Employee Spotlight
Pejsha leads the
maintenance pack in years
The average length of time each of the maintenance workers has been
employed at the Salina Airport Authority falls somewhere in the
neighborhood of 20 years, and leading the way with 28 years of experience
under his tool belt is Rob Pejsha.
After about a five minute conversation with him, it's easy to see he's a
hard worker that goes with the flow. He claims he "just kinda ended up
in Salina," after leaving the service and then things "just
kinda" started working out for him.
"I was working at Flower Aviation, fueling airplanes with another
guy," he recalled. "He knew somebody working as a janitor at the
Airport Authority. He was going down to maintenance and they were going to
need a janitor, so he took the janitor's job. It wasn't too long after
that, he went down to maintenance and told me about the job. So I started
down there as the janitor."
That was March of 1980. He began learning his assortment of maintenance
skills from what he calls "older gentlemen stuff."
"They took the time to show you how to do it and
how to do it right," he explained. "That was good of them and
you're always learning, even as you get older. You're always learning
something from the other employees whether it's how to do something or how
to do it better."
Consistent learning seems to be the maintenance fraternity's secret to
success. That coupled with an iron will, results in a mastery of all things
airport. Whether it's runway lights or snow, they work until it's done and
done well. Perhaps the most daunting maintenance task is snow
removal.
"Now we've got winter coming up," he said with
a heavy sigh. "Every snow is different-you can just see if it's going
to be a heavy snow or a light snow. If there's gonna be a lot of hours put
in or we'll have this wiped out in no time. Last year I spent 18 hours out
here straight. That's not one of the longest stretches but as you get older
it sure seems like it. I got here and got in my snow plow. There toward the
end it was like that snow plow was growing and I had to really jump. I
couldn't get back into it."
In the nearly three decades Rob has worked for the Authority he can recall
only a handful of times he's stayed home for illness or being snowed in.
"While the private pilots and airline passengers are warm asleep in
their beds, Rob is out here on duty plowing snow and ice and doing what
needs to be done," said Tim Rogers, A.A.E., the Authority's executive
director. "He's dedicated to the job no matter what time of day it is
and has been instrumental to our safety response team, no matter what was
needed."
Rob's idea of retirement fits his work ethics. While other retirees are
asleep in their beds, Rob will be working- although three days a week
sounds like a good restful life.
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