District Digest News Stories

Nashville District names Cox Employee of the Month for January 2023

Nashville District Public Affairs
Published March 30, 2023
A man with a hard hat stands on top of Fort Loudoun Lock

Gregory Cox, work leader for Fort Loudoun and Melton Hill Locks, is named U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District Employee of the Month for January 2023. (USACE Photo by Joshua Shockey)

A man in safety gear stands up to weld a gear puller.

Gregory Cox, Nashville District Employee of the Month for January 2023, welds a gear puller for the upper river valve in the Fort Loudon Maintenance Shop on March 29, 2023. (USACE Photo by Joshua Shockey)

A man with a hard hat operates a forklift.

Gregory Cox, Nashville District Employee of the Month for January 2023, drives a forklift in the Fort Loudon Maintenance Shop on March 29, 2023. (USACE Photo by Joshua Shockey)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mar.30, 2023) – Gregory Cox, work leader for Fort Loudoun and Melton Hill Locks, is named U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District Employee of the Month for January 2023. Cox is recognized for his involvement in the creation of a custom platform with steps for deckhands and the design of a customized safety compliant lock ladder for potential use on all Tennessee River locks lower guard and guide walls.

Lt. Col. Joseph Sahl, Nashville District commander, recognized Cox for his efforts. “(Cox’s) partnering efforts emphasizes and encourages the strong working relationships with Tennessee Valley Authority Hydropower Plant managers and staff,” said Sahl.

Matthew Emmons, Navigation Facilities manager, East Tennessee River Area, said, “Greg has been deserving of this award many, many times throughout his career spanning more than 28 years.” Emmons described Cox’s contributions at Fort Loudoun and Melton Hill locks as “transformative.”

Transformative, indeed. Cox previously worked with TVA and Mesa Associates, Inc. to design a functional set of steps with landings to enable boat crews to safely climb to the top of the Fort Loudon lock wall in upbound lockage scenarios.

His work was so effective he was tasked to design a new ladder system for the lower end for several other locks on the Tennessee River.

Nikki Berger, professional engineer and TVA Navigation Program supervisor, said, “Greg is a project coordination guru, always harmonizing the work conducted among TVA, the USACE, and contractors to ensure projects are completed safely while minimizing budget, schedule, and design issues”.

Lt. Col. Sahl was excited to find out about the impact of Cox’s designs. “These lock ladder designs have the potential to save tens of millions of labor dollars, but more importantly, provide a safer means for deckhands to perform work on the lock walls,” said Sahl.

While Cox acknowledges the potential costs savings, he only had one concern. “Hopefully, my design will save someone from serious injury or death and let them go home to their families,” he said.

Among his many contributions, Cox is known for building “tremendously strong, trusting, and transparent relationships” with TVA partners. In January, Cox worked with a Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning contractor to coordinate a power outage with TVA, allowing the contractor to finish critical electrical installation work in the Lock Motor Control Center on very short notice. He also coordinated with contractors on site to establish individual operational and laydown areas that met the requirements for all contractors to be on site simultaneously; saving one contractor a tremendous amount of time to mobilize into the project site at Fort Loudoun Lock.

Cox, who also served in the National Guard as Cavalry Scout, began his career with the Nashville District 32 years ago. Cox has worked as a diver, diving supervisor, lock mechanic and towboat pilot. He previously served on the Nashville District Fleet and Repair Party. The fleet was regionalized and reorganized into the Regional Rivers Repair Fleet in 2016. With the R3F now covering all major maintenance for the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, Cox began working at Fort Loudoun and Melton Hill locks.

While Emmons is grateful Cox’s work is getting recognized, he notes, “All of us learn something new from Greg every week and that’s probably the most significant and enduring aspect of his legacy above and beyond his many personal accomplishments.”

For his outstanding service, Cox has also been nominated by the Nashville District for the USACE Headquarters’ Castle Award. The Castle Award recognizes employees who demonstrate the Army values and execute USACE's mission and vision by supporting operations and maintenance of civil works infrastructure.

Cox offers sage advice to his coworkers, “Do your best. Try to improve your life, as well as the lives of others.” These ideals have shaped his career and ultimately paid off in dividends.

 

The public can obtain news, updates, and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps

Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district