Employee Spotlight: Rich Gregory

Wessler is proud to announce Rich Gregory as the subject of this month's Employee Spotlight! Rich joined Wessler in the early part of 2019, serving as a field services technician out of our Indianapolis office.

We asked Rich some questions so we all can get to know him a little better, including his high school and collegiate football career, his passion for coaching and his disc golf prowess!

What are your roles and responsibilities at Wessler? What are some previous jobs you have done?

I am a field services technician for the wastewater collections department. I have the task of gathering data in the field and using the Collector app to locate structures via GPS, which eventually turns into a new map for a city or town. During warmer weather months, I am usually running a smoke testing crew and helping find issues in sanitary sewer systems.

I started my sewer career at Miller Pipeline 13 years ago. My experiences from Miller have helped me fit in perfectly at Wessler and with the people around me, which has allowed me to learn more than ever before.

Rumor has it you were a good football player in high school and college. Where did you play? What were some of your accomplishments? Who was the best player as a teammate?

I played football in high school for THE Ben Davis Giants, located on the westside of Indianapolis. I played a part in three state championships - 1999, 2001 and 2002. Being a captain of the team my senior year is what really taught me how to be a successful leader throughout my life.

I played on the offensive line as a quick guard at Ben Davis and right guard in college at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne. I attended school and played football there for three years. The summer going into my senior year I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life, and I chose to leave my dreams behind and focus on being a great father to my daughter who was due that Fall.

College football was an amazing experience and I am still really close to all my teammates from high school and college. Funny that you asked me about who the best player I played with was because I've been talking about him a lot lately. James Banks was a freakish athlete and absolutely the best high school football player to ever come from this state. If you have ever seen Lamar Jackson - quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL - play football, then you’ve seen James Banks. They're basically TWINS!

We see you in camouflage quite often. Are you a hunter? Any good stories you can share?

Yes, I love to hunt and fish! I only hunt what I eat and that’s whitetail deer. I am not a trophy hunter, as I actually enjoy putting meat in my freezer myself. I also do a lot of quail and pheasant hunting. My uncle has been raising bird dogs my whole life and we enjoy getting them out and letting them run.

As for stories, I haven’t gotten a deer this year, so I don’t want to jinx myself! I still have until January 5, 2020 to get one, so no good stories...yet.

We've heard you talk about being a baseball coach and the passion involved. Where do you coach?

Coaching baseball is fairly new to me. I fell in love with coaching three or four years ago when my son, RJ, started tee-ball. I coach within the Tri-West Little League. I started with tee-ball and now I'll be coaching ages six through eight this Spring.

I want to make a difference in these kids' lives and help them become better people in general. There isn’t a better feeling in the world than a player who has put together everything you’ve taught them, implemented those tools and then thanking you with a huge smile. Next year will be my first season having a seat on the little league board and I'm extremely excited for the upcoming season.

Tell us about your family, schools, activities, etc. Have you grown up in Indiana your whole life?

I’m married to Jaclyn Gregory (best wife in the world!). We have two kids - Aubree Rae Gregory, 13, and RJ Gregory, who is almost seven. My wife is an optometrist for Plainfield Eye Care, having worked there for more than 10 years. My daughter attends Brownsburg East Middle School and lives with her mother in Brownsburg. Jaclyn and I live just ten minutes away in Pittsboro, where RJ attends Pittsboro Primary. My family is everything to me and I am who I am because of them!

I grew up on the westside of Indianapolis my entire life until we decided we wanted to get out and relocate to the country. We built a house in 2016 and have been there ever since.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I’m a huge history guy! I actually have tattoos of my favorite ancient structures from around the world, including the pyramids in Egypt, the Sphinx, Great Wall of China, Aztec Pyramid and the Coliseum of Rome. I would pick all of those to go see in person. That's a huge dream of mine!