RUTLAND — BROC-Community Action in Southwestern Vermont is pleased to announce that Sam Brookman, its weatherization program manager, has been named the first recipient of the Bob Neumayer Excellence in Weatherization Service Award. The award was created to honor Bob Neumayer, who worked at Northeast Employment & Training Organization for 18 years as area coordinator, energy auditor, and efficiency coach. Geoff Wilcox, Vermont Weatherization Program administrator at the state Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) said, “I met Bob for the first time in 1999 when he helped Efficiency Vermont train the staff from the five weatherization programs to use new diagnostic and screening tools. Bob was one of the nicest guys around, very smart and good at what he did. Bob has been truly missed by anyone who knew him.”
On Monday, Oct. 6, BROC-Community Action in Southwestern Vermont hosted a statewide weatherization training day. Approximately 160 weatherization supervisors, energy auditors, and crew technicians from around came together to learn and share experiences from the five community action agencies. As part of the day, Wilcox presented Brookman with a plaque.
OEO chose Brookman as the recipient because he exemplifies the qualities that make Weatherization such a successful program. Sam believes in teamwork, respect for co-workers and especially respect for BROC’s clients.
Stated Brookman in receiving the award: “My staff worked hard to turn things around. They made sure we met our contracted goals for the number of homes to be weatherized to benefit low-income people. We had the first ever ‘no findings’ monitoring report in the state. I am very proud of the work we do to help people reduce their heating costs.”
OEO is a department of the Agency of Human Services, under the Dept. of Children and Families. OEO administers federal Community Services Block Grant funds through five Community Action Agencies that provide direct community services to more than 70,000 low-income Vermonters. These services include homelessness prevention and the Weatherization Assistance Program.
