Get to Know Eric Schneider, March Employee of the Month

Eric Schneider is irreplaceable at the PUD. But our Generation team has gotten creative trying.

When Eric was out of town during a team celebration a few years ago, the team refused to let him miss out – so they made a life-size cardboard cutout and happily welcomed “Eric” into the festivities anyway.

Cardboard Eric, which is still proudly displayed in real Eric’s office, is a good reminder of just how vital Eric is to Team PUD. A Principal Engineer Project Manager and the Chief Dam Safety Engineer for the Jackson Hydroelectric Project, Eric still considers it one of his favorite memories from his nearly 30 years at the PUD.

Over that time, he has worked on countless efforts, including the Jackson Water Temperature Conditioning Project, the Hancock Creek and Calligan Creek Hydroelectric Project Development Team, Admiralty Tidal Project and specialized efforts for dam safety and generation engineering.

He even recently took on leading the Hat Island Cable Replacement Project.

For his willingness to listen and collaborate, as well as his technical expertise and ability to bring clarity and calm to challenging situations, Eric has been named Employee of the Month for March.

“Eric has an incredible amount of knowledge and takes on every project we throw at him with a positive attitude and strong work ethic,” said Jason Zyskowski, the PUD’s Chief Energy Resources Officer. “He is an excellent leader, immensely fun to work with, and I am so glad to have him as a part of Team PUD!”

“Eric is awesome. He is one of those people that everybody looks forward to working with,” said Scott Spahr, the Manager of Generation Operations and Engineering and Eric’s supervisor. “There is an energy that he brings with him into the room. People just feed off it and are excited he’s there. I’m an engineer. I love engineers. Eric is a one-of-a-kind engineer.”

Eric wears a lot of hats at the PUD, and his title of Chief Dam Safety Engineer means he spends a lot of time ensuring everything is operating safely and efficiently at Culmback Dam. He works with local emergency management departments, other municipalities and consultants to complete regular, comprehensive assessments of the dam.

“Eric’s ability to adapt to a variety of situations has allowed him to be a versatile and essential member of the Generation team,” said Jessica Spahr, a Program Manager at the PUD. “He regularly comes up with innovative ways to collaborate, making everyone feel involved and heard. He’s willing to admit when he doesn’t have all the answers but persists until he does. It has been a great honor to work with him for many years, and I always look forward to a new project with Eric.”

While Eric has focused on Generation and Culmback Dam’s safety measures, he was also involved in the PUD’s Tidal Project a few years ago. When he was asked about working on the Hat Island project, he immediately jumped into it and has led the complicated, wide-ranging effort.

“Eric’s been the heavy lifter on that project. Without him I don’t think it would be happening,” said JC Dahlbeck, Project Manager at the PUD, who has partnered with Eric on the Hat Island venture. “Working with Eric has been fantastic. He’s on top of everything. And he’s super chill and fun to work and joke around with.”

But it’s not all jokes with Eric. His level of preparation and anticipation is legendary at the PUD.

“He’s always trying to figure out what could go wrong,” JC said. “He likes to try to work out all the scenarios ahead of time. It makes working pretty easy because we’ve already kind of figured out all the different scenarios before they even happen.”

Eric was born in Ventura, California, and grew up in Everett. He graduated from Mariner High School, then earned an engineering degree from Washington State University. Eric joined the PUD in 1996 as an Associate Engineer in the Water Utility and steadily advanced through engineering roles, becoming a Principal Engineer in 2011.

In his free time, he enjoys skiing, mountain biking, water sports, working in the yard and traveling around the world to see his rockstar son, who plays bass for a folk-rock band.

Eric is immensely grateful to his co-workers and still admires that cardboard cutout in his office from time to time.

“It’s a small thing, but it speaks to the culture here – people who work hard, support each other and don’t miss an opportunity to have a little fun along the way,” Eric said. “I don’t see my biggest success as any single accomplishment, but rather the opportunity to contribute to a range of meaningful projects over the past 29-plus years for our customers and the Generation team.

“I truly appreciate the recognition, but this honor really reflects the people I work alongside every day. The quality of work we deliver comes from collaboration, shared experience and the willingness of others to step in and help solve problems together. I’m grateful to be part of a team that is knowledgeable, dedicated and committed to serving our community.”