Lives: St. Paul
Job: Bus Operator, Relief Instructor
Years of Service: 25
How did you come to work at Metro Transit and what do you do?
During the 90s, I was working for the rental car industry and as a part-time limo driver. An older driver at the limo company also worked part-time at Metro Transit. He told me as a young man starting a family that I should go to transit because it has great benefits and a great retirement package. So, I applied and became a bus operator in 1998. I was an extraboard driver for about 8 years and loved it. Then, due to my family schedule, I needed to pick a fixed schedule. Now that they’re older, I went back to extraboard because I enjoy it. In 2016, encouraged by a few supervisors, I became a relief instructor. It was a good fit due to my volunteer coaching background and I wish I would have done it earlier.
What are your favorite activities when you’re working or “On the Clock”?
I love my role as a relief instructor. I especially enjoy teaching Safety Keys – it’s essential to being a bus operator. I teach twice a week, every other week about how to safely drive the bus. It’s the first dedicated method to teaching collision avoidance and a certification every operator needs to retest for every three years. I especially love working with new drivers. They get the most out of what I’m teaching. If you do a good job and come in everyday, people will notice. You’ll get recognized. Come to work with a smile and you’ll have a much better day. I’ve never had a bad day at this job. It’s done a lot of good things for me and family.
What are your favorite activities when you’re not working or “Off the Clock”?
I started a program called the Inner-City Educational Mentoring (ICEMEN) program in 2001. It was a traveling basketball program my wife and I ran to help kids build confidence and stay out of trouble. And we did well -- in 2002 we were state champions, in 2003 we won nationals, and we placed as a runner-up in 2004. Sadly, the program went bankrupt and couldn’t get the help in 2008. I still coach for other basketball teams today.
That program name is still with me today. When I started DJ’ing in 2014, I took on the name DJ Iceman. I started it as a hobby after asking an old friend to teach me. After a few months, I got my first wedding gig in late-2015. In 2018, I started getting lots of gigs. It was a hobby that turned into a side hustle, which is now a legitimate business. I got a lot out of it and work hard outside of work hours. But I always remember that Metro Transit is my bread and butter, so I take care of that first. It allows me to pursue my passions.