When Bill Puz joined EDEN as the MIS Specialist in November 2005, he worried he wouldn’t be able to remember all his new coworkers’ names. But it didn’t take him long to get to know everyone – and establish himself as one of the agency’s funniest staff members in the process.
Controller Donella Kline cites Bill’s humor as a strength that factored into his employee of the month award. She says his wisecracks can even help raise office morale. All jokes aside, Bill was also selected for the award because of his dependability and willingness to learn more as EDEN continues to grow.
The MIS Specialist position was created last year to help manage the agency’s database. Bill’s responsibilities include managing client, property and grant information. A typical day might involve updating recertifications and entering new clients in the database. Bill also works on fiscal reports and is always ready to assist other EDEN employees when they turn to him for help.
Before joining EDEN, Bill was employed as a computer operator with a large corporation, but he disliked the impersonal atmosphere. He says that an agency like EDEN can offer a more close-knit environment.
“It’s more personal here,” he explains. “I like that.” In fact, Bill says his favorite part of working for EDEN is getting to know his coworkers. Besides the occasional joke, Bill also likes to share his love of Texas and football.
But it’s not all fun and games – he has work to do, after all. Bill says the most challenging aspect of his job is having enough time to input all the necessary information into the database. He somehow manages to juggle his own responsibilities while also helping his fellow employees when he has the time.
All that hard work makes him a clear candidate for the employee of the month award, but Bill says he was initially shocked to be named a recipient. Once it sunk in, though, he was back to his old self. When asked if he has anything to say to the people who gave him this award, he responded in typical fashion:
“The check is in the mail.”
