Fort Riley Directorate of Public Works awards reflect efforts of many

By Alison KohlerJune 25, 2009

FORT RILEY, Kan. - One directorate on Fort Riley can celebrate receiving top honors again at Fort Riley's regional level.

Two Public Works employees were named 2008 Executives of the Year by Installation Management Command, West Region, joining the ranks of another Public Works employee who earned the award across all of IMCOM regions earlier this year.

Keith Jevons was selected as Operations and Maintenance Executive of the Year and Michael Goreham won Engineering and Planning Executive of the Year at the region level. Both received personal notes from J. Randall Robinson, director of IMCOM West for their accomplishments.

"I just opened it Monday and saw this," Jevons said. "It's a good thing. I'm pleased to have recognition for the work that not just me, but my division does."

Jevons has worked as the chief of the Operations and Maintenance Division of the Directorate of Public Works since 2002 and has been working on Fort Riley since 1981.

He has 187 employees in the division, which is responsible for roads and grounds, service orders, scheduled maintenance, utilities and operations.

Goreham has worked as the chief of the Planning Division since 1995 and has more than 20 years experience in Public Works.

"A lot of people have to work together on construction projects. The Corps of Engineers, Public Works, the user and contractors all work together to get the darn thing built," Goreham said. "Sometimes it's five years; rarely is it less than two years."

As Fort Riley has increased its Soldier population, new facilities have been needed and changes make master planning a very dynamic process, according to Larry McGee, director of Public Works, who submitted the nominations. The Fiscal Year 2008 plan started with $189.5 million worth of projects and ended up having $738 million approved.

McGee submitted the nominations without the employees knowing.

"Out of the blue, these showed up. There it was sitting on my desk. Obviously it feels good to be recognized," Goreham said.

In April, Julie Poyser was named 2008 Business Management Executive of the Year for all of IMCOM.

Both of the current winners have several missions under their purview, and the awards were based on accomplishments in all areas of their respective divisions.

"It's more a reflection of what the division does than just one person," Jevons said.