December 21, 2019

The City of Lee’s Summit recognized Tom Soetaert as the organization’s Employee of the Year during an annual employee meeting Dec. 17. Soetaert is a control system supervisor for Water Utilities.

Since joining the City of Lee’s Summit in 2010, Soetaert has been dedicated to providing the best service possible to Lee’s Summit residents, always with a positive attitude. That dedication was evident during an upgrade of the supervisory control and data acquisition system, which is critical to Water Utilities. Soetaert took ownership of the situation and made himself available nights and weekends to help resolve issues during implementation. He also ensured all duty supervisors were trained to monitor the system to avoid any operational issues that would affect residents.

“He willingly gives up his personal time to assist the department when needed,” said Jeff Thorn, assistant director of engineering services. “This is just one example of the many ways Tom has displayed his leadership, work ethic and knowledge.”

“He works extremely hard for this department and is always thinking about the customer first,” said Utility Operations and Maintenance Manager Mike Riley. “Tom stepped up in a major way during this project and helped guide others in the department no matter the day or hour.”

Coworkers say Soetaert makes Water Utilities better in every way. He’s dedicated to upholding the City’s core values and is always willing to put in the extra effort to ensure everything is operating smoothly.