Lawrence County’s southern maintenance section is seeing a bit of a family tradition with the appointment of Dave Raybuck in May of this year. Dave’s dad, Dave Raybuck Sr., held the exact same position before his retirement in 2004 after 33 years of service.
Dave Raybuck Sr. began his PennDOT career in 1971 as a Transportation Equipment Operator and served in various positions before being promoted in 1984 to Assistant Highway Maintenance Manager (AHMM) in Beaver County. It was in 1987 that he transferred to Lawrence County’s southern maintenance section where he served until his retirement.
His son took a different path to reach his Lawrence County Maintenance destination. Prior to coming to PennDOT, Dave Raybuck Jr. served in the United State Marines Corps from 1995 to 1999. Following the Marines Corps, he attended college and performed part-time work. He began working for PennDOT in December of 2001 as an E-Tech in the Construction Division and also served in various positions before his most recent promotion to AHMM in Lawrence County’s southern maintenance section.
In reference to his dad, Raybuck said: “I wasn’t planning to necessarily follow his footsteps, but after spending winter assignment up here, I really enjoyed the change. So, once Kevin (Preston) retired, I had to bid on it.”
He spent his winter reassignment assisting (former) AHMM Kevin Preston and (current) Highway Maintenance Coordinator Scott Jones. During that time, Dave was tasked with assignments in SAP, payroll, and the Customer Care Center. He also attended meetings about winter services and shadowed Kevin in his daily duties. His transition to maintenance has presented him the new challenges of changes in the scope of work from construction to maintenance, including learning new systems.
“In the first year, I am hoping to continue gaining knowledge in the new computer systems, field work, and assist in anything that is needed," Raybuck Jr. said.
Retirement for Dave Raybuck Sr. didn’t mean sitting on a rocking chair on his front porch. In his first year, he went back to work driving buses for the Beaver County Transit Authority. He then went to work as a Construction Inspector and Supervisor for various consultant companies. Most recently, he was working for District 11 TCM 2 Mark Giardina on last year’s SR 288 Wampum Bridge project. He is now working on SR 19 in Cranberry for Michael Baker Consultants.
“We both worked with many of the same contractors. During the time my Dad was working with Mark, I was Inspector In Charge on the Kopple Bridge and we were both working with Brayman Construction,” Raybuck Jr. said.
The family connections in Lawrence County extend beyond the Raybucks. Current Lawrence County Maintenance Manager Mike Horrell’s dad, Ron Horrell, previously served as a Foreman in Lawrence County while Dave’s dad served as AHMM. Now, Mike Horrell is the County Manager while Dave Raybuck Jr. serves as AHMM.
It sounds like Lawrence County Maintenance is the “family business” for the Horrells and Raybucks!