Meet Our Employee of the Month for December

Customers can be experiencing a lot of emotions when they call the PUD looking for help. They can be upset, scared, confused and lots of other things besides “happy to be talking with you.”

But it doesn’t matter how someone feels when they call the PUD’s Water Utility, because by the time they hang the phone up, they’re likely going to feel thankful.

That’s the Veronica Black effect. Known for her empathy and willingness to do whatever she can to help customers, Veronica is as loved by Team PUD as she is by the people we serve. Her hard work recently earned her a promotion to Senior Water Services Coordinator, as well as the December Employee of the Month award.

“Veronica is an invaluable member of the Water Utility,” said Jeff Kalstrom, Chief Water Operations Officer. “She’s everywhere, helping everyone. Veronica is always so positive and keeps everyone’s spirits high! She goes above and beyond to help our customers, as well as other members of Team PUD. I couldn’t be more grateful for all that she does for us.”

After her promotion, Veronica’s focus is primarily the PUD’s new advanced water meters and looking for trends relating to leak detection and meters that aren’t responding. According to Christina Arndt, Manager of Water Utility and Business Services, a big part of her promotion was due to her ability to communicate with everyone, as well as her thirst for knowledge.

“She loves to be around people because she loves helping people,” Christina said. “She wants all of the knowledge she can get, so she asks a lot of questions. She interacts with our crew, the engineers, her own team, customers, everyone. She just has a way to calm people down when they’re calling in about tough or serious situations.”

Always ready for a challenge, Veronica has taken on many difficult tasks. She has obtained two Department of Health water certifications, led the search for a vendor to help digitize binders and manuals, served as one of the Water Utility’s Safety Chairs and performs a host of other projects to ensure things run smoothly in Lake Stevens.

Veronica loves working for the Water Utility, which she says is like a family.

“Water is a tight-knit group. We care about each other so much,” Veronica said. “I thought I had a leak at my house and I was freaking out. I called a colleague who was on PTO and he came right over saying, ‘Well, we’ve got to figure it out. I’m on my way.’ People here are very observant, thoughtful and caring.”

It sounds like Veronica is cut from the same, selfless cloth.

“Veronica, just being who she is, helps make the Water Utility the best we can be,” said Lee Ervin, Water Crew Coordinator. “Veronica always has a smile. Despite being so busy, she always is willing to help other employees. She has had quite a few customers call in and/or email in their appreciation for Veronica’s excellent customer service. Just last week, someone emailed in to say, ‘thank you.’”

“I have worked with Veronica for several years now. She has always been dedicated to her family, co-workers and our customers,” said Kevin Presler, Project Manager. “Veronica genuinely cares for everyone and goes out of her way to help. I would often hear her on the phone with a struggling customer. She has a way of calming people down, explaining the situation and helping them through their options. Veronica truly deserves to be celebrated and has earned this award. We are lucky to have her on Team PUD!”

Veronica said she was shocked – and honored, in that order – to hear of her award. She was quick to point out that Team PUD is full of amazing, potential employees of the month.

“I was genuinely moved by it,” Veronica said. “There are so many people at the PUD who deserve this award. I genuinely work with people in this department – and other departments – who give 110 percent. So, I really feel like it should be shared. There are just so many people who make my work easy and enjoyable. I get to work with so many amazing people.”