Behaviors in Action… Roy Edwards
It’s often been said that disasters or crises bring out the best people. At Hussmann, we are proud of our team for always leading with our Behaviors for Success – a set of standards of what we stand for and how we act. We know achieving our results is important but how we achieve our results is even more important.
Roy Edwards, a service technician, is one example of how our Behaviors guide us both at work and at home. Roy and his wife, Carmen, are outfitted an entire team of technicians in Hussmann’s Southeast District with cloth masks.
“I saw Roy and the guys didn’t have enough masks, and I thought, ‘Well I can sew.’ So, we got fabric and elastic and started making masks,” Carmen said playfully. “It became sort of a full-time job, along with taking care of the kids.”
Roy, who was supportive of the idea from the get-go, has been helping Carmen with this incredible undertaking. While you won’t find him at the sewing machine after work, he has helped with designing the pattern, researching the best materials to use and running errands to keep the house full of mask-making supplies.
“When I come in from work, I’ll cut out filters and anything else I can do,” he said. “We just want to make the masks as dependable as possible so they provide the most protection for our team.”
As a service technician, Roy knows the importance of preventative measures. He is extremely thorough and careful when he leaves the house – he wipes down surfaces with disinfecting wipes before touching anything on a job site, for example, then wipes it down again after he’s finished working.
“I take all precautions when I’m out. Then when I get home, I remove my clothes in the garage and go straight to the shower. My job still has to be done, so if anything, I want to leave a cleaner surface wherever I go. We have to keep people healthy and not let this spread.”
For this family, protecting the health and safety of others hits home hard. Several years ago, they tragically lost their two-year-old daughter due to an unknown health issue.
“Our daughter, Brianna, woke up one morning and her leg hurt. We called the doctor to see what we needed to do then rushed her to the hospital, but the doctors said whatever it was moved faster than they could figure out and she passed away,” Roy shared. “Our teams are providing a service for us – they’re risking taking this home with them – and we feel like the least we can do is provide protection to their families. That’s why we are making the masks.”
Roy and Carmen have made over 100 masks for the Hussmann team. They are also donating them to friends and family. Their motivation lies deeply rooted in honoring their beautiful daughter and keeping others from experiencing a similar loss during this pandemic.
They are a true inspiration: Cutting six pieces of fabric per mask to protect every one of our heroes on the Southeast frontline.