Meet APM Steam Fossil Superintendent, Dave Maxwell!
This month’s spotlight features APM Steam Fossil Superintendent, Dave Maxwell! Dave joined APM in 2012 as a millwright / turbine hand. After three years of service, he was asked to advance to the role of crane operator. After one outage as a crane operator, he was promoted to the keyman role. He worked in that role for three more years before being recommended for the Superintendent role by another APM Superintendent. At home, Dave is a Farmer, an uncle to two fantastic nephews and one great nephew, as well as a sawyer and dozer operator. We are so excited to spotlight Dave! Read more to get to know his history with APM, proudest moments, and thoughts on leadership.
What led Dave to this industry and how did he first learn about APM?
A friend then, now an APM Superintendent, told me it would be a fitting career for both of us. After joining the Millwrights Local 1529, working briefly in car plants and once on a bridge crew, I have since remained loyal to APM for 10 years.
What energizes Dave at work?
Seeing how my leadership is absorbed and motivates those who work under me to become better at the job we all perform.
What does Dave find the most challenging in his role?
Breaking through to new millwrights that don’t quite trust me yet. Everything requires time to build, as well as employee trust.
What is Dave's proudest moment with APM?
Receiving a customer evaluation with all top marks from Laramie River Station even after having a quality incident.
What’s one thing that surprised Dave about working with APM?
How rewarding completion of our work actually is, and how much APM cares about its employees safety and upgrade training.
What does Dave like most about working with APM?
The work culture and teaching millwrights how to perform more efficiently and lead themselves.
What advice does Dave have for prospective APM candidates?
Not every outage is going to be profitable and easy, but stick to learning daily, take the good with the less desirable, and it will all pay off with persistence.
What life accomplishment is Dave most proud of?
I am a 6th generation farmer with a nonstop family history of 140 years on this same piece of dirt.
Who has influenced Dave most when it comes to how he approaches his work?
My father first. He taught me the basics of problem-solving skills and issue evaluations. Next, it would be Dax Reed, who taught me the basics of turbine outages and employee and customer relations.
How has APM helped Dave in his career development?
APM has helped me by advancement through my merits, educated me on how to lead more effectively and make others follow, learn and become leaders themselves.
What is a typical workday for Dave?
Everyday starts with a safety meeting, then job assignments, customer relations, addressing the scope issues, offering resolutions, and noticing and documenting achievements for the day.
How does Dave prefer to spend his days off?
Being at home working on the farm is definitely my happy place. Whether I’m working dirt, planting my crops, mowing hay, harvesting my crops, hunting/fishing, or just drinking a beer as the sun goes down with my cousins, I love the rural American life.
Dave's Favorite Quote:
"It won't fix itself."
Dave's Perspective on Leadership:
True leadership is not believing you have all the answers. It's learning more every day about what it takes to be a leader. Seeing that your leadership inspires others to follow, learn, and improve their lives to be better people as well.
Dave’s Top Three Life Highlights:
1. Watching my nephews learn the balance of work, farm, and family ... and eventually taking over the family farm.
2. Successful completions of each and every outage I’m assigned to work.
3. Seeing the sunrise over the east ridge every morning reminding me that I have lived to enjoy another day in this world.