Salem District Newsletter - November 2023

Salem District Newsletter
Volume 17 Issue 11
November 2023
What’s Inside
• New Tools Utilized at
Customer Service Center
• Veterans Day Celebrated
• 2 Percent Raise Coming
in December
• CVC: Food Drive, Holiday
Ornament and More
• Employee Profile: Steve
Mullins
Crew members with Peters Creek Area Headquarters work during a patching
operation on The Hollow Road in Ararat in Patrick County.
TheExtraMile
VDOT’S CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER UTILIZING NEW
COMMUNICATION TOOLS TO BETTER SERVE PUBLIC
New ways of communicating with
the public are taking shape at
VDOT’s Customer Service Center
(CSC). The Verizon Virtual Contact
Center System (VCC) is up and
running as of April, and a chat
bot introduced in 2021 to answer
snow-related questions may see
more action this year depending
on the weather.
CSC staff pose for a photo outside the Traffic Operations Center.
The VCC is a communications
hub that supports text and email communication as well as all published
residency numbers from 31 offices, the Commissioner’s Hotline, the Injury and
Illness Reporting Line, Central Office main numbers, the Jamestown Scottland
Ferry Line, Adopt-A-Highway and 1-800-FOR-ROAD.
Those access points lead to an average of 20,000 customer contacts every
month traveling through the CSC. Phone calls alone can account for 500 of those
contacts on an average day. During winter weather, however, that number can
reach as high as 8,000 – an increase of 1,600 percent. The surge in volume often
results in the need for dozens of extra staff each winter.
cont. pg. 2
ENJOY THE RIDE
By Ken King, P.E.
Ken.King@VDOT.virginia.gov
Over the
holidays,
I traveled
to the
Philadelphia
area to visit
with family,
celebrate
Thanksgiving and participate
in a memorial service for my
wife’s mother, who passed
away earlier this year. As we
packed to get on the road, I
recalled my mother’s words
of advice about travel: It’s not
all about the destination; you
have to enjoy the ride.
I have always been one to hit
the road early with the goal
of getting there quickly, so in
normal form, we left early on
Wednesday morning for my
cont. pg. 2
Bedford • Botetourt • Carroll • Craig • Floyd • Franklin • Giles • Henry • Montgomery • Patrick • Pulaski • Roanoke 1

KING cont.
Thanksgiving trip and
arrived before heavy traffic
impacted us.
As I drove up I-81, my
thoughts were on all that
lie ahead with the visit
and the memorial service.
My wife’s mother lived
31 years with a kidney
transplant and then another
five on dialysis before
passing away during a nap
after attending her church’s
Easter service.
As I reflected on how
precious life is and how
each day is such a blessing,
I also began to think about
all the excellent work that
we have done in the Salem
District this year and all the
great things coming in the
year ahead.
Our efforts have improved
safety and quality of life
in our communities, and
our continued work on
Interstate 81, even if it
will take many years, will
make even more of a
difference in the future. I
am thankful for all these
things and for each
of you and your many
contributions.
I encourage you to
join me at this time of
thanksgiving to reflect
on what we have
accomplished together.
I also challenge you
to join me in being
thankful for each day
and making the most
out of every moment.
Life is indeed a
journey, and we
have to remember
to enjoy the ride.
– Ken
To help mitigate some of that influx
in activity, a customer service chat
bot was introduced to the myVDOT
page of the VDOT website at the end
of 2021. Business Process Specialist
Kyle Myers played a central role in the
development and implementation of
the bot.
“The snow bot was actually a pilot
program to see how it would work
and to see if we could use it for bigger
purposes in the future,” Kyle said.
Those purposes might include
expanding the scope of the bot to
answer questions about more than
just snow or even automating service
requests, he said.
The chat bot was developed in a
collaborative effort between Kyle
and Information Technology staff in
Richmond. Kyle, who used self-taught
skills for the project, said he focused
on creating the knowledge base of
questions and answers that the bot
would process.
“It’s meant to be used during a
weather event to answer those
frequently asked questions that we get
regarding when a road will be plowed
or why a road hasn’t been plowed yet,”
Kyle said. “It answers those questions
with approved messages that we’ve
provided in the past regarding VDOT
operations in inclement weather.”
Kyle said refining the chat bot involved
a cycle of trial and error in which he
tried to anticipate the language that
people might use to ask snow-related
questions. For any prompts that the
chat bot does not recognize, it will
communicate to the user that it does
not understand the question and ask
them to rephrase.
In addition to answering frequently
asked questions, the bot will proactively
provide options the user can select
CSC...CONT’D
An example of the chat bot in action.
from to find more information about
VDOT’s snow operations. It will also
refer users to other VDOT resources
such as snowplow tracking at www.
vdotplows.org, and the video, “How
To Properly Shovel Your Driveway,” on
www.virginiadot.org.
Kyle said the bot can be turned off
and on and so far, has only been used
during the winter months of the past
two years. Incidentally, the last two
winters have brought relatively low
amounts of severe weather events to
the Salem District. Even still, the bot
handled more than 5,000 interactions
in that time which produced an
estimated $25,000 in cost savings, Kyle
said. Those inquiries would have been
handled by agents otherwise.
“Snow is kind of a double-edged
sword,” he said. “We do want to see
how it handles a heavy workload
because there’s always room for
improvement and if we discover ways
to make it even better, that’s something
we’d like to do.”
For his efforts in developing the chat
bot as well as a user guide for a
separate tech-fluency project, Kyle
received a Commissioner’s Award in
2022.
2
Bedford • Botetourt • Carroll • Craig • Floyd • Franklin • Giles • Henry • Montgomery • Patrick • Pulaski • Roanoke

VETERANS CELEBRATED WITH CEREMONY AND VDOT CHALLENGE COINS
Employees gathered for breakfast on the
morning of November 9 in celebration
of Veterans Day. As part of the event,
VDOT Central Office’s ceremony was
live-streamed from Richmond. The ceremony
began with Highland Springs High
School ROTC’s presentation of colors and
a performance of the national anthem.
This year’s guest speaker was Retired
United States Coast Guard Chief Matthew
B. Moyer, a 26-year veteran who
ended his career with over 1,900 flight
hours as an aircraft avionics technician.
Moyer was involved in multiple rescue missions
during his career and served as lead
technical advisor during the production
of Disney’s 2006 movie, “The Guardian,”
starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher.
Veterans received VDOT challenge coins
commemorating their service to the
Commonwealth. Hampton Roads District
Engineer Chris Hall explained that a
challenge coin is traditionally given to a
unit’s service members in remembrance
of those who came before them. If a unit
member is presented with a challenge coin
by another member of the same unit and
cannot produce their own coin, a drink is
owed. “I’m not sure that will work with
the VDOT coin, but I’m sure someone will
try it on me,” he added.
For any veterans who were unable to
attend the program and would like a VDOT
challenge coin, please contact Guy DeMarco
at guy.demarco.vdot.virginia.gov.
CELEBRATING RETIREMENT
CVC HAPPENINGS
PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
Traffic Engineer Michael Glass (left) and Assistant
District Traffic Engineer Brett Randolph perform a blind
pedestrian activity in November with students at Forest
Middle School. The activity was part of a demonstration
held on behalf Youth of Virginia Speak Out (YOVASO).
YOVASO is a statewide organization for young drivers
teaching about traffic safety.
Performance Reporting
Manager Jim Helvey (far
left) and Procurement
Manager Michele Thompson
(left) enjoyed retirement
parties in November. Jim
retired after 43 years of
service. Michele’s official
date to retire is set for
January 2024.
SALARY INCREASES
VDOT employees are getting a raise! A
two percent base salary increase will go
into effect on December 10 for eligible
salaried employees and December 18
for eligible hourly employees.
To be eligible for the increase,
employees must have been employed by
VDOT on or before September 10, 2023,
and have a rating of “Improvement
Needed” or higher on the latest
performance evaluation on file. This may
be the annual evaluation from October
2023, an interim/re-evaluation since
October or a probationary progress
review.
The increase will be reflected on
paychecks dated December 29, 2023,
for salaried employees and on January
12, 2024, for hourly employees.
Additional information can be found
on DOTi under Human Resources – Pay,
Time and Attendance.
It’s the holiday season and the
Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC)
is underway!
Holiday Helpers Food Drive
488 food items were collected as part of
this year’s Holiday Helpers Food Drive. 363
of those items were delivered to Feeding
Southwest VA, and 125 items were delivered
to the Montgomery County Emergency Food
Pantry. Congratulations to Christiansburg
Residency who collected the most!
2023 VDOT Ornament Sale
The 2023 VDOT Ornament is now available
for purchase. The limited-edition ornaments
make great gifts, decorations or recognition
awards. Proceeds will
be donated to the CVC.
Ornaments are $12 each,
shipping included, and can
be purchased online at
https://initialinspiration.com/
collections/vdot. Ornaments
from previous years are
also available in limited
quantities. The last day to
place an order is Friday,
December 15. Contact Niki Davis at nichole.
davis@vdot.virginia.gov with any questions.
Roadeo Hats Available For Purchase
Roadeo hats from previous years are
available for purchase for $3 each. There
are limited quantities so reserve yours now!
Contact Kaitlyn Belcher at kaitlyn.belcher@
vdot.virginia.gov with any questions.
Bedford • Botetourt • Carroll • Craig • Floyd • Franklin • Giles • Henry • Montgomery • Patrick • Pulaski • Roanoke
3

EMPLOYEE PROFILE: STEVE MULLINS
A career in engineering was not initially
on Area Land Use Engineer Steve Mullins’
radar having grown up on an apple farm
in a family of farmers. But after discovering
an aptitude for math in high school, and
with the encouragement of a teacher, he
decided to attend Virginia Tech to study
engineering.
“That’s where the accent comes from,”
Steve said of Wise County where he was
raised. “A lot of people think I’m from
Tennessee, but I’m actually from coal
country.”
Steve spent 13 years at the Department of Energy after
completing his degree in mining engineering, but after a
downturn in the industry, he looked for a career change.
He is now in his seventh year at VDOT. Prior to his current
position, Steve spent time with the Bridge Department as
well as the Traffic Operations Center.
“Mining engineering seems narrow but it’s actually very
eclectic,” he said. “We took classes in everything from
thermodynamics to electrical engineering, hydraulics and
pneumatics as well as health and safety. All those things
play into an active mine environment.”
That combination of education and
experience has helped Steve build his career
at VDOT, and his current role requires some
versatility.
“That’s why I encourage people to try new
things,” he said. “Even if something seems
like it’s not part of your job, you never know
where your career is going to take you and
what might be an asset one day.”
Harvest at Blue Ridge, an upcoming mixeduse
development in Botetourt County, has
been the most memorable project that he has worked on so
far in his current role, he said.
Outside of work, Steve enjoys reading and walking as well
as taking trips with his wife and two children. “We enjoy
being in the Valley; it’s just a pretty area to live in,” he said.
“You’re in the city but drive half an hour and you wouldn’t
know it.”
Having an open mind and being willing explore new paths
has benefited Steve throughout his career, and he had this
advice for new employees: “VDOT’s a big place. Don’t feel
pigeonholed where you are. I have not regretted stepping
out of my comfort zone and learning and doing new things.”
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
Citizens Express Gratitude for VDOT
Canton Church Road was scraped today
and it is the best it has ever been in my
28 years of living on it. I appreciate the
outstanding job done today!
– R. Polk, Sydnorsville AHQ
Thank you for putting dust control on
Crowell Gap Road. It has made a big
difference!
– L. Neuhs, Burnt Chimney AHQ
Thank you to Will Dotson for helping me
fix and redesign my driveway. I’m very
happy and I feel safe now. Thank you!
– B. Nygard, Hillsville AHQ
Thank you for the wonderful work
you did on Twin Oak Drive. You did an
amazing job!
– A. Smith, Horse Pasture AHQ
New Hires
Bill Brown, Operator, Willis AHQ
John Vaugh, Operator, Blacksburg AHQ
Katherine McGowan, Traffic Operations
Manager, SWRO
Jacob Faulkner, Laborer, Willis AHQ
Chuck Zimmerman, Operator, Eagle Rock AHQ
Jazon James, Laborer, Southwest AHQ
Lawrence Roberts, Mechanic, Hillsville Shop
Chamberlain Zulauf, Communications
Coordinator, District Office
Charlie Lawson, Laborer, Martinsville Bridge
Josh Smith, Laborer, Hillsville Bridge
Timothy Rogers, Operator, Southwest AHQ
Andrew Fridley, Laborer, Troutville AHQ
Cody Procter, Operator, Southwest AHQ
Nathaniel Heavener, Laborer, Ironto Bridge
EMPLOYEE UPDATES
Promotions/Transfers
Ethan McCormick, Supervisor, Carlisle AHQ
Isaac Austin, Supervisor, Eagle Rock AHQ
Ronald Sowers, MOM, Christiansburg
Residency
Brian Walker, MOM, Christiansburg Residency
Josh Arnold, Pavement Coordinator Senior,
Salem Pavement
Kenzie Epperson, Engineer Roadway Design,
Salem Location and Design
Ethan Bondurant, Apprentice, Construction
Zachary Wright, Contract Monitor, Salem
Roadside Management
Retirements
Operator Arthur Mullins retired from New
London AHQ after 30 years of service.
Performance Reporting Manager Jim Helvey
retired from Salem Maintenance after 43 years
of service.
4
DEC
22
OFFICES CLOSE
AT NOON
DEC
25
CHRISTMAS
DAY
Virginia Department of Transportation
Salem District
Office of Communications
731 Harrison Avenue, Salem, VA 24153
jeremy.bartlett@vdot.virginia.gov
540-387-5250
©2023 Commonwealth of Virginia
JAN
01
NEW YEAR’S
DAY