Hanford Mission Integration Solutions

Bricklayer, meatcutter, mechanic, carpenter, ironworker. Shahram Jadidi has some serious skills and some serious stories. Originally from Iran, Shahram and his brother entered the U.S.  as refugees in 2001. Now settled here in the Tri-Cities, he worked his way from meatcutter to supervisor at Tyson Foods before a friend suggested he would be a good ironworker. Lucky for us, he found his way to HMIS is 2021! His favorite part about working at HMIS is the variety of work he gets to do and the people he works with. He is on a crew that supports the tank farms and says that work is always interesting and challenging.  When not at work, Shahram enjoys biking, running and swimming (yes, he knows about the Ironman Triathlon here in September!). He also likes to travel and hike with his wife and children. Next on their list is Mt. Rainier National Park. Thank you, Shahram, for being a valued part of the HMIS Family! 

August is the season of wildfires and thunderstorms, and the Hanford Site is no exception. Earlier this month, lightning from a thunderstorm made contact with several facilities, towers and power lines, causing damage and power outages on the Site. Thanks to our Safeguards, Security & Emergency Response; Information Management and Electrical Utilities teams for their hard work to repair and replace damaged equipment so Hanford’s mission-critical work could safely continue!

As summer comes to a close and kids get ready to head back to school, things can get pretty hectic. 🚌 🚲 It’s important to remember, and share with your kids, some key tips to keep them safe. Here’s a back-to-school safety message from the Hanford Site, Kennewick Police and City of Pasco Police. Remember: school zones bring slower traffic and more pedestrians and bicyclists, which means drivers need to pay extra attention to their surroundings. 

Congratulations to our Environmental team for being awarded this year’s Presidential Migratory Bird Federal Stewardship Award, in recognition of our migratory bird protection and artificial burrow systems for burrowing owls! By 2019, our team had noted a negative trend for the western burrowing owl population and took steps to reverse it. Now, over 70 burrows have been installed and we have more than 30 pairs of burrowing owls! Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gYX-vSqD

Our employees have gone above and beyond once again! This year’s “Fill the Pantry” drive for Communities In Schools of Benton-Franklin was a huge success. With donation boxes in multiple buildings, employees donated thousands of items, including school supplies, healthy snacks and personal hygiene products. These contributions will help stock local schools, ensuring the children in our community will have the essentials they need. A huge thank you to Communities In Schools of Benton-Franklin for their work and to our amazing employees for your continued support!  #FillThePantry #HMISGivesBack 

Work plays a major role in our lives, but it’s also important to take care of ourselves and take time to enjoy the things outside of work that bring value to your life. We know that employees who effectively balance their personal life and work life are more productive, successful and safe at work. As we get ready to start a new school year, we invited our team to share photos of how they maintained a healthy work-life balance this summer. And boy, did they have some adventures!  Looking to join our team? Check out our openings at https://bit.ly/HMISjobs.

Here at HMIS, we are always looking for ways to evolve and enhance our workforce. Our Information Management team is looking for an IT Product Manager to support the One Hanford cleanup mission. To learn more about the position and to apply, visit https://bit.ly/3Xcb5Sl. 

A group of 22 HMIS interns participated in a bus tour of the Hanford Site to learn more about Hanford history and current projects. Along the way, the tour guide pointed out the cocooned reactors as well as active project sites and concluded with a quick drive through the Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training Center.

When you talk with someone who loves their job, you can feel it. Mike Peale is one of those guys. Mike is the facility coordinator for Hanford Patrol, whose exceptional service is nearing 40 years, and yet, he continues to come to work with the same enthusiasm he had on his very first day. Mike’s primary responsibility is maintaining the multi-million-dollar training facilities at the Patrol Training Academy, which includes several live-fire ranges and more than 7,000 acres of training grounds. His favorite things about his work are the people, when he earned Security Police Officer of the Year and representing Hanford at DOE complex-wide tactical competitions. Mike has had several influential mentors, especially his father, who was a business owner and taught Mike valuable skills in working with people. In his free time, you can find Mike working on his honey-do list (now we know why he loves work!) or volunteering with the Tri-Cities Shooting Association. He and his wife, Debra, have two grown children and enjoy running Bloomsday, diving, cruising and taking their horses to camp and ride.

Our Long-Term Stewardship (LTS) team recently took their first look inside the K East Reactor, a little more than a year after the reactor was ‘cocooned’ in its Safe Storage Enclosure.  The structure protects the reactor building while the radioactivity in the deactivated reactor core decays over the next several decades.  The inspection is part of DOE’s Post-Cleanup Surveillance and Maintenance Program, and it gave the LTS team a chance to confirm there were no signs of deterioration of the structure.