Employee Spotlight - Chad Marbut

Do you have a favorite quote?

“I’m a rocker dude, through and through.” – Joe Dirté

Can you describe your position?

Well, I work in what we call the Capital Projects Department. Basically, that means I am involved in any kind of new construction having to do with roadways, signals, drainage improvement, hike/bike trails etc. Because this type of work impacts almost every aspect of our community, I get to coordinate and work with just about every department here at the city in some way, which is really cool. The majority of my time is spent on developing our programs and projects, working out funding mechanisms, and then executing the bidding and construction process. At this point I have a lot in construction, so a normal day would consist of site visits/inspections, coordinating field decisions to the contractors and consultants, reviewing and routing pay applications, and any other administrative obligations we have. With any project there are always challenges or issues that come up along the way, my job is to manage those appropriately and get us to the finish line. The other really important side of what I do is represent the city at the regional level at North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and at the state level with TxDOT. Our involvement with NCTCOG has led to several of the assets we have here in the community, the most recent being the 2nd phase of our hike/bike trail and the corresponding signal on Santa Fe Drive. Maintaining those partnerships and good working relationships is one of the most rewarding things I am able to be a part of for Weatherford.

What made you choose your career path?

Chad and his family

*Photo provided by Chad Marbut

Straight out of (Alvarado) high school I joined the Air Force, married my high school sweetheart Lisa, and worked as a mechanic on F-15s in Florida. After crewing jets for a few years, and doing some really awesome stuff, I got the motivation to start college for engineering (and the Air Force was paying for it!). After Lisa got her RN degree we decided to take the leap and separate Active Duty to transfer to the reserves in Fort Worth where I then crewed F-16s once a month. We bought a house in Weatherford, I enrolled at Weatherford College, then UTA, then fast forward 4 years and I had a Civil Engineering degree….and 2 daughters along the way! Funny story though on my employment here at the City. After a few years of doing some cool projects in the private sector (Sundance Square/TCU/CookChildrens), I got wind of an entry level engineering position here that was advertised and I had to pursue, even though I knew I would be overqualified. Not only that, I was actually on a short deployment with the Air Force so I had to do a phone interview! The opportunity to do big things in my own community was something I just couldn’t let pass me by, and joining the city has been better for me and my family than I ever expected.

*Photo provided by Chad Marbut

What type of music best describes you?

I’d have to say 1990s-2000s rock. C’mon, my name is Chad of course it’s that genre.

*Photos provided by Chad Marbut

What do you love about your job?

I’d have to say the thing I love is the positive impact we are able to have on the community. Representing Weatherford and overseeing these programs is a huge responsibility that I am entrusted with and I don’t take it lightly. My girls are able to see the things around town their dad works on, and I think it’s a legacy they can be proud of. I’d have to mention the people as another thing too though, my co-workers and others I interact with here at the City are really the other half of why I love what I do.

Matt Leppla, Chad, Manny Palacios, and Terry Hughes at WISD Education Foundation's Taste for Education

*Photo provided by Chad Marbut

What do you find most interesting about Weatherford?

Most interesting? Hmm, you know we moved here in 2007 because we didn’t want to live in the big city, and moving back home to Alvarado just wasn’t something we were interested in. After getting here we realized we made a great decision because living in Weatherford is not having to make a compromise between small town/rural vibe and bigger city amenities. The fact that we can have both in this community is really the most interesting thing to me and I guess it’s why we decided to make this place home.

Where is your favorite place in Weatherford?

Two come to mind 1) The patio at Shep’s and 2) The patio at Antebellum….I like patios

If you could have any job in the world (no limitations) what would you do?

When I was younger I would probably have had some wild answers for you, before Lisa and I built our family and grew roots here, but right now I can’t imagine what else I would be doing except maybe sitting on a beach not working at all. Bill Smith and I talked about quitting and starting a rock band at one point, but all he wanted to do was cover Nickelback songs and there’s just not a market for that…

Do you have any hobbies or areas of interest and what are they?

I have a tendency to get into a lot of different things, and the rest of the guys could probably attest to that. I’ve always liked anything having to do with motor-sports, especially off-road stuff. I grew up riding motocross and although I barely have time to ride anymore, it’s still my biggest passion. I was really into import cars and drag racing when I was younger, so I have a soft spot for any kind of pumped up street car. Right now I have a 60’ Ford F100 with a 5.4L drivetrain and front clip ready to be worked on and swapped…but life and the Air Force doesn’t let me play with it much! Fishing and hunting once in awhile, mountain biking when I can, smoking BBQ on the weekend, I just got two more bee hives going on our property. 0I’m all over the place!

Do you have any personal goals for yourself?

I’m making an effort to take more family vacations, the kids will be grown way too fast and I want to build as many memories with them as we can. Before I retire from the Air Force I would like to make Lieutenant Colonel, but that really depends on whether I can balance that with my career and responsibilities here at the city. Other than that just staying in shape and physically active is something I try to keep on top of.

*Photo provided by Chad Marbut

What else would you like everyone to know about you?

I mentioned my wife Lisa before, we’ve been married over 16 years and were dating for a few years before that. No one knows me better than her, and somehow she still keeps me around! We have two little girls Calissa and Kyleigh, they are 10 and 7 right now. Lisa is the school nurse at Seguin Elementary and both the girls go to school there with her. We live just west of town on 11 acres that we bought through the veteran land board back in 2013, and at least for now that is our forever home. I commissioned as an Air Force Officer back in 2014, going through officer training school at 30 years old was an experience! Right now I am a Captain and the Operations Flight Commander for the 433d Civil Engineer Squadron down at Lackland in San Antonio. It keeps me very busy and is a time sacrifice from the family, but it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my military career.