Shawano County Highway Commissioner Grant Bystol awards Rick Gruenwald for his service
A member of the Shawano County Highway Department who recently retired was recognized by the Shawano County Board on Wednesday.
Rick Gruenwald has been with the Department for 27 years, beginning in February of 1990. Grunewald worked as a truck driver, mechanic, and shop foreman in his time.
Highway Commissioner Grant Bystol called him a jack-of-all-trades, as he worked with a large fleet of equipment. It was Gruenwald’s knowledge and his ability to pass that knowledge on that made him stand out.
“Rick transitioned into the shop foreman, and since then, the last 20 trucks have been built by crews within the Shawano County Highway Department,” explained Bystol. “ He passed on a cost saving for the county and the knowledge for the people who worked for him.”
County Board Chairman, Jerry Erdmann, also praised the retired foreman.
“Good people like that really make Shawano County move, and not just because he is in the highway department,” joked Erdmann. “Shawano County has a lot of good staffers, and Rick was one.”