President's Classified Employee of the Year, 2nd Place
Ken Hughes
Construction Project Coordinator
Rebel Since: 2003
Inaugural Classified Rookie of the Year award winner in 2005
Why UNLV: I spent 15 years of my union roofing career as a project manager working for contractors up and down the Las Vegas Strip. It got tiring working 80-90 hours a week and feeling that your work was not appreciated. I wanted a change and I really feel valued here. I know there are a lot of buildings now where people don't cringe when it rains. That was a different story before I got here.
What you do: I monitor the contractors who are working on campus. I write up the scopes and invite the contractors to bid and then review and qualify the bids with purchasing. Donald Faulkner and I are the only roofers on campus. Although I don't work in the roof shop, I do supervise what goes on there.
Working nights at times: We do reroofing projects during the summer because there are fewer students on campus and the work is done at night because the building is not occupied. I also typically work nights during winter break when we have abatement and mechanical retrofit projects in progress. You would be surprised by all the colorful characters that are on campus at night.
Working on roofs: Heights aren't an issue for me. I did the roof of the Stratosphere, which is more than 1,000 feet tall. The tallest building we have on campus is FDH at 138 feet.
Saving UNLV money: Before I got here, most roof repairs were done by outside contractors. Since I've been here, I can't remember paying an outside contractor to patch and repair single-ply roofs. The only projects we bid out to contractors are the complete reroofing of the large buildings. Also, a composite group of facilities management employees installed all the skylights on the second floor of the Sogg Architecture Building, which has made an impact to the passive light.
One of my first projects was a reroofing at the Shadow Lane campus. We bought the materials ourselves and probably saved $200,000 just by direct purchase of material.
Can't work without: My Lotus Notes email and my computer. I generate my estimates on my computer and have the same spreadsheets that most outside contractors use. I can generate estimates and develop budgets and be within a percent or two of the contractors' estimate.
People would be surprised to know: I help coordinate Premier UNLV by working with residential life, the fireworks contractor, and photo services to make sure everything is ready to go on the roofs of BEH and LLB. It makes for a long day but the kids really enjoy it.
Stress reliever: I like to fish and ride ATV's. I go to Northport, Wash., where my friend and coworker Del Kolbet has a cabin. We usually go about three times a year to work on the cabin and to fish. It's quiet and there are no phones, making it a great place to recharge.
What People Nominating Hughes for the Award Had to Say
Kevin Raschko, assistant director for facilities management, praised Hughes for preparing a 20-year predictive roof report immediately after he began at UNLV, noting "the report has allowed us to replace roof systems before they become issues and cause damage." He also credited Hughes with approaching every job by trying to get the most out of the state funding the university receives.
Karl Reynolds, facilities management director, said, "Because of his never-ending quest to learn, his attention to detail, and his dedication to UNLV, he now has expanded project management duties that he has adapted to very well. In addition to roof projects, he is taking on an increased role on all projects within facilities management."
