Behind the Tap Spotlight: Facility Maintenance Crew Leader Joe Williams

Meet Facility Maintenance Crew Leader Joe Williams. Joe works in CCWA’s General Services Department where he is responsible for managing a group of eight who take care of CCWA’s 40 facilities. This includes plumbing, painting, repairs, renovating, and other maintenance.  Joe manages these projects from scheduling the work, ordering materials, handling any issues that arise to closing out the work order.

Joe has worked in maintenance for 20 years, the past six years here at CCWA. Facility Maintenance is a physically taxing job that changes daily and keeps him, and his team, on the move. He loves his job, his team, and the fact that his job allows him to be well rounded in his skill set since he works on plumbing, carpentry, painting, flooring, sheet rock etc. ““You really have to be a jack of all trades,” Joes adds. “This variety of work keeps my skills sharp.”

Many tasks and projects are planned, but they must be flexible to respond to emergencies.  Three big projects for this year include renovating CCWA’s Newman Wetlands Center and trail, CCWA’s Shamrock Community Use Building and J.W. Smith Community Use Building. They will work on these projects while handling emergencies and other tasks as they arise. If a plant has an issue, that is always going to take top priority.

He says this type of work can be undervalued. “Sometimes people see the finished product but do not realize the work that it took to accomplish that task.” However, “because of personal pride and tremendous work ethic, my team members and I work tirelessly to provide quality results and quality service in line with our company’s core values. We try to be examples through our work of painting, framing, construction, and plumbing. Showing that Facility Maintenance and C.C.W.A. is customer and community focused.”

In his line of work, there can be many challenges. The biggest challenge is getting the necessary materials in a timely manner. “At times, our suppliers may not have the materials we need, and this may delay our completion. However, we still try to be professional in the quality of service that we provide to care for the needs of our plants.”

The COVID-19 pandemic definitely impacted his job. To help ensure social distancing among employees and customers, they installed plexiglass partitions in various buildings. When materials are not available or behind in delivery, it drags a project out longer than planned. “I like to have a quick turnaround in completing a work order or project and the pandemic has impacted that goal.” Their schedules also changed to accommodate social distancing and keep everyone safe, which impacted their daily routine.

Along with his regular job duties, Joe serves on CCWA’s Change Champion Network, an internal communication and change management team, and volunteers his time as a CCWA Ambassador at several signature outreach events.

He says he appreciates upper management genuinely caring about employees and providing resources to help employees grow and progress in their career. “They want to know what employees are thinking. This allows management to have a pulse of what’s going on and a general consensus of what employees are going through.” This, he says, motivates him to do more.

“Management’s drive is infectious, and the company has always promoted growth,” he adds. “It’s the best place I’ve ever worked.” #waterprofessional