December Honoree

Michael Rose is a quiet champion in our department who goes above and beyond his job every day without a lot of fanfare, drama, or recognition. He has a varied background with strengths in many trades such as HVAC, electrical, plumbing and carpentry. He is a problem solver who has had numerous successes fixing challenges in some of DGS’s oldest buildings. Mike has helped to restore power after outages, repaired broken pipes, prepared our snow removal equipment for the season, and actually participated in snow removal – whatever is necessary to keep our State buildings open and running smoothly. Mr. Rose oversees contractors and the comprehensive maintenance contract at the Nancy S. Grasmick building. He coordinates schedules to complete work orders in his own building and in addition, he helps out at other buildings as necessary; he assists with managing the DGS building at 2100 Guildford Avenue, our unoccupied building, to ensure the safe keeping of that building. He has strong customer service skills; he is adept at conversing on a professional level with both interior and exterior customers – coordinating efforts of contractors and addressing concerns of State of Maryland tenant agencies. And oh, did I mention? Mike Rose also assists with flag duty at William Donald Shaeffer Tower which is no small task. The United States flag and the Maryland State Flag on top of the William Donald Schaefer Tower are beautiful landmarks, but also a point of reference in the Baltimore City skyline; they can be seen on the nightly news, during Orioles baseball games or Ravens’ home games. Although the flags may appear to be normal size from a distance, the U.S. flags is 20’ x 30’ and the Maryland flag is 12’ x 18’. In addition, the flags are 36 stories off the ground or 493 feet from the ground to the top of the pole. Raising and lowering the flags for incoming foul weather or to honor dignitaries (and our everyday fallen heroes) is a challenging effort, which can be hazardous and scary when the winds on the flag deck can be three times as strong as on the ground. Mike is part of a team that handles this part of the job nearly every week. Mike Rose gets the job done. His skillset, attention to detail and work ethic is inspirational. That is why he is Baltimore’s nomination for Caught DGSing.