The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recently honored two employees for outstanding service. Herman Honeycutt, a project manager with the information technology section, and David R. Brown, a forest supervisor with the N.C. Forest Service, received the honors.
Employee of the month Herman Honeycutt with Commissioner Troxler
In his almost five years with the NCDA&CS, Honeycutt has managed projects for many areas of the department, including Forest Management, Budget and Finance, State Fair, Structural Pest Control and Pesticides, Plant Industry and Agronomic Services. “Herman has proven to be a top-notch computer programmer and a very organized and detail-oriented manager of projects,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said. “Herman delivers projects on time and with a great attitude.”
Honeycutt has completed several large IT projects for agriculture, including a major four-year project with the Agronomic Services Division. The project presented many obstacles beyond Honeycutt’s control, yet he remained calm, professional and enthusiastic in his interaction with staff and vendors and kept the project moving forward. He is currently working with the staff of the Plant Industry Division in developing a nursery license system.
His colleagues in the information technology section are thankful for the great reputation he brings to their group.
Employee of the month David Brown with Chief Deputy Commissioner David Smith
Over the past 11 years, forest supervisor David R. Brown has welcomed more than five million visitors to DuPont State Recreational Forest. He manages the 10,400-acre property, and the natural and man-made resources within, including more than 80 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. Brown supervises agency staff working at this facility and the seven-day-a-week scheduling needed to meet the demands of the nearly half-million visitors to the forest annually.
“As the only forest supervisor to serve at DuPont State Recreational Forest, David has done a great job protecting and preserving not only the park, but the natural resources found inside,” said Chief Deputy Commissioner David Smith in presenting the award. Given that the waterfalls are a major attraction of this forest, Brown has worked to fund and complete more than $300,000 in water-resource restoration projects at DuPont.
With his living quarters on the property, Brown has also worked many hours of the day and night to locate visitors that have lost their bearings. His calm demeanor serves him well when communicating with customers under the worst of conditions.
Over the past year, Brown has been actively involved in managing major facility infrastructure improvements at the forest. These include construction of a new visitor center, installation of a new pedestrian bridge and construction of additional parking lots to support visitation to Hooker Falls.
As a 39-plus year employee of the N.C. Forest Service, Brown is retiring at the end of August. “Next year I hope to be in the running for best retired employee of the month,” he joked while receiving his honor.