Meet Our March Employee of the Month

J.D. Daniel has seen his share of storms during his 30-plus years at the PUD. However, last November’s bomb cyclone was his first as a Line Construction General Foreman for east Snohomish County. J.D. sprang into action during the storm, ensuring work was completed as quickly – and, more importantly, as safely – as possible. He had a goal to get everyone’s power on and workers home by Thanksgiving. He was successful, and his quick thinking sped restoration efforts and earned J.D. the March Employee of the Month award.

“J.D. single-handedly saved the PUD one to two days on this storm,” said Mark Flury, Senior Manager, Transmission & Distribution, System Operations & Engineering. “And the storm cost us upwards of $2 million per day. He planned and managed anywhere from five to 15 line crews at any one time to work as efficiently as possible. His knowledge of the service area and PUD work practices, combined with efficiency and safety, were invaluable and do not even begin to describe his value and the effort he contributed.”

“In the bomb cyclone alone, just his knowledge and ability to quickly project future needs and what would have to happen down the line was priceless,” said Cassie Dahlbeck, Operations Superintendent. “Just knowing where to place everybody at the right time and the right moment moved everything along so fast.”

The bomb cyclone brought rain and heavy winds – with gusts over 70 miles per hour. Damage was widespread with east Snohomish County hit particularly hard. At the peak of the storm, 135,000 outages were reported.

Factoring in PUD and mutual aid crews, J.D. managed up to 15 line crews at one time and ensured everyone followed proper safety procedures. He mapped out the work to be as efficient as possible and even drove each Foreman to show them clearance points so everyone was on the same page.

“There was a lot of damage and a lot of juggling to try to get crews in the right spots to get things done quickly and efficiently as possible,” J.D. said. The East County team worked so hard during all of that. It wasn’t me, it was everybody working together.”

When not dealing with a generational storm, J.D. is still taking care of business for the Snohomish and Monroe offices. He’s known as a hard worker, a bit of a joker and someone who has strong relationships with everyone.

“J.D. is selfless and works hard every day to make everyone successful, while taking no credit himself,” said Aaron Janisko, Senior Manager, Regional Design and Construction Services. “He wants our employees to be successful and our customers to be taken care of safely. J.D. has a can-do attitude that spreads to everyone around him.”

“J.D. keeps my head on for me,” Cassie added. “If it wasn’t for him communicating and keeping things moving, and the support he does for the crews, we’d be a mess. He’s just taken it to another level. It wouldn’t be possible to have both offices running as efficiently as they do without him.”

To illustrate J.D.’s level of thoughtfulness, Cassie described how he customized her side of his truck to make her more comfortable.

“We drive around during storms and I’m a very cold person and he runs hot,” Cassie said. “I have the heater cranked and his head’s hanging out the window in the cold because he’s so warm. I’m a passenger princess.

“He’s customizing my side of the truck because my phone flies off his dash. He got me a phone holder and hand warmers. If he could, he’d probably put a curtain or a barrier between us.”

In his (rare) free time, J.D. likes to hunt, fish and golf. He also enjoys spending time with his family at their property in Winthrop.

J.D., who has also served as a Lineman, Foreman and Serviceman during his career at the PUD, said his favorite part of the new General Foreman role is the variety. He likes working with everyone from the Line Crews to Engineering Technicians to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

He does expect a little ribbing coming after receiving this award but is thankful to be honored. He stated, multiple times, that the recognition should extend to others beyond just him.

“They’re great. I have a good team of people that I work with,” J.D. said. “This should be recognition for them too.”