Dragonfly Pond Works Careers: Meet Mickey, Stormwater Expert
Dragonfly Pond Works Careers Feature:
Mickey started as an intern in 2016 and is now the Regional Manager for Dragonfly Pond Works’ Triangle and Wilmington Markets. Mickey leads and oversees our construction and non-recurring crews in these markets through expertise and first-hand experiences.
Dragonfly Pond Works Careers: Mickey Feature
Tell us about your background and career path with Dragonfly?
I have always had a passion for the environment due to growing up on a farm and exploring the outdoors with my dad. Since my dad owned a farm, I grew up driving tractors and other equipment. Eventually, he decided to go work in construction where I worked part-time any time I could. After high school, I decided to attend NC State to obtain a degree in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. While at NC State, I developed a strong interest in stormwater and runoff. This led me to an internship with Dragonfly in May 2016. As an intern, I assisted anywhere I was needed throughout the company. I bounced between maintenance, mowing, and non-recurring. After graduation, I was offered an opportunity within the company to move to Florida. With the stormwater experience I had already gained and my early background in construction, I jumped on the opportunity to move to Florida as a non-recurring crew leader to help develop Dragonfly's construction and repair services there. After helping to establish our capabilities in Florida, I moved back to North Carolina as a crew leader and in 2019 was promoted to Regional Manager.
What does your average day look like?
About 90% of my time is spent assisting crews with current and future projects. I am also responsible for ordering specific materials, lining up vendors for supplies, machines, and equipment. Conditions can change from the time a job is sold to when work starts, so I always like to get eyes on projects to prepare for success. I also assist Client Service Managers with estimating and expectations for larger projects.
Dragonfly Pond Works Careers: Mickey spends 90% of his time assisting crews in the field.
What do you love most about your job?
I love making an excellent finished project for our clients. It's rewarding to be able to beautify stormwater control measures to create an environmentally impactful sanctuary for communities. I also love interacting with people and assisting crew members with learning new skills and completing projects. Every day brings a different challenge and problem solving pushes me to continually grow my skills and knowledge. If I'm not challenged, I'm not learning.
How has Dragonfly helped you in your career development?
The internship provided me with a unique opportunity to see all sides of the business before coming on as a full-time employee. Dragonfly has offered me numerous opportunities to grow my skills and experience in the four years that I've been here. Paving the way for our non-recurring work in Florida helped me gain great industry insight and learn through solving new problems in a different area. I think my hard work and willingness to learn helped me grow in the company and showed I could take on more responsibility. In turn, Dragonfly allowed me to advance my career and gave me the opportunity to take on new roles. All of the different opportunities I've been offered have greatly expanded my knowledge of the industry and Dragonfly's operations.
What has been your favorite project?
My favorite project was a major shoreline restoration for a Florida community, Corkscrew Shores. This has been one of the largest projects for the company and presented a variety of challenges throughout the process. In addition to the normal challenges of a project that large, every afternoon it would rain for an hour or two. This required lots of strategic planning. We had to plan when to do work by hand and when we'd be able to use equipment without causing too much damage to the home properties around the shoreline. With thoughtful planning, we were able to to make everything run smoothly and finished within budget.
Corkscrew Shores
What advice do you have for prospective interns and employees in general?
My best advice is to ask questions. This is a specialized industry, so the only way to learn is to ask questions and gain experience through doing the work. Watch your peers and understand what they're doing and why they're doing it in a certain way. I think being attentive, hardworking, and willing to learn, is very important in any industry. If you want to learn more about something, take opportunities and ask questions to expand your knowledge and skill set.
What are your hopes for our industry?
I would like to educate more people about our industry and why it's important. I think it's important to educate homeowners, landowners, property managers, and the general public about why stormwater control measures even exist and why they are needed in the environment. Some people understand that the work we do is required by the city, but don't know why it's important to the city. Expanding public knowledge of our industry is very important.
What has been your favorite place you've traveled?
I loved Hawaii, especially Maui. It was incredible to see so many different climates and regions in one area. You can be at the beach and within a 45-minute drive, you can be at 10,000 feet elevation on top of Haleakalā. I appreciated the extreme differences and wildlife on one island.
Dragonfly Pond Works Careers: Mickey assists with a stormwater conversion.
Learn More About Dragonfly
Learn more about our Team and Dragonfly Pond Works Careers.
Dragonfly Pond Works provides pond, lake, and stormwater management in Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Charlotte, Wilmington, North Carolina, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Columbia, South Carolina, Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Naples, St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, Florida, and Atlanta, Athens, and Savannah Georgia.
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