Above & Beyond - Office Recipient

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The 2006 recipient of the Above and Beyond Award is a person who is characterized by boundless energy, tireless commitment, and a relentless pursuit of success.  In 2006, this individual went above and beyond when he was hand-selected to oversee the hurrican relief work in Florida.

From December 2005 through July 2006, Rob Hentkowski lived in Florida, where he worked on 4 simultaneous hurricane relief projects.  The largest of the 4 projects was repairs JRE did as a result of 2005's Hurricane Wilma.  Simultaneously, Rob was responsible for 3 large pole-pulling projects, which involved the removal of over 3,000 poles whose service was relocated by Florida Power and Light.

On any given day, between the 4 projects, Rob oversaw approximately 8 different crews, totaling over 50 electricians.  Obviously, Rob's most difficult task was organizing manpower across many different locations.  Initially, before a solid crew of foremen was in place, Rob was working over 20 hour days, getting only 3-4 hours of sleep each night.  At 10:00 each evening, he would be preparing paperwork to be sent to his PMA at the Flint office for the next morning.  Finally, when a crew of foremen was selected, his days eased a little, and he and his crew worked 12-hour days, 7 days a week.

Once the crew was established and a system of streaming paperwork back to the Flint office was implemented, the project did smooth itself out.  He even found time to fish!  In fact, when he wasn't working, he would be out on the water fishing.  He fished every opportunity he got, sent pictures to the office staff showing off his catch, and cooked fish dinner for his crews on the weekends.

The Florida Hurricane Relief Project was not a success as a result of only one man; it took a team effort of dedicated foremen and electricians, and the assistance of Barb Yarbrough in the Flint office.  However, without Rob's oversight and endless determination to make this project a success, it very easily could have gone the other way.

Because of his forthright leadership and outstanding commitment, we acknowledge Rob Hentkowski as the recipient of the Above and Beyond Award for 2006.