” 

10 Years 
Justin Oakes, Gas Systems Technician III 
Keith Clark, Water Resources O/M Crew Leader II 
John Roebuck, Water Resources O/M Crew Leader II 

5 Years  
Hunter Sparks, Lineworker Third Class 
Tyler Reynolds, IT Systems Analyst II 
Mathew May, Cashier I 
Jeffrey Upright, Damage Prevention Technician I 

Promotions

David Bunch, Electric Overhead Crew Leader 

Accomplishments

Gary Yarrell, Safety Specialist I, has been awarded his Construction Manager of Environmental, Safety, and Health (MESH) Certificate by the following joint program sponsors: NC State Industry Expansion Solutions, NC Department of Labor, the Safety and Health Council of NC, and the Southeastern OSHA Training Institute. The MESH Certificate Program is designed for environmental, safety, and health professionals who want to improve their practical knowledge while earning a valuable credential. Once successfully accepted into the program, participants must complete all professional development coursework and 100 classroom hours within five years. Upon completion of each course, participants submit materials proving acceptable course completion that is verified against instructor records. Congratulations, Gary! 
 

Congratulations

Congratulations to Gas Systems Technician III Brandon Stevens and his wife, Sherri, on the birth of their son, Tatum Drake.  

Congratulations to Gas Systems Engineer Dillon Wade and his wife, Abby, on the birth of their son, Grady Bryant.  

Sympathies

Condolences to Brian Weigand, Collections Manager, and his family on the recent passing of his father-in-law, Addison William Lamberson. 

Our sympathies are also extended to Deanna Castellow, Water Resources Environmental Control Officer, and her family on the passing of her father-in-law, Wilbur Castellow. 

Our condolences to the family and friends of James “Butch” Grady Stroud, Jr. on his recent passing. Butch retired from the Water Resources Department in 2021 after 25 years of service with GUC.  

Our condolences are also extended to Samantha Evans, Safety Specialist II/Lighthouse Facilitator, on the passing of her mother, Linda Mae Moore Evans. 

Our sympathies to the family and friends of Joyce Staton on her recent passing. Joyce retired from the Finance Department in 2017 after 26 years of service with GUC. 

Thank You's

Mr. Xi Lang Liu sent a message complimenting Gas Service Specialist II John Sheppard for providing excellent customer service while reconnecting Mr. Liu’s gas service. Mr. Liu said that he was deeply impressed with John’s professional service and willingness to go above and beyond.  

The Pitt County Educational Foundation sent thank you notes to our Plants and Departments who participated in the Teacher Executive Institute tour in April. They wrote, “It was a perfect day as always! The teachers thoroughly enjoyed the tour and were excited to take back information to their students. Thank you for your dedication to Pitt County Schools and public education. GUC is a valued community partner.” 

Mrs. Jackson called in a compliment to the following Electric Department Employees: Ridge Bailey, David Bunch, Casey Jones, Matt McLawhorn, Oscar Meeks, Jason Smith, and Davis Wynne. Her daughter-in-law had some electrical issues in the middle of the night, and Mrs. Jackson called in the problem. “Within 15 minutes of my call, they were at her place,” she said. “They found the problem and fixed it, and I just want to let them know how wonderful they were. We are so thankful to everybody.” 

Faye Dempsey called to give a huge thank you to the trouble crew that responded to an outage on May 25th. She was very appreciative of their promptness and courteousness of the crew that responded, and she was pleased with the text messages in reference to her outage. Those who assisted Mrs. Dempsey were Electric Department employees Sharon Camacho, Casey Jones, and Davis Wynn. 

New Hires

Mandy Perry,
Customer Contact Representative I 








Bryce Harrison,
WWTP Maintenance Instrumentation / Electrician Tech I 








Graham Pearsall,
Water Resources Systems Operations/Maintenance Tech I