Page 14 - SeptOct2021Vol33No3

COLLIERVILLE By Jennifer Casey
Josh Russell: Helping People and

Playing With Trucks

A passion for helping people, mixed
with a love of big trucks, landed Josh
Russell the job as the Town of Collierville’s
new Public Works Manager.
Russell has a story about coming home
from kindergarten and telling his mother
that he did not like school, and he did not
want to go back. She told him if he quit
school before twelfth grade, he could not
even grow up to be a garbage man.
He did make it all the way through
school, and much to his surprise,
essentially became a garbage man. Josh Russell - then and now
New Public Works Manager for Town of
Collierville keeps Collierville feeling like
a small Town,” he said.
Today, at 34 years old, Russell is the
new Public Works Manager for the Town Building Relationships Was Key Russell’s experience in Sanitation
of Collierville. While the title is new, he Russell, who grew up in a small set him up to be an ideal candidate for
has worked for 14 years for Collierville, community in Slayden, Mississippi, is the Manager of Public Works. It also
starting as a maintenance worker on a still surprised how quickly his career occasionally gave him the chance to drive
Parks and Grounds Crew, then making with the town progressed. When he those big trucks.
the switch to Public Services. first became the Assistant Manager in When asked what he is most looking
“I always liked heavy equipment, big Sanitation, he had to build relationships forward to in the new role, he says it’s
trucks, and tractors, so the field of Public with his staff, which he often “having the ability to help people. That is
Works was a good fit,” Russell said. When accomplished by jumping in and helping where my heart is at – customer service.
he first joined the team, he was not driving to get a job finished. And that is our employees too, I want
trucks just yet. He spent the first few “I had the pleasure of having Josh on to help them make their jobs more
years as a sign technician, creating street my staff when I was managing Public enjoyable.”
signs for town roads. He got to know Works,” said Public Utilities Manager Collierville’s Public Services
the Public Services staff, learned about John Fox. “He was a great addition to the Department consists of eight divisions:
the department, and when the Assistant team because he was always focused on Administration, Streets and Drainage,
Manager in Sanitation position became excellent customer service by providing Fleet Services, Sanitation, Water
open, he jumped at the opportunity. our residents with efficient, value-added Treatment, Water Distribution,
“I’m a customer service-based person service. I am confident he will continue Wastewater Collection, and Wastewater
and Sanitation is a customer-service based to make Public Works a division our Treatment. To learn more about
division. I also believe that even though residents and elected officials are proud to Public Services, visit colliervilletn.gov/
we’re growing, good customer service have in the Town of Collierville.” government/public-services.

14 TPW September/October 2021