ATSSA The Signal January February 2020

American Traffic Safety Services Association 38 Member Engagement knowledge of how theAssociation is built and what it provides to the industry.“ As ATSSA celebrates its 50th anniversary year, Nunez said he hopes Association members continue supporting younger generations as they join the industry, especially on a chapter level. “This will help pass on the experience and knowledge an individual chapter has gained with the current members to the younger generation,” Nunez said. “The long-termgoal of this is so the young generation is prepared, knowswhere the desired standards have been set, and they set them higher. They wouldn’t be starting from square one.” Nunez said he feels fortunate to have had exceptional mentors at the start of his career. “I first entered the roadway safety indus- try in August of 2005. I had no idea what the jobat Trafficadeentailedat all,”Nunez said. “The reason I started working at Trafficade was because my brother-in- law worked at the company. Within a month and with the help of great train- ers, I learned all of the traffic control lane closures andbecame engaged in learning more and more.” After a short time, Nunez was offered a position in theTrafficade’sdispatchcenter and a year later, recognized an opportu- nity to become the dispatch manager. Trafficade President Dennis Johnson said whenNunez asked himabout themana- gerial position, he wanted to make sure Nunez was ready for the responsibility of a 24/7 department. “Jesus has shown a great amount of dedi- cation to our business and operations,” Johnson said. “We work in an environ- ment with a high volume of customer service interaction, so we need to have our best representatives on the front- lines. Jesus stepped up to that challenge andwe recognizedhehad great potential to continue to advance in our company. Trafficade greatly values every employee and Jesus is a great example of why.” Nunez was promoted to operations manager in 2010 and became vice pres- ident of operations four years later. “This started as a job to supportmy family, but it turned into a career and a huge opportunity to excel. I was able to obtain stability, acquire hands-on training, and learn how to run a business,” Nunez said. “All of this would not have been possible if the Johnson family didn’t give me the chance to succeed as well as the early lessons that I received frommy parents at 13 years old.” “Careers are not created with a lack of dedication or within a short period of time,” he added. “The plan of a career comes together as the years pass and knowledge is gained.”  Gain a competitive edge ATSSA is the leading certification and training organization for road, traffic, and highway professionals. After completing one of our high-level safety training courses, take the next step in your career by adding an ATSSA certification designation. Recertification is required every four years to ensure you stay up-to-date with the latest standards and techniques. Learn more and apply at ATSSA.com/Certification Become certified