Each month we introduce you to a member of our staff with a brief Q&A. This month, we meet Rich Hallenbeck. Read on to learn about the unique road that brought him to Questar III and what he loves about his job.
What is your role here at Questar III, and where do you work?
I am a Crisis Intervention Worker at the Catskill Academy and I am a certified anger management specialist, a member of The National Anger Management Association.
How long have you worked here?
I’ve been a Questar III employee since 2003.
How do you see your role as supporting the BOCES and its students/districts?
I see my role as part of the complex ‘machine’ that enhances the learning experiences of each of our students, while working to build morale in my immediate work place. A high morale will only benefit ‘The Machine’.
What is your background like – previous jobs, education, etc.?
I have to admit that I wasn’t the best student a teacher could have. I actually disliked my early school years. I ended up working in the strangest places. I learned how to make high fashion jewelry in a jewelry store on Warren Street in Hudson, New York (where my father was police commissioner). I eventually went to work for a small refrigerator company. I was flown to Manitowoc, Wisconsin to earn a degree in ice machine repair. Yeah, I went to ice machine school…you can’t make this stuff up. Eventually, I ended up working for Columbia County DPW. This was bitter sweet. I liked it some days and hated it some others. Ultimately, I ended up working in a sewer deep in the ground, with raw sewage spewing out of a pipe, bouncing off my back. I literally worked in the bowels of the earth. Now, I work in the most rewarding vocation of my life; Questar III! I look forward to coming to work daily to build up our students and my co-workers.
What do you like most about your job?
What I like most about my job, is making a difference and creating a positive environment. Most of us don’t realize that our jobs take up approximately 1/3 of our daily lives. Another 1/3 is our ‘free’ time outside of work, and finally 1/3 is when we are sleeping, or at least trying to!
Tell us a bit about your life outside of Questar III.
I am a collector of electric guitars…I currently own 30. I play in a classic rock band known as Side Show Willie. I’m the guitarist and lead vocalist. We play every weekend. I enjoy painting, drawing and art in general. I also enjoy comedy very much…the old-school guys, like Rodney Dangerfield, Henny Youngman, etc.
