Tim Epps has worked at City Light’s Skagit Project for nearly 29 years. He began his career as a warehouser in the Machine Shop, but five years ago he stepped into his current role as Sr. Material Controller. “I’m responsible for all of the purchasing at the Skagit project, including the various trades,” Tim explained. “I make sure the crews have what they need for the maintenance and operations. Most of the special and capital projects purchasing are done in Seattle. I help with the coordination of these items to make sure they’re distributed to the correct parties.”
Tim is a native Washingtonian who grew up in the Shoreline area (though he did live in Australia for two years). He currently resides in Sedro-Woolley with his wife, Dorothy. They have three sons – Steven, Eric and Alan. “We lived at the Skagit Project – both Diablo and Newhalem – for the first six years of my City Light career,” Tim shared. “I enjoyed it, but we decided to move closer to town when my oldest son began high school.”
In this week’s (spot)Light, Tim talks about his hobbies and his role at Skagit.
Tim and his wife at the Special Olympics
“I studied Diesel Mechanics at South Seattle Community College which led me to the electrical supply industry where I worked for five to six years. Once I got married and started to have kids, I realized I didn’t want to pursue a career in mechanics. I came across a listing for a warehouser at the Skagit Project and applied. The job sounded interesting and Newhalem seemed like a wonderful place to raise a family of three boys.”
“I have several activities that I enjoy, but the most fun is being a soccer referee. My wife and I have been soccer referees for almost 26 years and have had the opportunity to travel all over the country refereeing at various tournaments. We referee at the youth, college and adult level. Occasionally, we referee at the semi pro level. One of the most recent and biggest rewards was being chosen to referee at the Special Olympics USA Tournament held in Seattle last month. We both were invited to this event and refereed over 20 games in the five days of this event.”
“When we’re not busy with soccer, we also enjoy camping and collector cars. We own two classic cars – a 1968 Ford Galaxie Station wagon and a 1964 Ford Thunderbird. We’ll take the cars out and drive them around for fun on nice summer days. We’re also active with our church in Mount Vernon.”
“My work at Skagit has always been interesting. I like the variety of goods and services that are involved with purchasing. I’ve also learned a lot about the different trades throughout the utility. To top it all off, we’re located in an area that many people travel to as a vacation destination. The mountains and wildlife make this a truly wonderful place to work.”