Jacoby Stevenson - Utility Repair Coordinator
Landscape Industry Since: 2021
Signature Landscape Since: 2021
Jacoby Stevenson’s family bounced around Kansas before finally settling down in Lawrence, where he quickly fell in love with all the local businesses, live music, and KU basketball. His first paying job was lawn care for family and friends in their neighborhood. He enjoyed the exercise, sense of completion, and visual transformation that landscaping provided.
After graduating from Lawrence High School, Jacoby was offered a position at a country club restaurant and immediately became captivated by the creativity and fast-paced nature of the job. Before every dinner service, the entire kitchen staff had to draw straws. The cook that drew the shortest straw was given a mystery basket of ingredients to use and tasked with cooking the executive chef’s dinner that night, alongside his regular kitchen duties. Every night, it forced one person out of their comfort zone and required creative and efficient solutions.
Jacoby spent the next several years studying under the executive chef at that restaurant before traveling to the Pacific Northwest in search of new cuisines and cooking techniques. Eugene, Oregon shared many of the things that made living in Lawrence so appealing, and he began attending college in search of a more sustainable and lucrative career path. The Energy Management program at Lane Community College checked all those boxes, and the prospect of working for a utility company to save businesses and homeowners money, while reducing our dependence on natural resources, seemed beneficial for everyone involved. This area of study and Jacoby’s experience working in a bustling kitchen helped establish efficiency as the foundation for his work and life philosophy. He is constantly searching for ways to improve the performance and productivity of both himself and the crews working in the field.
Jacoby found out that Oregon has too many energy managers and he was forced to start looking for opportunities elsewhere. His search for ‘utility work’ lead him to the Utility Repair Coordinator at Signature, where he started in 2021. Jacoby works as a liaison between utility customers and various utility companies. He coordinates with the property owner to assess any damage to the landscape a utility company has caused and creates material estimates for the repairs. Next, he creates info packets for Signature’s crews that guide them to the worksites and provide documentation for every area that requires landscaping work. Jacoby also assists with processing additional work orders from the various branches in our Construction Department.
His hobbies include gaming with family, cooking desserts, and playing tennis and pickleball.
Jacoby is grateful for the opportunity to work with such amazing people, learn something new every day, and rekindle family relationships that faded from living so far away.