Employee of the Quarter

4th Quarter 2024

Whit Fast, Residential Maintenance Manager

Since his hire in September 2021, Whit has transformed the residential maintenance department. Not just by cleaning out and re-organizing the maintenance shop (which he has done!) but in a multitude of ways. He has completed much needed kitchen and bathroom remodels at several of our properties, saving Cottonwood thousands of dollars in the process by keeping the labor in-house. Many services, such as painting, flooring installation, apartment cleaning, carpet cleaning, and landscaping are now done in-house instead of being contracted out. There’s not much he (and his trusty sidekick, Joel) can’t do. They recently packed up, moved out, then moved back in two six-person homes while overseeing flooring installation and repainting the entire interior of both homes. At the same time, Whit handled inspections of all Cottonwood, Inc. HUD housing. He takes each day in stride and ensures jobs are completed thoroughly.

Whit cares about the people we serve as well. When individuals move into a new house, Whit makes sure their spaces are arranged and functional, TVs mounted, and locks changed. He has built real relationships with the people we serve, and he obviously cares about what he is doing. There’s no waiting until tomorrow with Whit. If something needs doing, he’s on it today. He is always available to facilitate furniture and bicycle deliveries, install adaptive and accessible equipment, meet with inspectors and contractors, e-cycle hundreds of television sets—whatever we need him to do and often on very short notice. Whit is a gem. We are so lucky to have him. It would be easy to come up with a hundred more reasons he should be employee of the quarter. I am happy to nominate him on behalf of the entire Residential Department.