Holmes heads up M and O at HCTC

As the new Director of Maintenance and Operations for Hazard Community and Technical College, Ron Holmes will oversee the buildings and grounds operations at all campus sites, oversee construction projects, safety, supervise a staff, and serve as the liaison with KCTCS on buildings and projects.

Holmes, who began May 28, said he has already been impressed with the professionalism and friendliness of the people. Overall, the facilities are well maintained. The grounds here are as well maintained as I have seen at major universities, he noted.

Safety will be one of his first areas of focus. I want to improve the safety culture of all. Some areas of safety just need to be tweaked.

HCTC President Dr. Steve Greiner said he was impressed with Holmes experience and said he was the ideal candidate for a job that requires a large amount of multi-tasking. Ron Holmes has a large amount of responsibility but his work history shows he is ready for this undertaking.

Holmes, age 48, comes to HCTC with 21 years of experience working for DuPont Chemical in Memphis, TN and Chevron U.S.A. in Pascagoula, MS. Prior to that he was an Industrial Insulator Supervisor/Project Manager for Great Barrier Insulation in Mobile, AL. His past work includes: Managing multimillion dollar annual budget for refinery energy improvement project for utilities division, Significant planning and execution of plant start-ups and shut downs, Troubleshooting maintenance systems and equipment, Subject matter expertise in inert entries where he developed training materials, and Energy management area coordinator.

He has had specialized training in energy, refining, safety, and leadership.

Holmes lives in Hazard, with his wife, Dr. Gretchen Holmes, senior researcher at the UK Center for Rural Health. He has one daughter, age 21, in college.

His hobbies include woodworking and fishing.