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D4 Innovation Steward: Trey Mink

A few years ago, ITD leadership noticed that great ideas generated out in the field weren't getting submitted into the innovation funnel. The main culprit was not an unwillingness, but rather just not knowing how. So to remove that barrier, innovation stewards were added in each district to facilitate the submission of ideas. These innovation stewards may not be extremely well-known in the districts.

To address this, profiles of these stewards will be published in these pages in the coming weeks. The first one was D5 Innovation Steward Greydon Wright, followed by D6 Steward Josh Sprague . We continue this week with D4 Innovation Steward Trey Mink (pictured right):

What intrigued you about this role?
I didn't know enough about the steward position to be intrigued. But the process has been very enjoyable, educational and a change of thought.

How long have you been the D4 innovation steward?
I have been the D4 innovation steward since the beginning of the steward program, so a little over two years.

Are there common misperceptions you often hear that prove to hinder the process of submitting ideas? How would you answer those concerns?
Take a look at the innovation site and see how many ideas are being submitted from all around the state. However, there are many employees from all the districts and sections that are being innovative on a daily basis by discovering new ways and methods to perform their daily tasks more effectively, efficiently and safer, but are not submitting their ideas because they believe "it is their job to find ways to improve."

I am a 25-year employee of ITD and the change in culture has been remarkable. When I hired on in 1992, new ideas or suggested changes to a process were not welcome, to put it politely. And now, in just a couple of years into the innovation program, ITD employees have accomplished a lot of improvements in their work activities.

What have you found to be most rewarding about the position or the process?
The most rewarding part of the innovation process is the serendipitous result of the independent personal development of the employees. The empowerment of the employees to 1) have an idea, 2) develop and research the idea, and 3) implement the idea has given employees confidence and an acknowledgement of their skills and knowledge. I have been very impressed with the skills and knowledge being utilized to implement their ideas.