Paul Leazier is HAC’s October Employee of the Month, and when you spend some time talking with him about his work here, you quickly understand why. A maintenance team member, Paul immensely enjoys what he does because fixing and maintaining is his natural inclination.
Plus, he loves seeing how that fix-and-maintain mindset and work regularly impacts our guests’ quality experiences in our pools and on dryland.
“I appreciate the honor, but I have a hard time parking in the (employee of the month) spot every day,” he humbly confesses. “Don’t get me wrong; it’s very nice to be recognized. But I just really like coming in and getting my work done to the best of my ability for this place.”
Paul’s daily work is rarely redundant. Well, except for regularly testing our eight pool’s (soon-to-be nine) water quality. This gets done twice a day “but I walk into the mechanical room often just to be sure things are running right,” he adds. “The rest of my day is about fixing problems and observing things that could be problems before they need to be fixed.”
Prior to joining the HAC staff two years ago, Paul worked as a journeyman plumber for 22 years in the Grand Rapids area, first with a mechanical subcontractor (where he was certified to install medical gas systems) and then for Calvin University. He is also a US Navy veteran who served on the USS Enterprise.
“I remember landing on that carrier (in the Indian Ocean) like it was yesterday,” he recalls. “We were on small plane coming in along with the mail. When we landed, everyone ran right past us to that mailbag filled with letters from home. This was long before email or FaceTime. I walked across the flight deck thinking, what am I doing here? It was my first time away from home (Ada, Michigan) and here were all these guys just dying to hold a piece of home in their hands.”
We are delighted Paul has now found a home at HAC.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT PAUL
Favorite book: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer
Favorite movie with favorite quote: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. “I ask for a car, and I get a computer. How’s that for being born under a bad sign?!”
Bucket list item: Mass with the Pope at St. Peter’s Square
Best vacation: Summer trip to Cooperstown to see the Baseball Hall of Fame
If I could live anywhere, I would live in…West Michigan “I tell people all the time that this is the best place to live. I love the change of seasons.”
Thing that brings me joy: Watching my three children succeed
You’d be surprised to know… Watched the 1990 Super Bowl in the middle of the Indian Ocean on an atoll called Diego Garcia
What I like most about working at HAC: “It feels like an extended family reunion here between interacting with coworkers and guests. It also can be comfortable and frustrating all in the same day.”