Howard “Don” LaRue, assistant manager at the University of Georgia steam plant, places his team’s well-being at the center of his leadership approach. Responsible for a staff of 16 who maintain round-the-clock operations, LaRue spends time with each shift to build trust and create an environment where employees feel comfortable.
“Managers are meant to set the table. They create the environment. How employees feel is up to them,” LaRue said. “I’m going to create the environment in which a person can feel valued as part of being a tribe.”
LaRue began working at the steam plant in 2016 as a night-shift operator after moving to Athens. Over three years, he learned every aspect of the plant’s operations before becoming assistant manager in 2021.
His leadership philosophy centers on acceptance, protection, and value. He emphasizes encouragement and belonging among his team members.
“If you can get your team feeling like they’re part of the culture, and you can give them competence, then they can move forward and know that they belong,” he said.
The steam plant’s work is essential but often unnoticed. Steam generated by the facility travels through about seven miles of underground piping to heat more than 100 buildings on UGA’s Athens campus. It maintains temperatures and humidity in laboratories, supports sanitation in dining facilities, and ensures comfortable environments for learning and living throughout the year. Disruptions would immediately impact teaching, research, and daily routines.
“Our job is to keep the university moving forward. If we’re not doing our job, somebody else can’t do theirs,” LaRue said.
Because operating a steam plant requires specialized skills not widely known or taught, LaRue developed a structured three-phase training program for his team when he became assistant manager. The program provides a consistent knowledge base for every member.
“I believe anybody can do it. A lot of it is just confidence,” he said. “It’s all about invitation — telling someone, ‘You can do this job.’”
The training includes “Topical Guide Objectives” outlining what trainees must master before certification over three years. The curriculum covers equipment operation, system knowledge, emergency readiness, instruction, and hands-on experience. According to LaRue, its success depends on buy-in from operators.
“It wasn’t done without the cooperation and the acceptance of the operators. It’s a change of culture that they handled… They were willing to be participants in that, which not a lot of people would do,” he said.
Preparedness remains central to LaRue’s style. He introduced an annual full-loss-of-power drill so staff could practice restoring service after taking the entire plant offline—a move that required careful justification but ultimately proved valuable by letting operators apply their training under real conditions.
“Now, they’re asking for it, which is what’s important,” LaRue said. “I’ve also heard that server rooms throughout the university are going to start running annual shutdowns. They’re calling it the ‘Steam Plant Method,’ which is really kind of cool.”
For LaRue, seeing his team perform well under pressure brings pride.
“I can’t do anything without them,” he said. “It really takes great people, and we have them.”
After nearly ten years at UGA’s steam plant, LaRue says his role has become about building both professional purpose and personal connection within his team.
“I am thrilled to be here, and the people who have supported me along the way have been more than a blessing,” he said. “To the operators — they are everything to me.”
