Montana Department of Transportation

Meet Montie Lavoie, Maintenance Section Supervisor, mother of one daughter, and "best buddy" to a loveable 3-year-old grandson.

Montie moved to Montana with her family when she was 15 years old. After high school, she enrolled at Missoula College of Technology where she completed heavy equipment and commercial truck driving courses. A career counselor encouraged her to apply at MDT and it wasn't long before she landed a temporary position in Missoula. Like other hard working employees who start out doing temporary work, Montie found ample opportunites to advance at MDT. In a relatively short period of time, she worked her way up to Maintenance Section Supervisor.

As section supervisor, Montie works closely with her crew to maintain the roads in their service area. Their overarching goal is to help keep the traveling public moving as safely as possible. Together, Montie and crew perform vital work including winter road maintenance, guardrail and fence repair, mowing and vegetation management, sign installation and repair, traffic control, road surface maintenance, equipment maintenance and a host of other activities.

Montie, who has worked for MDT for more than 15 years, reports the work is never dull. "Things can change quickly depending on circumstances such as weather." The reality is, maintaining roadways in Montana can be downright exhilirating. Snow can fly at any time, even in summer. It's this unpredictability and variety that attracts people like Montie to this line of work. She explains, "I think the best thing about my job is the variety. No two days are the same. There is always something new and challenging coming along."

Because challenges and hurdles are an everyday occurance, Montie believes Maintenance Section Supervisors need special skills to survive. She explains, "You have to be flexible and patient. Things can happen that are beyond anyone's control and they will alter your schedule and the decisions you make."

In closing, Montie spoke candidly about her job and the benefits of working at MDT. "It's a very secure job with good pay and benefits."

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