It’s not easy being in charge of Kane County’s snow plowing operations and road and fleet maintenance.

You’re responsible for more than 750 lane miles of county highway. You work all hours of the day and night. Your responsibility involves the safety and welfare and tax dollars of yourself, your family, your friends and your neighbors. And your work is looked at very closely by Kane County’s 520,000-or-so  citizens virtually every day — especially during winter.

That’s why, every now and then, it’s good to pause and appreciate the good work that’s being done.

Kane County Division of Transportation’s Maintenance Superintendent Bill Edwards was awarded with the 2016 American Public Works Association, Fox Valley Branch Professional Manager of the Year – Public Fleet Award at the organization’s annual awards meeting on Jan. 12, 2016. The award seeks to inspire excellence and dedication in the public sector by recognizing the outstanding career service achievements of public fleet management professionals. The primary focus of this award is recognition of exceptional leadership and management of public sector fleets.

Edwards was noted for his exceptional leadership and management of more than 750 lane miles of county highway. He is responsible for a complicated system with varying roadway conditions and built environments with western Kane County routes having daily traffic numbers as low as 500 vehicles per day and eastern county highway routes exceeding 50,000 vehicles per day. He leads a professional team of two supervisors, 27 Teamsters and four snowbirds (on-call seasonal snow plow operators), and runs a high-caliber vehicle maintenance shop.

“We are grateful for Bill’s service,” said Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen. “There are so many good things to say about Bill Edwards, including the fact that he started his career on the front line of maintaining our equipment and has risen through all the ranks to responsibly take charge of the whole fleet operation.

“But, you haven’t seen Bill Edwards at his most animated until you’re sitting next to him 8 feet up in the cab of one of the snowplow trucks, forging your way west on Keslinger Road in an evening blizzard with him telling stories, explaining operating procedures, describing his respect and affection for his teammates, with snow billowing off the north side of the extended plow as the Metra Zephyr works its way westbound between Geneva and Elburn, taking Kane County residents safely home. That’s the larger-than-life man in his full!”

Edwards began his career with Kane County more than 26 years ago as a highway maintainer. He worked his way up the ranks and eventually, in 2006, became the maintenance superintendent of the Kane County Division of Transportation. He is a recognized leader in fleet management and has been hailed for his increased efficiency and improved level of service during winter operations even with reduced resources while the County Highway system actually grew in lane miles. He has been effectual in improving the professionalism, quality and effectiveness of maintenance capabilities and services provided by the Kane County Division of Transportation since he has been the Maintenance Superintendent.

Edwards has 30 years of experience as a mechanic and is a certified Master Heavy Truck Technician himself through the Automotive Service Excellence Blue Seal of Excellence program. He has instituted and been adamant in the ongoing ASE Blue Seal of Excellence certification of KDOT vehicle mechanics, which virtually guarantees that KDOT mechanics servicing county vehicles are the very best and are able to maintain and repair vehicles in house. Other notable achievements include the negotiation of unique union contracts where promotions are based on tests rather than simply seniority, resulting in a team of highly trained professionals. He has pioneered new procedures and policies and regularly shares his innovations and procedures with other local government partners for the benefit of other.

“Bill Edwards operates an outstanding fleet management system that employs industry best management practices in the areas of facilities, preventive maintenance, vehicle replacement, employee training/know-how/safety as well as state of the art record-keeping,” said Tom W. Talsma, vice president of Engineering Enterprises Inc., and former Geneva Public Works director. “He manages scarce county resources in a manner that is cost-effective and results in a record of first class reliability which is the backbone of quality service delivery by his department. Bill’s lifetime of dedication and service is worthy of this recognition.”

SOURCE: Kane County Division of Transportation