At Wood Sewer, no task too big for Moede

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Morgan Moede is one of a kind, according to Dustin Dorsey, vice president of Wood Sewer & Excavating.

Standing just over 5 feet, the 24-year-old works mainly on the company’s backfill crew but has also become a jack-of-all-trades – doing everything from laying out parts and preparing manholes, to running skid steers and loaders and laying out pipe.

“Since I’m a lot smaller than everyone else, it takes me a lot more effort than some of the bigger guys,” Moede said, noting that her success has a lot to do with her ability to adapt. “I can pretty much do everything that they can do. I just do it differently.”

A self-motivated, visual learner, Moede will take on any challenge presented to her and make sure the job is done the right way.

“With a CDL and a go-getter attitude, she is ‘one of the boys’ in her laborer and operator position,” said Sue Wood, an owner of Wood Sewer & Excavating and the secretary/treasurer of the corporation.

It didn’t take long after graduating from high school for Moede to realize she was not a fan of working in an office. Her father was working at Wood Sewer & Excavating and encouraged her to try her hand there.

In only her second year in the construction field, Moede has become something of a “mini-foreman” to her coworkers.

“She’s a very skilled team leader and teacher. I’ve relied on her probably more this year tasking new hires to direct their questions to her,” Dorsey said. “She’s a very good leader, very good forward thinker and all-around very big asset for what we’re trying to do.”

When training others, Moede does her best to adapt her teaching methods to the way they learn.

“Because when I started I had to prove myself and wasn’t really taught everything. I had to watch and learn how to do everything on my own,” she said.

Moede said she hopes eventually to be able to run a crew and equipment efficiently and safely. In the meantime, she continues to prove that all that’s needed to get the job done is a little determination.

“Everyone wants to do things for me … which is my pet peeve,” Moede said. “I’m just fine on my own.”