2009 NCDA&CS Employee of the Year stands in one of the many labs that he maintains for the Food and Drug Protection Division
William “Billy” Tarpey of Fuquay-Varina, an employee in the Food and Drug Protection Division, was recently selected as the NCDA&CS Employee of the Year for his exceptional performance and dedication to duty as facility maintenance supervisor of the division’s labs. Billy was chosen from the 12 Employee of the Month selections from 2009.
As facility maintenance supervisor for the Food & Drug Division, Billy oversees the maintenance and repair of the Constable Laboratory, Ballentine Building and the Constable Laboratory Annex, which houses the pesticide disposal assistance program.
“Each of the buildings Billy oversees is more than 30 years old, so there are often problems with the mechanics. The day-to-day maintenance and multi-building repair work would keep two employees busy,” said Dan Ragan, director of the Food and Drug Protection Division. “Billy often puts in late hours or works through the weekend to ensure the systems are working and to minimize the impact on the laboratories’ testing schedules.”
Billy was nominated by then-director Joe Reardon, Vickie Sorrell and Betty Gayle Gautier:
What makes Billy so deserving of this award is the many extra hours of work that have been required of him during this period. On numerous occasions, Billy displayed outstanding dedication and exceptional technical knowledge in the performance of his duties. As an example of his sacrifice and devotion to duty, Billy, who values his family time had to respond to a warning page on a weekend to repair the Constable Laboratory’s cooling tower. This was an event that required many hours of trouble shooting and approximately 8 hours of maintenance work on a Sunday. Needless to say, due to his diligence and extraordinary efforts, the problem was resolved with no further issues. Additionally, because of Billy’s exceptional rapport with the cooling system’s mechanical representatives, he was able to acquire their services without charge for the weekend response, thus saving the department money during this tough economic period.
The above example is just one of many examples during this period when Billy exhibited devotion to duty, personal sacrifice, professionalism, and exceptional technical knowledge characterized by initiative and his concern for ensuring delivery of outstanding customer service to those Divisions working in the buildings charged to his care.
-nomination by Joe Reardon, Vickie Sorrell and Betty Gayle Gautier
In addition to the heating and air systems, Billy helps maintain the equipment inside the laboratory, from industrial-size refrigerators to high-tech testing equipment.
Billy began his state career as a general utility worker with the Department of Cultural Resources in 1994. He joined the NCDA&CS Food & Drug Protection Division in 1995 as a maintenance mechanic before he was becoming facility maintenance supervisor II.
2009 NCDA&CS Employees of the Month
- January: Cathy Leibensperger, Research Stations Division (Piedmont Research Station)
- February: Jose Silva, State Fair Division
- March: Tommy Woodard, Agricultural Statistics Division
- April: Plant, Waste, Solution and Media Section, Agronomic Division
- May: Linda Bond, Marketing Division
- June: William “Billy” Tarpey, Food and Drug Division
- July: Kristen Peele, Emergency Programs Division
- August: Rebecca Norris, Plant Industry Division
- September: Karlie Justus, Public Affairs Division
- October: Karen Bryan, Agricultural Statistics Division
- November: Joy Malok, Human Resources Division
- December: Gwen Van Duyn, Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division