NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 12, 2017) – Barry Cunningham, Engineering and Construction scheduler in the Engineering and Constructions Office, is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District Employee of the Month for December 2016.
Cunningham is being recognized for his outstanding performance for his incredible innovation and ingenuity in personally developing a software solution in the absence of an approved software patch, a change that has and will continue to save the district thousands of dollars and time.
“I am very humbled by this award - happy someone considered and recognized me for my contributions to my job and I am very excited about my future with the Corps,” said Cunningham.
According to Lt. Col. Stephen F. Murphy, Nashville District commander, Cunningham maintains and reviews scheduling contracts and all future awards and period of performance development. Without Cunningham's timely and accurate actions, after encountering multiple road blocks in the software approval process for a scheduling software called Claim Digger, Cunningham did what Corps employees do best, he developed his own solution.
“Barry is a huge asset for us in the Engineering and Construction Division and to the district,” said Eric Pagoria, chief, Engineering and Construction Division. “He is a very dedicated employee, a great team member and does an excellent job in balancing a large workload that involves multiple projects.”
Tommy Anderson and Jamie Naborkowski, both civil engineers in the Engineering/Construction branch, who work closely with Cunningham, said he is very well deserving of the award.
“He is the eyes when it comes to scheduling for the district and he is an extremely proactive and reliable liaison ensuring appropriate members are engaged and the district is fortunate to have him,” said Anderson.
Naborkowski added that Cunningham is meticulous in reviewing contracts, scheduling and working to provide support to all the field offices around the district.
“I really like it that the Corps works with a variety of customers,” said Cunningham. “We work on vertical projects, civil works projects and for example, different customers, like Tennessee Valley Authority and the Department of Energy.”
Cunningham said he taught himself how to use advanced macro functions in Microsoft Excel by watching tutorial videos and then personally developed a program that enabled him to rapidly detect changes between Contractor schedule submissions.
“It’s really nice that your work is recognized and co-workers appreciate you,” Cunningham said. “I was really pleased to hear about the award.”
Murphy said Cunningham’s incredible innovation was key to helping him quickly determine contract delays, foresee potential claims, reassess critical paths, and assist with planning and resource allocation to make up for lost time.
Cunningham's Excel-based solution mimics the Claim Digger software capabilities and now allows the enterprise to rapidly assess disparities between schedules and to determine near and long term impacts on a contract's overall duration, all with a click of a few buttons.
“I am thrilled about working as a project engineer and the direction the Corps program is going,” said Cunningham. “One of the best things about working for the Corps is being able to work hard, help others and serve the public.”
Cunningham, who has served six years in federal service, initially started as co-op intern and worked in the Louisville District doing various jobs. He says he credits Bryan Moser, his supervisor at Fort Campbell, a lot for his success in becoming a scheduler and for helping him grow and mature during his career.
Cunningham has been with the Nashville District for one year and credits much of his success to Anderson and Naborkowski for his training and leadership skills.
“I really enjoy my job, interacting with contractors and the opportunities it has to offer being able to work with various projects around the district,” said Cunningham.
Cunningham is a native of Clarksville, Tenn., and has a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Cunningham and his wife Megan have a daughter, Everly, 2, and they are expecting a little baby boy in June 2017. He loves spending time with family and friends and his hobbies include hunting, fishing, boating, golf and sports in general. One of his projects currently includes building his own house.
He also loves watching the University of Tennessee play football and the St. Louis Cardinals play baseball.
Murphy said Cunningham’s hard and fast work, professionalism, dedication to mission execution, and superior performance is a great credit to the Nashville District, the region, and the Corps of Engineers.
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