Buildings and Grounds Manager Willie Wright serves Meramec with loyalty and dedication
Kavahn Mansouri
-Editor-In-Chief-
The office is clean and well-organized, with the same egg-white wall paint seen inside STLCC-Meramec’s many corridors and classrooms. On top of one of the many filing cabinets sits a book entitled, “The ABC’s of Buildings and Grounds Management.” This office keeps Meramec running. It belongs to Buildings and Grounds Manager Willie Wright, and serves as his command post for keeping Meramec running every day.
Wright was raised in Mississippi where he attended Coahoma Community College. He began working with STLCC over 40 years ago, working with the district office downtown. There, he worked in the design department. Wright held several different jobs with STLCC before coming to Meramec, including serving as an architect technician and as the Physical Facilitator representative. Wright came to Meramec 23 years ago as manager of building and grounds, and has been in the position ever since.
Wright said that being the manager of buildings and grounds requires a nurturing attitude towards the campus.
“It’s more like a parent type thing. It’s kind of in your blood. You feel loyal to being around to make sure everything’s working,” Wright said. “It’s a nurturing type effect you need to have in this job. You have to like it; I wouldn’t have been here for 40 years if I didn’t like it.”
Wright sees Meramec as not only a campus, but also as a community.
“Meramec is really a city within a city; we are surrounded by all types of residents. Meramec, to me, is our New York Central Park; everything happens right in the community,” Wright said.
Wright added that the campus also has a park-like atmosphere.
“Students walk through this campus like a park. Students might not even notice it, but there are a lot of activities here in the evenings and on Saturdays and Sundays,” Wright said. “Meramec is like a park and I think that is a good setting for students.”
Being at Meramec for over 20 years has given Wright the opportunity to get to know the campus and its student population.
Wright said the student population at Meramec has always been something he has enjoyed.
“Basically, it’s just a nice place to work. I always enjoy the students we have here. It’s fascinating to see the change in students over the years,” Wright said.
Wright added that he can relate to the students because he himself attended a community college.
“As a person, I can relate to a lot of the students because I was a student myself. I know exactly what they’re going through,” Wright said.
Behind this manager is a team of hard working employees, which is exactly what Wright relies on to keep Meramec running. The staff at Meramec is tasked with keeping a 78-acre college campus up-to-par on a day-to-day basis.
Don’t be mistaken though, Wright said that without his dedicated staff his job would be impossible and that Meramec would be a different place without the people who maintain the campus on a daily basis.
“Imagine 1,300 people, in and out of the campus. In and out of the bathrooms and facilities. If that doesn’t get done, what this place would look like, you‘ll understand why the staff is important,” Wright said.
There is a special relationship between the staff and Wright. He added that what he does could not be possible without his team.
“They’re like a family. I couldn’t do what I can do without a good dedicated staff,” Wright said. “They understand the mission we have here, which is to serve the students, the staff and the faculty. Everybody who comes on board knows this is what we’re here for.”
Wright said that above all, Meramec comes first. He said that he is proud of Meramec’s accomplishments and that the campus has always been a leader for STLCC.
“Meramec always took the lead. I think that’s a very good thing. We’ve always been a conservative campus and we’ve never let our leadership get in the way of working through the district,” Wright said.
At the end of the day, while some go home and take their mind off work, Wright stays in sync with Meramec.
“When I leave Meramec, I’m always still in tune with Meramec. Even with my iPhone. It gives me a jump on anything. Some instructors might need something, they’ve got a question or a problem they need solved. It gives me an opportunity to work on it before I even get to work.”
In the “Physical Plant Operations: User’s Guide” there is a forward from Wright. In the forward there is a list of leadership competencies that must be displayed by the buildings and grounds manager.
Wright said that his job is all about those qualities.
“We’re all fighting for the same things here. I try to be the advocate to get those things done,” Wright said.
