Brad Stoothoff joined the city of Covington staff because he wanted a new challenge and wanted to use his skills for residents.

The challenge may be a little bigger than he first expected, but he’s ready to step up.

Recently hired as the city’s transportation technician, Stoothoff will be the only official member of the transportation department for at least a little while, as his boss, Transportation Project Manager Terry Savage, is retiring at the end of the year. Longtime transportation manager Billy Skinner retired earlier this year.

Stoothoff, 27, said he’s looking forward to diving in and showing what he can do.

"I feel like I can give something to the city and see what it’ll become. Hard work pays off here, and you can see that and you get appreciated at the city," Stoothoff said. "You feel like your hard work is worth something. It’s a great place to work."

Born in Florida, Stoothoff attended middle and high school in Newton County, graduating from Eastside High School. He took some classes at Georgia Perimeter College before becoming the warehouse manager at Rainguard International in Conyers. He then did utility-line locating for Alpharetta-based STS, locating lines for AT&T and Atlanta Gas Light, among others.

He joined the city in April 2012, doing locating for the engineering department.

"We focus on damage prevention to keep the city’s utilities safe," Stoothoff said. "I look at it like a puzzle. It’s intriguing to learn how stuff is done, and then when everything is dug up and exposed, you get to see if you were right, if I figured the puzzle out."

Stoothoff lives in Social Circle with his wife Lesley (Kilpatrick) and their 16-month-old daughter, Anna Lee.

In his spare time, Stoothoff is an avid sports player and a car fanatic. A 1993 Ford Mustang is his prized possession, and he won the Summit Racing All Ford Show and Shine contest in McDonough this past summer.