MPW is proud to announce the Employees of the Year for 2022:
Salesperson of the Year: Mike Romano
Hourly Employee of the Year: Matt Espenschied
Salaried Employee of the Year: Tonya Precht
Geoffrey “Mike” Romano was named MPW’s Salesperson of the Year for 2022. “None of what was accomplished in my Gulf Coast territory last year would have been possible if it weren’t for Jeff Hale and his team at our Port Arthur regen facility, Chris Boudreaux and his Field Service team and the other sales guys in my region,” said Romano, Industrial Water Area Sales Manager.
Romano also credits the engineering, logistics and business development teams, as well as billing, AR and management. “Last year was an incredible year for Industrial Water as a whole, but it was really challenging,” he said. “We had some extremely large projects that required everyone I mentioned to go well above and beyond to make it work, and they made it happen.”
“Besides having a very strong revenue year in 2022, Mike really excels at managing his customer sites, including some of the most demanding in the country,” said Industrial Water Director of Sales Casey Theys. “He stays on top of their DI water needs and schedules out trailer delivery and exchanges well in advance, which greatly helps our logistics group.”
IW General Manager Tim Dondero said this is Romano’s second time winning this award, the first being back in 2018. “Mike continues to grow his territory while also keeping MPW’s greater good in mind,” he said. Dondero said Romano’s territory exceeded $18 million in sales during 2022, which is a 60% increase.
Project Coordinator Matt Espenschied maintains a very humble view of his work at MPW, even after supervising some of the largest fabrication install projects in company history and being named MPW Hourly Employee of the Year for 2022. “I do pretty much whatever needs to be done,” he said. “I coordinate and manage the fabrication crews on installs,” he said. Espenschied really enjoys the challenge of how unique every install is; there’s no formula for how the work is done.
“Matt is a very hard worker and very dedicated to his job. He never turns down a task, even if it’s something he’s never done before,” said Fabrication Project Manager Brandon Hale. “He’s one of those guys you can task with a project and not have to worry about it being done correctly or on time; he’s got it.”
“Matt’s one of the guys that people always want on their team because of his willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” Hale said. “He just hits it out of the park on everything he does.”
VP of Engineering Justin Pierce said Espenschied primarily oversees Industrial Water equipment installations all over North America. “Throughout his 22-year tenure he’s managed the largest and most complex water treatment systems MPW has installed,” he said. “I’m very fortunate to have him on my team.”
Only one person came to Western District Manager Johnathon Holbrook’s mind when deciding upon the MPW Salaried Employee of the Year 2022—Tonya Precht. “She is always a joy to work with and goes above and beyond,” Holbrook said. “I will also mention she has been imperative on our retention at her site. She was fully staffed throughout 2022.”
Precht, who is an account manager for the Honda—Indiana site, will be promoted to oversee all Honda business. “Tonya sets the standard for leadership and customer service,” said Industrial Services General Manager Jimmy Peck. “She is passionate about serving and supporting her team and her customers, as well as creating an environment where people want to work and build careers.”
“I’m responsible for ensuring smooth operations for our accounts and building and maintaining strong relationships with Honda,” Precht said. “As the primary point of contact for Honda—Indiana, I work closely with the contract manager to ensure inquiries and concerns are addressed promptly. One of my focuses the last few years has been on increasing associate recognition and incentives to improve retention.”