Leadership (Classified)

James Storm, painter, Physical Plant

As one of two painters on the Dayton Campus’s south zone, James “Jimmy” Storm stays busy maintaining the wall surfaces of more than two dozen buildings. The work is never-ending, and Storm never stops. He arrives on campus before most students, staff, or faculty. Although his normal shift ends at 3:30 p.m., he’s often still there after most people leave.

Storm takes tremendous pride in his work. Most recently, he was involved in the renovation of the Endeavour Room of the Student Union. The project included covering exposed, concrete block walls with drywall. Some areas were too tight to hang drywall and had to be skim-coated with joint compound. Storm’s smooth finishing work made it impossible to tell the difference.

“Unless you are responsible for maintenance-related issues, you’ll probably never notice him. But, what you will notice is how nice all the buildings in the south zone look and how well maintained the paint is,” said Eric Corbitt, director of the Student Union and Campus Recreation.

But people do notice Storm. That’s because he’s as attentive to others as he is to his work. He’s quick to smile and return a greeting or answer questions about whatever project he’s doing.

“Personally, I’ve found myself feeling a bit more positive about the rest of my day after running into Jimmy, and that says something to me about the kind of person he is—someone who likes his job and does it well, and projects ‘good karma’ to people around him,” said Katherine Morris, associate vice president for student affairs.