This Quarters’ Employee Spotlight is…
Joe Nunley – Strategy & Design
Where did you grow up? Where do you reside now?
I grew up in a little coal town called Williamstown, Pa, about an hour north of where I reside now in Harrisburg, PA.
What did you want to be when you grew up (when you were a child)?
I always wanted to be a teacher, coach, and business owner. I started my first business when I was 4. I had a roadside donut stand, but I ate most of the profits away. Then I moved on to a video rental business from my personal library until I was about 12.
What guided you into the energy efficiency industry?
My Dad did Quality Assurance Inspections as a consultant with a Pennsylvania Electric Utility when I was in high school. I used to tag along with him from time to time and got interested. After going to college for History, I had a one-year career teaching at a school for juvenile offenders. Shortly after that I decided to get into EE and started my energy auditing company, which I ran for 8 years.
What does a day in the life of Joe at PSD look it?
That is a really difficult question to answer because very few days are the same. As the Director of Program Strategy & Design, I have a broad scope of responsibilities that include but are certainly not limited to team leadership, people management, business development, program design, and program operations management. A wide variety of fun stuff is included in that scope, but most of my day is made up of a lot of meetings and a lot of talking. Which to those who know me, know that talking is what I do best! The rest of the day is generally spent strategizing for growth and spreadsheets.
What is your favorite PSD-related memory?
There are a lot to choose from in my just over 2-year tenure with PSD. But I think I would nail down the PSD Holiday Party 2020 as my favorite. In a pandemic world, we couldn’t have the in-person Philly, Ithaca, and other random pop-up holiday parties. So, in true 2020 fashion, we did it on Zoom! As part of the planning committee, a lot of work went into making this party interactive and fun for all. We were AMAZED by how many people showed up and the overall feedback of enjoyment. Often, these “forced fun” work activities fly over like a lead balloon. NOT THIS TIME! Everyone had a ton of fun and in some ways, it brought more people closer together than individual locational parties. Also, how can I not make it my favorite when I logged on early to find NJ Inspector extraordinaire, Victor Butler, sitting in his living room in a full elf costume. This was unprompted, which made it even more awesome and further verified my love for the people that work at this place. Shout out to Victor!
What do you do when you aren’t at work? Any interesting hobbies?
My favorite hobbies include exercising, hiking, and playing golf. But the hobby I enjoy most is binging tv shows with my wife, Cheryl. I stay active with ¾ of my hobbies so that I can minimize the adverse effects of sinking into the couch and eating junk on the weekends!
What is your favorite holiday?
The Christmas Season. I am not a religious person, so specifying the holiday wouldn’t be genuine for me. I love what the season represents in peace and togetherness.
Favorite musician/genre?
I love most music, except for country music. Sorry country music lovers. But 90’s/Classic Rock are my preferred genres. Beatles, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, top 3.
Favorite travel destination? Or dream travel destination?
My dream travel destination is Australia, but no chance I am spending that much time on a plane. Maybe once Elon Musk builds a Tesla plane that can get there in a few hours I’ll get to go.
What’s the top item that is still on your bucket list? Have you checked anything cool or fun off?
Playing golf at Pebble Beach is probably the top realistic item on my bucket list. The biggest thing I checked off was running a marathon. I completed that in November of 2018. But since then, I have run a 50k (31 miles), so I have bumped the bucket list goal up to a 50 miler. So, Pebble Beach and a 50-mile ultramarathon is the final answer. I love a good challenge; I wonder if I could do them back-to-back?
What is an interesting thing about yourself that not a lot of people know?
I keep a little league home run ball on my desk. Not because I want to brag and relive the glory days that I could hit a baseball when I was 12, who cares?! But because of the lessen that ball taught me and one I am reminded of every time I look at that ball. Long story short, I hit a go-ahead grand slam homerun in the second to last inning of the game. It was my second home run of the game, so while rounding second base I took my helmet off like a showboat. When I crossed home plate without my helmet on, I was called out. The runs before me counted which tied the game. The team lost the game by 1 run in extra innings. I learned that day that you always need to be humble because arrogance can cost your team the game.
Thank you, Joe! We really appreciate you taking the time to do this and are excited to have people get the chance to know a little more about our employees here at PSD.
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