Physical Plant Bryan Voltz is Team Player
When Bryan Voltz worked for Stemmle Plumbing and Repair Inc. a few years back, he spent much of his time at Collegiate. When he wasn’t connecting gas lines, cleaning drains, or installing the latest high tech gadgets, he was responding to some plumbing emergency which a facility with 24 heavily used buildings spread over 55 acres can invariably incur. In fact, he was here so much that he seemed almost like family. It came as no surprise, then, that when a position for a full-time plumber became available in January 2001, Voltz jumped at the opportunity. What I didn’t know at the time was that he’d been eyeing a spot on the staff for quite a while.
“I’d been here a couple of times when I got to talking to Gene Jones (who was then the physical plant director),” said Voltz. “I really liked the guys I worked with here. They were so knowledgeable, and everybody was so willing to help. I told Gene that if a job every became available, I’d like to be considered.”
“I’d been here a couple of times when I got to talking to Gene Jones (who was then the physical plant director),” said Voltz. “I really liked the guys I worked with here. They were so knowledgeable, and everybody was so willing to help. I told Gene that if a job every became available, I’d like to be considered.”
In his three-and-a-half years on the staff, Voltz has filled a wide variety of assignments. Foremost, he’s put his skill and years of experience to work as a plumber, caring for the facilities on the Mooreland Road campus and overseeing the complex irrigation system on the athletic fields in Goochland.
When everything under his jurisdiction is running smoothly, he’s happy to pitch in where needed. He’s done everything from running phone lines to unlocking doors to painting to cutting grass to directing traffic, much like the other folks on the physical plant staff who quietly go about their business of helping Collegiate operate efficiently.
“Bryan is flexible and willing to take on any responsibility you give him,” said Dave Hamblen, the current physical plant director. “That makes him a valuable member of the team. He’s very accommodating and has a good sense of humor and attitude about the school and his role.”
Voltz began his career the way many tradesmen do -- as a “go-fer” at the grass roots level. For many years, his father was president of Aireco-Voltz Inc, a mechanical contracting firm that did heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and some electrical work. When Bryan was about 13, he dug ditches, cleaned up the shop, carried tools, and helped out in any other way he could. He developed a love for things mechanical. He learned to work with his hands. More important, he learned the value of getting his hands dirty.
When he graduated from J.R. Tucker High School, he was hustling between jobs at a carpet warehouse and at a service station. “One fell though,” he said with a smile. “The other one I quit. That’s when I went full time with my dad. He didn’t treat me special. He expected me to know more than anybody else. He threw me out there with the mechanics. Back then, you learned a lot on the job.”
When it comes to plumbing, Voltz has proven to be a natural. In fact, his father often compared his mechanical instincts to those of his own father, who in his younger days took a bunch of scrap metal and spare parts, bolted and welded them together, and built a tractor from scratch.
Since he’s been at Collegiate, Voltz has built no tractors. Instead, he’s simply brought his expertise to myriad tasks, performed his job well, and stepped into the background, content that he’s doing his share.
“These guys I work directly with are as nice a group as you’d ever want to meet,” he said. “They’ll do anything in the world for you, and that’s what makes you get up in the morning and come to Collegiate.”--Weldon Bradshaw wbradsha@collegiate-va.org
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When everything under his jurisdiction is running smoothly, he’s happy to pitch in where needed. He’s done everything from running phone lines to unlocking doors to painting to cutting grass to directing traffic, much like the other folks on the physical plant staff who quietly go about their business of helping Collegiate operate efficiently.
“Bryan is flexible and willing to take on any responsibility you give him,” said Dave Hamblen, the current physical plant director. “That makes him a valuable member of the team. He’s very accommodating and has a good sense of humor and attitude about the school and his role.”
Voltz began his career the way many tradesmen do -- as a “go-fer” at the grass roots level. For many years, his father was president of Aireco-Voltz Inc, a mechanical contracting firm that did heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and some electrical work. When Bryan was about 13, he dug ditches, cleaned up the shop, carried tools, and helped out in any other way he could. He developed a love for things mechanical. He learned to work with his hands. More important, he learned the value of getting his hands dirty.
When he graduated from J.R. Tucker High School, he was hustling between jobs at a carpet warehouse and at a service station. “One fell though,” he said with a smile. “The other one I quit. That’s when I went full time with my dad. He didn’t treat me special. He expected me to know more than anybody else. He threw me out there with the mechanics. Back then, you learned a lot on the job.”
When it comes to plumbing, Voltz has proven to be a natural. In fact, his father often compared his mechanical instincts to those of his own father, who in his younger days took a bunch of scrap metal and spare parts, bolted and welded them together, and built a tractor from scratch.
Since he’s been at Collegiate, Voltz has built no tractors. Instead, he’s simply brought his expertise to myriad tasks, performed his job well, and stepped into the background, content that he’s doing his share.
“These guys I work directly with are as nice a group as you’d ever want to meet,” he said. “They’ll do anything in the world for you, and that’s what makes you get up in the morning and come to Collegiate.”--Weldon Bradshaw wbradsha@collegiate-va.org
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