WE ARE OMEGA - Wes Dupor
From “maintenance extraordinaire” and “landscaping guru” to “the man who puts a smile on everyone’s face” — that’s Wes.
“If you ever need anything, you know you can go to Wes. Not only will he help you at the drop of a hat, but he will do it with that great, big smile of his. That’s just him,” says Amy Uddo, Chief Nursing Officer at Omega Hospital.
It all started around 2008, when Wes was working at a carpenter shop in River Ridge. Dr. George, Medical Director of Omega Hospital, would frequent the Starbucks across the street.
“We would always wave back and forth and chat often,” Wes says. “Here I was... just a worker at a carpenter shop, but from day one, he treated me like I was somebody. That really meant a lot to me,” he says. “One day he told me to give his CEO a call. That call right there was the best move of my life,” he says with a big smile.
Since then, Mr. Wes has served as Omega’s Maintenance Coordinator for over 17 years. He is the main man responsible for ensuring the hospital’s exterior and interior look and feel pristine, surgical equipment functions properly, and landscaping stays impeccably green.
"Making sure the plants in the front yard look perfect is really important to me," he says. "They play a big role in creating a strong first impression. It took more than a week to get them just right, and they need constant love and care. Some people even thought they were fake, which I took as a huge compliment," he adds with a laugh.
From maintaining the inside and outside of the facility to handling landscaping and courier duties, this outstanding "Yes Man" goes even a step further.
“Sometimes I am the first person a patient sees when they arrive at the hospital. So, I always want to make sure they are greeted with a smile. I want the patients to know that everything is going to be alright,” he says.
“I will always take care of my people, and that’s just me being me,” he says. “I want people to know they are in good hands. And I’ve learned that giving people just a little extra attention goes a long way.”
“Wes brings so much heart to everything he does,” says Gretchen Trauth, CEO of ERG Enterprises, the parent company that owns Omega Hospital. “From the garden to the hallways, he is a daily reminder that joy lives in the details. We’re so lucky to have someone who brings such beauty and light to our team.”
When Mr. Wes is not at Omega, he enjoys spending time with his wife, sons, and grandchildren. “I feel so lucky to have my amazing family at home and then also my wonderful family at work. Even through all the hurricanes, through any storm, we are all family here,” he says. “I simply wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
On paper, he’s a maintenance extraordinaire — but in person, he’s someone who never misses a chance to brighten someone’s day with a warm smile and a helping hand. You don’t find that just anywhere. That’s what makes Mr. Wes so deeply cherished and truly irreplaceable at Omega Hospital.
And when he is asked, “What is your why? Why do you do the things that you do?” Without hesitation, he responds, “To see a smile on people’s faces. I’m that lucky.”
We beg to differ that WE are the lucky ones, Wes. Thank you for being the light that makes Omega shine!