Five Questions: Pete Radecki

Q: Tell me about your professional background.

A: I’m educated as a chemical engineer originally. I first worked for Shell Oil Co. in oil and gas production engineering. I worked for them from 1980 to late 1985. Then I moved back to my hometown of El Paso, Texas, and started a business there in structural steel and metal building fabrication. I built that up and sold it after about four years. I then moved to Michigan Technological University, where I managed a research center … that had three universities in a consortium. In the five years I managed that center, we had 40 or 50 companies involved in collaborative research projects. In 1996, I moved from that position to being executive director of corporate services for Michigan Tech. I was responsible for overseeing the relationships that we had with about 600 companies that were involved with the university in one manner or another. Then, in 2006, I came here to Drury.

Q: What does your new job entail?

A: I oversee the overall physical plant of the campus and the operation of that plant. We look at how we can minimize our energy usage, how we minimize our resource consumption, and make choices in the resources that we use that are economically viable and environmentally preferred. That’s what I see as the main thrust of my position. In addition, we’re responsible for looking at major renovations and construction projects on campus.

Q: How big of a role is conservation?

A: (My job) makes me think about how we operate and how we occupy those facilities, how we work collaboratively to conserve energy. The custodian doesn’t turn on and off all the lights. Often that’s someone in the office. With energy prices skyrocketing, we have to look at that and have a sense of awareness across the campus, because each of us plays a role in reducing consumption. I look at my job as creating a cooperative vision as opposed to just saying, “The faucet’s leaking, go fix the faucet.”

Q: What are some examples of the university’s conservation efforts?

A: We’re looking at upgrading some of our major heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment in about 20 buildings … to substantially reduce our energy footprint. We’re looking at a computer control system that would allow us to manage the equipment from that whole set of buildings. We have a variety of activities to engage students and faculty in helping to make sure the concepts of sustainability get into the educational aspects of what we do. It’s not just about whether the lights are on, but about whether our students will come out of here with the right kind of awareness about the implications of their actions on the environment.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: Over the years, my wife and I have renovated several Victorian homes in places around the country. We tend to do activities that go back to us asking, “How can we take something that’s old and tired and freshen it up?”

Interview by Jeremy Elwood.