“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill
Much like the previous year, we experienced significant change within our Service Department as we closed out FY2022 and rolled into FY2023. While 2021 was highlighted by a major overhaul of our operations, 2022 saw a number of key changes in our staffing.
WAM said goodbye to several long-time employees at the end of October, including three pillars within the Service Department. Rob Monaghan, Henry Sanchez, and Mark Edwards all retired at the end of 2022, after a combined 94 years of dedication to Western Allied! We will be forever grateful for their contributions, as they helped build our Service division into the industry leader we are today.
Upon Rob’s departure, James Kastelic took the reins and was left with an opportunity (aka challenge) to rebuild his team from the vacancies left behind by Henry and Mark. He brought onboard Joe Annan to take over the San Francisco (SF) and North Bay territory. Joe is a mechanical engineer that comes to us with several years of project management experience, mostly in SF. James also identified our long-time technician, Joe Byrge, as a natural replacement for Mark Edwards, primarily handling the Tarlton account. Joe graciously accepted the opportunity and began his transition out of the field and into the office. We’re excited to have Joe A. and Joe B. on the team!
Our leader of Special Projects for the past couple of decades, Pete Kelly, also chose to retire at the end of 2022. His departure presented us with an opportunity to transfer his former Project Manager Mike Hurley to our team. With Mike’s focus solely on the Wells Fargo Bank account, his transition to Service seemed most appropriate, given our longstanding relationship with the WFB team. Mike is now fully integrated in Service and is supported by Project Engineer Orlando Perez, who joined us in summer 2022 as a former CBRE technician on the Wells Fargo account. Orlando’s experience in the field and his relationships with the CBRE/WFB team have been invaluable.
Service is nothing without a strong dispatch team. The past several months has seen our dispatch group only grow stronger, with the addition of a second lead dispatcher, Anish Bakshi, and a new service coordinator, Jessica Valencia. Having two lead dispatchers is a new concept for WAM and we’re currently working through the details of a team/territory-based approach, which we feel will enrich our customer service offering. The experience and energy that Anish and Jessica bring to the team will help us navigate this exciting change.
While the most significant changes have occurred within the office recently, our field team has also undergone change. We added a second service driver position and redefined the Driver’s role and responsibilities. It’s now a hybrid role that has expanded to include filter handling and basic project support tasks, with the goal of providing these employees with valuable experience ahead of their apprenticeship. Kevin Cabral, son of former WAM technician Keith Cabral, and Kenneth Kalning Jr., son of current long-time WAM technician Ken Kalning, are currently filling these vital spots.
Our Service Division has experienced significant changes over the past couple of years, and while change is often hard and sometimes unwelcome, it’s necessary for our continued success. When we innovate, we grow stronger. Reflecting on the past couple of years and looking at the path that lies ahead, we’re as strong as we’ve ever been, and it wouldn’t have happened without change.