Jeremy Essick, who serves as a sanitation crew leader for the Dare County Public Works Department, has been named Dare County Employee of the Month for November 2021. Essick was presented the award by Dare County Public Works Department Director Shanna Fullmer at the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held at 9 a.m. on Monday, November 1, 2021.
Essick began working for Dare County in April 2017, when he was hired as an equipment operator within the Recycling Department of Public Works. In September 2019, he was promoted to his current position of crew leader within Public Works’ Sanitation Department.
“He has continued to astound me with the effort and commitment that he brings to the job every day,” Fullmer noted in her nomination form. “Jeremy, to this day, will catch me off to the side periodically to ask, ‘Is there anything that you see that I am doing wrong or that I can improve on?’ That’s the type of employee Jeremy is—always trying to better himself and this department.”
In her presentation, Fullmer highlighted how Essick has successfully earned his Class A license as well as how he has taken the initiative to cross train within the Public Works Department, learning how to run equipment ranging from front loaders and side loaders to roll-off trucks and tractor trailers.
“What we ask of Jeremy is neither easy or fun to do, and he does it all with a smile on his face,” she said. “From a supervisor’s point of view, it’s so refreshing to be able to ask somebody to do something and they do it willingly and with a smile on their face. We just think so much of him.”
As Fullmer presented Essick with his Employee of the Month certificate she told him, “You do your family proud, you do the department proud, and you do the county proud. We just want to say from the bottom of our hearts, thank you very much for doing what you do, for being who you are. I hope you stick around with Public Works because you have a bright future. Thank you, Jeremy.”
During her presentation, Fullmer also noted that her entire staff is worthy of recognition for their continued efforts and dedication to their duties despite the series of challenges—such as the ongoing staffing shortages within the department—that Public Works has faced over the course of the past year.
“If I could give a Department of the Month award, I would give it to all of Public Works,” she said. “They say smooth seas do not make good sailors, and we’ve had anything but smooth seas this past year. It really has been a team effort, and I am so proud of what we’ve done. I know from the outside it probably hasn’t looked pretty—and it hasn’t probably been the best year from the outside on how we’ve done things—but I guarantee when you’re in the trenches and you’re looking at it from the inside, I can assure everybody that we have put forth our best efforts and have really risen to the challenge.”
November 2021 Dare County service pin recipients
