On the job
DAMON JOHNSON
City engineer
Batesville is one of the oldest municipalities in the state of Arkansas and it takes dedication and ingenuity to bring some of the town’s older utilities into the 21st century.
Damon Johnson is the city engineer for Batesville. In this role he oversees the city’s water and wastewater utilities and works with the street department on drainage issues.
One of the largest projects Johnson is working on right now is the expansion of the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Currently, the facility is working at capacity and processes four million gallons of wastewater a day. The expansion would bring capacity to 10 million gallons per day. Not only will this ease the burden on the facility, the extra capacity is important in case any industrial facilities move to town.
“It will also basically keep us in compliance with environmental regulations,” he said. “It’s opening up additional treatment capacity for growth of the town.”
Johnson starts his day at 8 a.m. and meets with other leaders in the community to discuss any issues that may have arisen and look for solutions.
“We tr y to find economical ways to spend tax-dollar money and get the most bang for our buck,” he said.
Johnson has worked as city engineer for five years and said one of the biggest challenges he faces is the city’s storm water drainage system. Since Batesville is one of the oldest cities in the state, dealing with storm water runoff and keeping it out of the city sewer system is a big project.
Johnson, who is a native of Batesville, said he never imagined he would be working for his hometown, but said he has enjoyed the experience and loves living in the town.
JODY SMOTHERMAN
Director of quality, case management
and compliance
Quality control is important for any company, but it’s especially important for those taking care of others.
Jody Smotherman is the director of quality, case management and compliance for White River Medical Center in Batesville. In this position, he fills a number of roles at the hospital.
“It means I’m over five smaller areas of the hospital that deal with quality, utilization reviews and clinical documentation,” he said.
Smotherman said he arrives at the hospital at 8:30 a.m. to begin his day. He starts off by checking email and checks in with all the departments he works with to see if any issues need to be addressed.
A lot of Smotherman’s job deals with changes regarding recent health care reform legislation.
“With health care reform, there are so many new programs coming out that we have to check quality measures and see how our hospital is performing and that’s a big part of what I do,” he said.
Smotherman has served in his current role for a little more than a year and a half, and previous to this position, he worked as the director of pharmacy at the hospital. He said the work the hospital does is important not only for the health of the people of Batesville, but it’s important for the economy of the region.
“We are the largest employer in this area,” he said.“we employ [more] than 1,200 people just at White River Medical Center.”
During his free time, Smotherman is active within his church, Newark Southern Baptist Church, and is an avid outdoorsman. He’s also started contributing articles to outdoor magazines and had pieces accepted by Traditional Bowhunter and Professional
Bowhunters Society.
STEPHANIE HENDRICKS
Victim assistance coordinator
When one is the victim of a crime, the court system can sometimes be difficult to navigate, especially if one doesn’t have anyone to turn to. Luckily people do have someone who can help.
Stephanie Hendricks is the victim assistance coordinator for Independence, Izard, Fulton, Stone and Cleburne counties. In this role she helps victims and their families through a difficult time.
“I help them through the court process and for a lot of people without any knowledge of the court system, it’s really difficult to understand,” she said.
Hendricks starts most of her days around 8:30 a.m. at her office by keeping on top of emails, checking in with the people she’s helping and working on case files. She also goes to court with victims to advise them through the legal process, so she can often be found at the five counties’ courthouses.
“I’m the only victim assistance person for all five counties,” she said. “I’m just there and available in case anyone wants to talk.”
Hendricks works for the Independence County prosecuting attorney, Don Taylor Mcspadden. She started working for Mcspadden as an administrative assistant four years ago while attending the University of Arkansas Community College in Batesville.
Hendricks said one of her main goals in her current role is to make sure people know that she is available to help victims, even if no charges have been filed.
“I want people to know I’m here and I want people to know that I can help,” she said.“if I can’t answer their questions, I’ll just direct them to the deputy prosecutor for each county.they’re all really great.”