Leah Ingram Eagle
Leah Ingram Eagle
Leah Ingram Eagle
Leah Ingram Eagle
Leah Ingram Eagle
Leah Ingram Eagle
Leah Ingram Eagle
Leah Ingram Eagle
Former Shelby County Manager Alex Dudcock was honored for his 29 years of service to the county on Monday, Nov. 15, when the Alex A. Dudchock Shelby Shelby County Services Building was dedicated.
Dudchock served as county manager for 29 years, from 1993 until his retirement on March 31, 2020. Current county manager Chad Scroggins said the design team for the new building started off with Dudchock, who then handed the project over to Scroggins and others to run.
Addressing the crowd, Scroggins said while working for Dudchock for 17 years, he was given the opportunity to try many many different things and work on many different projects, something Dudchock did for so many of the county employees.
“That's the one thing I can say about Alex at work, he fed us those opportunities to grow and I’ll be forever thankful for that,” Scroggins said. “His investment in the community really shines and we are the beneficiaries of that part of Alex's life. Service is the one thing that he has always done.”
Scroggins said the project was born out of the idea of bringing services closer to the Dunnavant Valley area, which has been the fastest growing in the county for about the last 20 years.
“This is a project born out of the idea of bringing services closer to our population centers,” Scroggins said. “We are excited about the opportunity to open up the facility in unincorporated Shelby County to serve all 808 square miles and all residents of our county. The design of this 27,000 square foot building is to serve the needs of our residents of North Shelby County.”
The commission prioritized this service building project before Dudchock retired, but he had nothing to do with it and was seeing it for the first time Monday.
County Commission Chair Kevin Morris gave the introduction for Dudchock and described him as someone who epitomizes leadership within the county. Morris said he can’t think of a better building than the services building that would describe him.
“When he came back to Shelby County in 1993 (after previously serving as personnel director), there was a different plan and different vision and he began to put that vision into place,” Morris said. “One of the things he knew he had to do was create a management team that is just as diverse as the county. He began to mentor, teach and mold them into the leaders that he knew Shelby County needed every day to provide the services our citizens quite frankly expect.”
Morris read the dedication plaque that was presented to Dudchock for his years of service. It mentioned his 29 years of service; recognized his unparalleled consistent performance and excellent work ethic; and the value to the many public operations and projects that were accomplished through his direct input and unquestionable delivery of timely work.
It also read that “Alex's exemplary service to Shelby County and humble demeanor while achieving and implementing public improvements and accomplishments has provided an invaluable example of personal sacrifice and leadership, and support to our citizens and his county colleagues.”
Dudchock spent several minutes sharing his thoughts on his former role, the people who made Shelby County what it is today and how this honor isn’t just about him.
“I have been truly blessed, this is truly a humbling experience that is only possible… because of the talent our county commission allowed us to approve, select and retain over all these years,” Dudchock said. “This is not about one individual. This is about folks that came to work each day and were doers who did not make excuses.”
From the county almost going into bankruptcy in 1992 through the great recession in 2008, Dudchock said he always did what his dad told him: “Live within your means and you’ll be surprised at what you can still do if you set your priorities right”.
“Our commissions over the years, they did not just blindly make decisions. Our citizens' talent, our elected officials' talent, our staff's talent make this county what we all are proud of,” he said. “Every time we had an opening we improved our intellectual capital and our people. The blessing that I truly had is that I did not have to light a fire everyday to have the enthusiasm and the intensity that I knew we had to have to succeed."
Dudchock added that the level of expectations that Shelby County’s citizens have for doing things that are not traditionally done by the government is why he stayed.
Morris said the greatest thing about Dudchock is that his investment hasn’t stopped, which is the sign of a true leader.
“We all look to Alex as a great example and today we gather here to honor him on this very special occasion where we were able to celebrate the things that only he has done, but the infrastructure he helped build in our county that made this day possible.”
The Alex A. Dudchock 280 County Services Building is located at 19220 U.S. 280 at CR-41 next to the 1996 Soccer Fields. A ribbon cutting took place after the remarks and groups toured the inside of the building, which opened for business on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
