For NW Works’ Government Contract Manager Missy Pugh, managing a team of 27 employees across nine different government sites in three states means a lot of running around.
Pugh found time in her busy schedule to sit down for a quick interview about her time serving NW Works, in a rare moment of calm at our Shawnee Drive facility.
Pugh, who started her time at NW Works as a Business Services Employee, was born in Charlottesville and raised in Waynesboro. When she was just 12 years old, she began volunteering at a nursing home helping to feed and care for the residents. After a stint as a phlebotomist and medication aid, Pugh was working in dementia care in Maurertown, Va.. when a friend referred her to NW Works.
“When I started here, it was with Business Services and I knew that this was the mission I wanted to be in,” she said.
Pugh began learning AbilityOne contracts– a federal program designed to create meaningful employment for adults with documented disabilities– as well as the other custodial, grounds, and maintenance contracts NW Works managed.
“I started building a relationship with our government partners and most importantly, with our incredible AbilityOne team,” she said. “That’s when I realized we were more than just what was behind these closed doors.”
Pugh’s team of 27 employees work across nine government sites in Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia, including at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Food and Drug Administration. She says the program itself is “full of endless possibilities.”
Pugh believes its important for people to know NW Works can provide services even for those outside of Winchester. And internally, she encourages anyone associated with NW Works to come tour the government sites and see what her team is doing every day.
Most of the positions are custodial, but Pugh notes that there are grounds and maintenance positions as well, and her employees even get the opportunity to occasionally watch the dog training at the ATF site and meet the canines. Most of her staff have been with the company for over a decade and many of the contracts themselves are decades old.
“These guys come to work, and it’s not work to them, it’s family. And just seeing the reward overall, that’s my reward. That’s what makes me come to work, it’s just seeing them,” said Pugh. “Every day is a reward. To be able to witness the impact our mission has on so many, it’s a great feeling. Here it is almost five and a half years later for me and that feeling has never changed.”
Pugh’s pride and joy in life are her two daughters, one who is studying to become a nurse and another who is entering fifth grade. She enjoys enhancing her culinary skills and hanging with her pups on her back porch, while also spending time with her girls.