Our highly esteemed Director of Facilities Gary Grimm has announced his retirement effective June 28, 2024. Gary has been an integral part of the Facilities team at WU for 42 years, starting as a Maintenance Repair II worker, moving his way up into Energy Management Systems followed by multiple promotions into Manager and Associate Director roles. For the last six years he has led the department as Director of Facilities Management.
Gary's calm demeanor and sense of humor have served him and the department well. In a field where response time is highly valued, Gary has set the standard for responding to urgent situations while maintaining a measured and competent approach. Over the past three years, Gary has been instrumental in leading the execution of $28M in debt funded projects addressing improvements across campus, a highlight being the $11M boiler plant replacement project. Gary's knowledge of our HVAC systems and controls is impressive and has resulted in extensive value engineering, saving the university significant funds. He has left his mark on campus in many ways over his four decades of service and will be missed. Gary has graciously agreed to continue part time as a Senior Advisor into Fall 2024, continuing to support the team during its leadership transition.
We wish Gary all the best in his retirement which is sure to include reflections on his exceptional career at Willamette University. Watch for an announcement regarding a celebratory event as his retirement date approaches.
We're happy to announce that Mark Mazurier has agreed to serve as our new Director of Facilities Management. Mark has worked for WU since 2014 as Associate Director of Projects. Over the past ten years, he has developed strong relationships with internal and external partners while overseeing a wide scope of Facilities projects throughout the campus infrastructure. He has an in-depth knowledge of each building and its systems, having tread their hallways many times over. Mark will begin in his new role effective July 2024.
Please join us in the weeks ahead in expressing gratitude to Gary for his exemplary dedication and service to Willamette University and congratulating Mark on his new appointment.
