Yancey Smiley- Behind the Scenes

We often celebrate our crews for projects well done, but have you ever thought about the unsung heroes who help jobs get complete?

Meet Yancey Smiley, he is our Fuel and Lube employee in the Indianapolis area. Yancey has fuelled our jobs since 2014, but before that he was an operator for 29 years. A day in Yancey’s life starts out much earlier than the crews. He has anywhere between 10-15 jobs in an area where equipment needs fueled up at. The amount of logistical planning and strategy that goes into this takes dedication, and that is exactly what Yancey delivers.

We asked Yancey about the skills it takes for this position. What we learned is that it takes a wide variety. First and foremost, he described that you must be self-motivated and self-managed. Yancey has no direct report, instead he answers the calls from different superintendents on where to go. It is then up to him how he goes about the request. Yancey said that this take being flexible, if there is a job that needs fuel more than another at a certain moment, he must then go back to the drawing board on his route. Next, trust must be another factor. Superintendents can trust that Yancey will be where he says he will. Over his 9 years, Yancey has been able to build those relationships and be a reliable asset to our jobs. Lastly, Yancey says he is always thinking forward. Jobs are constantly moving forward each day; Yancey is proactive in thinking where crews will be for the next day fuel up and he creates a plan.

Although, it can get quite chaotic to fuel 10-15 jobs at a time, Yancey says that the most rewarding part is being able to see projects come to life. Each day, he is able to see asphalt laid, bridges built, or concrete poured. Yancey gets to see each job in action when coming to refuel.

Yancey, thank you for being a behind the scenes hero. Because of you, we are able to make lives better one road and bridge at a time.