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A tribute to those who make ITD a national leader

ITD Director Brian Ness scanned the list of retirees being honored for their service to Idaho and calculated they collectively represented 291 years with the state of Idaho.

Combined with 825 years of service by 49 other employees who were honored Wednesday for reaching professional milestones, the total years of service was 1,116. That represents a lot of expertise and commitment, Ness said.

A collection of plaques and awards covering a table behind him served as a visible reminder of what employees can accomplish when they pool their talents work for common goals. ITD garnered 19 national awards and 18 state honors the past year for excellence in transportation.

Considering that one of the honored projects attracted international attention in Canada, Japan, Andorra and Belgium, ITD might need to expand its quest to become the best transportation department in the country. The world might be an attainable goal, he suggested.

“We’re getting close to meeting the goal of being the best in the country,” he said. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials presented four national awards to ITD, including three President’s Awards, which is unprecedented in the organization’s 100-year history, Ness said.

He showed a video that captured television news coverage of the awards and said he never grows weary of seeing ITD’s success through the eyes of others. It’s a great honor to be that decorated, he said, but it is not a surprise.

The hard work and commitment of ITD employees is paying off, he said. It is built, in large part, on employees who are empowered to do their jobs and to make appropriate decisions closer to where the work takes place. That was one of the priorities in ITD’s realignment process.

Referring to the 10 employees who retired in the first half of 2013, Ness said two other names aren’t represented on the list – yet. He specifically thanked Mary Harker, who steps down as Chief Human Resource Officer today (Nov. 22) after 33 years of state service and Chief Engineer Tom Cole, who closes out a 31-year career when he retires next week.

ITD will miss their long and dedicated service and wishes them the best as they enter a new chapter in their lives.