Employee Spotlight - Olen Arey

Do you have a favorite quote?

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” -Thomas Edison

*Photo provided by Nicole Wright

What did you do before landing your job with the city?

Went to college. I was a fulltime athlete in college and did not really have time to work a real job.

What made you choose your career path?

I could give you the typical “hard work, dedication, drive, etc.” and all of that would be true, but honestly, a lot of it came down to luck! I started with the City on the back of a garbage truck because I needed a job. It was fun, but I wasn’t going to do it forever. Then I got promoted up to Heavy Equipment Operator and that was a very fun job. As long as you could handle your business there was minimal supervision needed, you could speak with members of the community and make their day better by just taking 5 minutes to have a genuine conversation with them. After doing that for a while I started looking at other career paths and got offered the position of Manger of Municipal and Community Services by my former director, Steve Bates, and the rest is history.

What do you love about your job?

It is what I love most and despise most to be honest, the unpredictability. With overseeing so many different divisions you never know what you are going to be doing. You could come in and be in a suit and tie and have meetings with administration or I could come in and have to jump on a brush truck and help them get caught up after a storm (which doesn’t happen very often), or going down to the Animal Shelter and help load up a pig that was adopted (That was about a month ago).

What do you find most interesting about Weatherford?

Well, I was born and raised here, so I have been able to see a lot of the growth that has gone on in the town. But, even with the growth Weatherford has been able to keep its close-knit community feel. It is hard to go out at lunch and not run into somebody you know or went to school with.

Do you have any personal goals for yourself?

Well, by the time this gets published I will be a first-time father, so the biggest goal I have for myself will be to be good at that. Hopefully, I only drop my son once, because we are all given one free drop, right!?

Family Feature! Olen, Tennie, and Archer!

*Photo provided by Olen Arey

Where is your favorite place in Weatherford?

I don’t have a specific favorite place in Weatherford, but I love spending time in our parks. Holland Lake, Cartwright, Love Street, and Weatherford Lake are some of my favorite places to be. Often, I will go buy a quick bite to eat on my lunch break and run to one of the parks and do a little fishing just to reset my mind for the afternoon.

If you could have any job in the world (no limitations) what would you do?

Have you ever seen the show Meat Eater? That would be a dream come true. Being able to travel the world hunting, fishing, hanging out with friends and sharing your experiences with the world.

What else would you like everyone to know about you?

I don’t know that I want to let the secret out, but when we are in meetings with administration and they lump together “the millennials” I am always left out of that group even though I am younger then the ones they tend to target. I’ll take that as a compliment though!

What type of music best describes you?

I would say Country. Easy going, you can have a good time listening to it, but it drives some people crazy.

Can you describe your position?

I assist in overseeing Animal Services, Facilities Maintenance, Custodial, Fleet Maintenance, and Solid Waste and Recycling divisions with the City of Weatherford. We call ourselves “the junk drawer of the City.” It’s a group of departments that don’t necessarily fit together but are all integral parts of the organization.

Olen hard at work in his office

*Photo provided by Nicole Wright

Do you have any hobbies or areas of interest and what are they?

I love sports. Soccer is my favorite followed up closely by football. Go Cowboys! I also enjoy hunting, fishing, kayaking, camping, and pretty much anything involved in the outdoors. One of my favorite things to do is kayak down the Brazos River. There is a beautiful 20 mile stretch below Possum Kingdom, where you can escape all the hustle and bustle of today’s world and recharge your batteries.