Valdosta Mayor John Gayle and Public Works Director Richard Hardy honored Bryan Recinos-Mendez as the March 2015 Employee of the Month at the March 5 City Council Meeting. Mendez received a framed certificate, a check for $200, and his name appears on a plaque displayed inside of City Hall.

As the Small Engine Mechanic, Recinos-Mendez completes maintenance on all small equipment and fabricates parts needed for repair of equipment and vehicles. He also utilizes his welding abilities on city vehicles, equipment and property in the maintenance shop and in the field. Using his skill in metal working, Recinos-Mendez repairs the side sheaves, lids and bottoms of commercial dumpsters to ensure they are returned to full service, saving the city from purchasing countless new dumpsters.

Recently, Recinos-Mendez took the initiative to design and build new service racks for two new service trucks purchased for the Utilities Department and Stormwater Division. The city typically contracts machine companies for the service racks, often resulting in numerous trucks out of service for a period of eight days or more at a time. Recinos-Mendez, however, only took two days to build and one day to install each of these service racks. His initiative and hard work significantly reduced the time the trucks were out of service to three days and saved the city approximately $4,000.

The City of Valdosta applauds Bryan Recinos-Mendez for his initiative and dedication to the Public Works Department and for being named the March 2015 Employee of the Month.