Familiar faces take on new positions in District 2

Everyone is familiar with the ITD shuffle following internal promotion opportunities, but in District 2 it has produced a whirlwind of familiar faces in new roles.

Bob Schumacher transitioned from the operations engineer to the engineering manager in March, filling the vacancy left by Doral Hoff when he was promoted to district engineer.

Schumacher then held interviews for his old position and the materials engineer; Jared Hopkins left traffic behind to become the new operations engineer, and Janet Zarate moved from Decon B to materials engineer, a slot formerly held by Chad Clawson.

When longtime foreman Blake Thompson from Orofino retired recently, he was replaced by Bret Edwards from Grangeville, the operator famous for capturing the 2016 slide near Elk City on camera.

“it’s tough to make a decision with so many qualified candidate” Hoff said. “We are lucky in D2 to have an abundance of talent from the front lines to management.”

Many of these individuals continue to fulfill the duties of their previous positions while HR hunts for the best replacements.

“I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the good work that our HR team has done to help us fill these and other positions during these busy times,” Hoff said. “Now that we’re getting closer to normal, we should also take a second to congratulate this group and wish them the best.”

Published 08-05-20