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Those honored are, from left to right: Jack Wagner, Adam Poppleton, Terry Vail, Tom Payne, Manuel Tamajon, Bob Grice, Lenny Burke, Mike Bukacek. Not pictured: Hector Jimenez. The group is joined by Don Leuenberger, far left, and Del Lee and Nick Combs, far right. |
Nine members of the Facilities Management and Planning department received the UNMC Business and Finance department’s TEAM (Team Excellence and Merit) Award for their quick response to a water main break on Christmas Day.
The Christmas Day clean-up crew included: Tom Payne, grounds foreman; Bob Grice, project coordinator; Terry Vail, plumbers foreman; Mike Bukacek, maintenance shop; Lenny Burke, central utilities plant; Adam Poppleton, grounds/labor shop; Jack Wagner, grounds/labor shop; Hector Jimenez, plumbing shop; and Manuel Tamajon, plumbing shop.
Don Leuenberger, vice chancellor for business and finance, presented the award Jan. 29 to the men who spent Christmas day on campus after a water main on Leavenworth Street broke in front of UNMC’s 4230 Building. Water poured into the basement of the 4230 Building and, in no time, was ankle-deep.
The 4230 Building basement is used for storage of shop inventory, Facilities Management and Planning project files and UMA furniture.
“This outstanding group of guys gave up their entire Christmas Day with their families to assist in the clean-up of the entire basement,” one nominator said. “Not only did they spend exhausting hours mopping up water, they went even further by lifting and placing everything from the floor onto wood pallets. They successfully rescued shop drawings and files that could never be replaced.”
Given twice a year, the TEAM Award was initiated in December 2000 so employees could nominate deserving work groups, teams, committees, departments and/or areas. The award committee decided to recognize a third group this year because of the special nature of the Facilities Management and Planning employees’ efforts.