The US Forest Service recently selected a Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest worker as the Pacific Northwest Region's Technology Applications Employee of the Year for 2023.
Troy Phillis, a Rogue-Siskiyou employee and 1992 graduate of Oregon Institute of Technology, received the award from the federal agency.
Phillis was among the recipients identified for annual Engineer of the Year awards in four categories in March. He was nominated by his supervisors, peers and employees for being known to consistently deliver a high caliber of performance and for taking initiative in completing priority work for the agency.
Acting Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Supervisor Dan Quinones said Phillis has helped them further develop one of the best fleet organizations in the region. He said their shop and crews follow impeccable standards of safety, quality and service, adding that Troy has also significantly enhanced fleet capabilities and efficiency while doing so.
Over the last year, Phillis completed a five-year research and development project intended to capitalize fully on digital tracking of fleet repair costs among other analyses. He guided a highly collaborative process that included significant interaction and communication with the Forest Service Information Technology Department, other agency fleet staff and multiple software vendors.
Phillis didn't stop there. His second large achievement in 2023 was to convert the method of tracking bulk fuel inputs and outputs into a fully-automated system. The new digital system eliminates 99% of the manual tracking of fuel dispensed, saving significant time and money.
