At Welty, we know that ultimately the best way to build a culture of teamwork, where each member feels valued, is by getting to know one another. Getting to know team members and creating a safe environment to speak-up leads to greater innovation. By building relationships, we feel more connected to each other. This is why we believe that prioritizing personal relationships, with each other and our clients, is the secret sauce to a successful team. We also can never create the high-performing teams that we crave if we don’t take the time to look beyond our work connections. Asking about each other’s lives and interests can help a team have a better understanding of the talents and gifts of each member. That recognition can build greater “flow” if teammates play to their strengths. When team members value each other’s strengths, they more effectively relate to one another, avoid potential conflicts, boost group cohesion, and create positive dialogue.
We grow our team values through:
- Listening actively to one another.
- Asking meaningful questions to make sure teammates are really ok.
- Responding to different perspectives with respect.
- Understanding each other’s learning and thinking styles.
As a part of the Welty Engagement Committee, team-building project we conducted a Q&A to help everyone get to know some of the Welty Energy team a little better! All eight Welty Energy Project Teams that support the First Energy Distribution Programs (Grid Mod & LTIIP)
Penelec (LTIIP):
Megan Farrell
Project Analyst
Q) If you were a professional athlete, what would your walkout song be?
A) I Walk The Line – Johnny Cash
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Well I just achieved one – attending the Daytona 500
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) “Get confident, stupid.” It sounds a little harsh but a professor told me that in college because he knew I could do it I just do not always have the best confidence. So when I need motivation, I think of that.
Wally Sickles
Senior Advisor
Q) You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it?
A) Water and love
Q) What current fact about your life would most impress your five year old self?
A) I was an Officer of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. One of seventeen Officers of the IBEW covering 750,000 members
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Never give up!
Ryan Hanlon
Project Coordinator
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) I once did a ride along with a transmission crew in a helicopter
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Purchasing a vehicle to camp around the United States
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Without failure there is no success
Shane Otto
Project Coordinator
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) I was a cheerleader for one year in high school
Q) What current fact about your life would most impress your five year old self?
A) Owning a house and about to get married
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Take one day at a time while looking to the future
Redi Tehairaj
Project Coordinator
Q) If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?
A) Investing or Artificial Intelligence
Q) What current fact about your life would most impress your five year old self?
A) I’m living 5000 miles away from where I grew up
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Prepare for the storm when the sea is clear
Program Support (Grid Mod & LTIIP):
Christa Wegner
Controls Specialist II
Q) What current fact about your life would most impress your five year old self?
A) That I have managed to keep my klutzy self alive
Q) You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it?
A) Fabric
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Never put anything in writing that you don’t want others to know.
Jordan Tomazich
Project Coordinator
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) Thomas Rhett took my phone twice and took selfies with me and my fiancé during his concert.
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) I want to own a supercar
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) You have to do what makes you happy.
Ohio Edison (OE):
Alex Rezmann
Project Analyst
Q) If you were a professional athlete, what would your walkout song be?
A) Thunderstruck by ACDC
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Hike all the major National Parks
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Don’t say no to opportunity. Say yes, I can do it. Figure it out when you’re in there.
Ryan Spiker
Substation Project Manager
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) ) I am a black belt in karate
Q) If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?
A) Computer Programming
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Live each day to the fullest
Nick Hough
Project Coordinator
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) ) I played golf in college
Q) If you were a professional athlete, what would your walkout song be?
A) XO TOUR Llif3 – Lil Uzi Vert
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) To keep trying and not give up
Operations Portfolio Managers, Dx (Grid Mod & LTIIP):
Scott Armstrong
Operations Portfolio Manager
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Travel to Scotland … to play golf, drink scotch, and visit Edinburgh where my Grandparents were born
Q) What current fact about your life would most impress your five-year-old self?
A) That I married the first woman I ever loved, and we’ve been together for 50+ years
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) From my Father … “I don’t care what you do in life, even if you dig ditches, but if that’s the case be the best damn ditch digger you can be!” From my Son … “Dad, you’re not a good enough golfer to get mad on the course!”
John Visner
Operations Portfolio Manager
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) I’m a huge fan of classic cars, especially first and second gen corvettes
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Play golf at Pebble Beach
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) You’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
Program Support (Grid Mod & LTIIP):
Michael Taylor
Project Coordinator
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) On December 17th, 2015 I left home to check myself into rehab. I am proud to say I’ve been clean 6 years 2 months, a few days and counting.
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Playing golf in all 50 states. 12/50 done. I have a lot of work left.
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) One day at a time.
Omar Abed
Project Analyst
Q) If you were a professional athlete, what would your walkout song be?
A) Super Gremlin – Kodak Black
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) Sandy Alomar was my next-door neighbor when he played for Cleveland Indians.
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) “Pain is temporary, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. But if you quit it will last forever.”
Grid Mod: Cleveland Illuminating Company (CEI)
Tyler Fairchild
Project Analyst
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Learning how to woodwork.
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) I own a Wedding Photography Business.
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) You’ll never get anywhere in life if you don’t live outside of your comfort zone.
Eugene R Glover
Energy Planner
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Bowling a 300 game
Q) If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?
A) auto repair for new vehicles
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) “Always keep yourself above reproach.”
Jacob Sindelar
Sr. Project Coordinator
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) I prefer dogs over people.
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Build a house on several acres of land.
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Listen more, talk less.
LTIIP: MET-ED (ME)
Khushbu Patel
Project Analyst
Q) You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it?
A) Happiness & Sunlight
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Become a Data Scientist
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Everyone goes through failure in life but only those who push through those failures will eventually become successful in life.
Steven John
Project Analyst
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) I was born in the US but raised by my uncle and aunt in India until I was 4. Then moved back to the US to live with my parents.
Q) What current fact about your life would most impress your five-year-old self?
A) I have visited 48 states so far and the only ones I have left to go to are Alaska and Hawaii.
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Don’t be afraid to fail.
Grid Mod: Toledo Edison (TE)
John Wodarski
Project Analyst
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Becoming a season ticket holder for the Green Bay Packers, currently number 130,949 in line.
Q) What is the last TV Show or Music Album you binged?
A) Currently binging Ozark
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late.
Jon Henkler
Project Coordinator
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) I love the LitRPG genre. (Literary Role-Playing Game)
Q) If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?
A) Computer Vision, specifically generation of images
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Life is all about perspective
LTIIP: West Penn Power (WP)
John Storella-Mullin
Project Coordinator
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) Growing up, I played 6 sports during middle-school (Hockey, Baseball, Track, Cross Country, Lacrosse, and Football).
Q) You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it?
A) Time with my daughter.
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) One day at a time.
Connor Szczepankowski
Project Analyst
Q) What is a fun fact about yourself that people may not know?
A) I am a high school soccer coach for my former high school.
Q) If you were a professional athlete, what would your walkout song be?
A) Forever by Drake
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Never be afraid to ask for help
LTIIP: Penn Power (PP)
Ryan Mershimer
Project Analyst
Q) If you were a professional athlete, what would your walkout song be?
A) Get Down On It
Q) What is one item on your bucket list that you are actively trying to achieve?
A) Retire early and travel
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A) Love yours – J.Cole
