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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Yassmin Gramian today recognized 29 PennDOT employees for their outstanding performance with the Star of Excellence Award, PennDOT’s highest recognition.  Two employees from PennDOT’s District 12 which represents Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties were among the honorees.

“These employees exemplify the care and concern needed to serve the state of Pennsylvania,” Gramian said. “Each puts effective and efficient transportation services at the top of their list daily, while demonstrating a strong commitment to the agency and roughly 12 million state residents.” 

Gramian and other department executives honored winners Douglas Wise and Ryan Medvitz during an online ceremony.

“We are so fortunate to have so many dedicated and hard-working employees, especially during these difficult times.  I am pleased to recognize these two outstanding employees who have gone the extra mile in serving the residents of Pennsylvania. They exemplify the values and standards that we strive to achieve in District 12” said William Kovach PennDOT District 12-0 Executive.

Douglas Wise, Highway Forman 2 In his position as a Highway Forman 2, Doug leads by example. He never misses a call out and often fills in for others who are not available. He ensures every task assigned is done completely and professionally and is always looking for ways to become more efficient in all he does. His dedication, dependability and loyalty to the County, District, and Department serve as an example for his peers. At the end of each summer season, he purchases out of his own pocket, gift cards and presents them to his college interns to help as they return to school. This characteristic continues into his professional relationships with the employees on his crews. He serves as a mentor to younger employees who he helps mold into quality employees like himself. To ensure the safety of his crew Doug will call the QA Evaluator to come and review his traffic control setups to ensure they are correct always looking for opportunities to improve. He takes the initiative to increase efficiency and continually looks to cut costs, improve productivity, and safety. His work is done correctly, completely, and timely on all assigned tasks.

Ryan Medvitz, P.E., District Maintenance Manager Ryan began his career as a civil engineer in the Traffic Unit and obtained his professional Engineer’s license in 2017. He progressed through the maintenance unit to Bridge Maintenance Coordinator, working with the Bridge Unit and the Department Force Bridge crews to deliver 12 bridges/year. Ryan developed a 10-year Department Force Bridge program saving an average of $250,000/bridge. The completion of 36 structures played a key role to reach 10% poor bridges district-wide.

Ryan’s next developed a process to review, design, and obtain permits to repair damaged storage buildings with Department forces. He oversaw the construction of 30 structures to quickly reopen these critical buildings at a reduced cost. The process has been recognized statewide as a best management practice.

Ryan also provided oversight of a recent Longwall Mining Operation under Interstate 70, and he developed a slide severity index to catalog, prioritize, and document every landslide within the District.

Ryan’s cost saving efforts amount to $1.5 Million Yearly. The Star of Excellence Awards are presented annually to employees who represent the department’s values of service, performance and integrity. The recipients represent a variety of organizational positions, spanning from highway maintenance and driver and vehicle services workers, to traffic control specialists, communications staff and design and engineering specialists.

For more information on PennDOT activities in Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties visit www.penndot.gov/District12. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Jay Ofsanik, 724-439-7135