Division of Finance and Administration
Second Time Around - Week of March 6
Bob Bell receives retirement recognition plaque from Dr. Ronald Zaccari. Sharing in the celebration is Vice President Jim Black (far left) and Bob's wife Deloris Bell.
Bob Bell retired once before; now, he's doing it again.
Twenty-three years ago, Bob, recently retired from the military, began his career in Plant Operations on a very different Valdosta State campus - a campus with no Student Recreation Center, no Hugh C. Bailey Science Center and no front-lawn fountain. Now, Bob, director of Plant Operations, retires once again.
"Originally, the military brought me to Valdosta, so, once, I retired after 21 years, I wanted to stay here," Bob said. "I had other job opportunities, but I had done so much traveling while in the service that I was traveled out."
Bob began his career in Plant Operations as a project engineer. But, after only two years, former President Hugh C. Bailey appointed him as the director of the division. In his new position, Bob oversaw all buildings and grounds on the campus, which included the maintenance of buildings, building constructions and renovations and landscaping.
"Plant Operations is maintenance of facilities and in the military my background was maintenance of aircrafts," Bob said. "So, the job required a different application, but a similar technique; in essence, the product was different, but the procedure was the same."
As director, Bob helped to create a whole new division.
"Plant Operations has come along way from when I first got here," said Bob. "We didn't have the resources we really needed - no facility, no equipment, no people."
First, on Bob's agenda was to see a Plant Operations facility built. Then, Bob wanted to develop a new organizational structure within the division. Last, Bob wanted to organize the division with the use of technology. Since then, Bob has done just that. Now, the division of Plant Operations has a facility to call home, a different organizational structure, and a computerized work management system.
"Our facility is probably in the top 10 percent of those in the state of Georgia,” Bob said.” “We now have one of the best infrastructures in the university system and our division is very computer oriented.
"Building the structure that we have now in Plant is my proudest accomplishment; it has had the greatest result to the university."
Two years ago, the vice chancellor for the Board of Regents recognized the division as the Best Plant Operations in the state of Georgia.
"This award was the first of its kind," Bob said."It was a great accomplishment seeing as how we were competing against bigger universities that had more resources."
After 23 years of implementing change, Bob will retire.
"I decided to retire - one, because I'm old enough," Bob said."And, two - because my wife is retired."
Gregory Gordon, assistant director of Plant Operations, said that he hoped that Bob's retirement wouldn't be for another several years and that the synergy they generate together will be noticeably missed.
"I'm a little saddened that my associations that I have built with the university and the people here may be lost," Bob said."I like to come to work and be challenged - I just hope that I don't get bored."
As of March 1, Bob looks forward to time with his wife, and consistently shooting good scores in golf.
"I've got a lot of stories,” Bob said. “I should've written down everything that's happened over the course of the past 23 years - I could've written a book."
As for the future of Plant Operations, Bob would like to see another change in the organizational structure that would allow for the engineering section of Plant Operations to be separate so that each director can concentrate more heavily on his or her emphasis.
Feature article and picture provided by Heather Harris, Communications Arts intern, Spring 2006.