It’s a Family Business
By Nicole Eaton, Charlotte Communications & Marketing
If you’ve been in Charlotte for a while and endured a winter weather event, you may have seen Ken Martin, Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) deputy street superintendent, on the news. With 37 years of service, he’s seen a lot from the construction of the John Belk Freeway to clean-up after Hurricane Hugo. What you may not know is he’s a third generation city employee, with fourth and future generations following the call of public service.
Ken’s daughter Ashleigh Price is the assistant business services division manager for Engineering & Property Management. Her husband, Justin Price, works for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services. Ken also has a son-in-law, Brandon Ray, working in CDOT’s traffic operations division, but the family runs deep in the Crown. Ken even tells people that he bleeds city green.
Ken grew up watching his dad go to work and visited him because he loved being around the large equipment and roadway machines. “If it was making noise or blowing dirt,” Ken said, “I wanted to be around it.” His dad was a hard worker and was always fabricating and building things, including the city’s first water truck. It was not just his father, as his grandfather, six uncles and father-in-law also worked in various city departments.
Ken remembers during snow storms helping his dad load his pickup truck with firewood so he could weigh down the rear end for added traction to get to work. By the time Ken was 16, he started to work a summer transportation operations program, driving the follow-up truck for the pavement marking line crew and a few more summers he worked in the sign shop and installing traffic signs.
Ken graduated from UNC-Charlotte in 1981 with a degree in Business Administration, but was still intrigued with the work of the city so he started as a sign fabricator in the traffic operations division. From there, the rest is history as he made his way up to deputy street superintendent, which he has served for the past 14 years. He now manages three operational maintenance districts with staff that maintains 2,480 centerline miles and 5,233 lane miles of streets and 2,015 miles of sidewalks. This includes managing work for street resurfacing, storm water drainage infrastructure repairs, emergency response for snow and ice, flooding, weather events and more.
“The city has afforded me a great deal of internal training and opportunity to learn along the way, which I am grateful for and feel honored,” said Ken. “This truly has been an incredible ride and I am so very thankful for it all.”— Ken Martin, CDOT Deputy Street Superintendent
One of Ken’s greatest accomplishments was working to rebuild Charlotte after Hurricane Hugo. As the storm passed, trees took down traffic signals and wires were hanging in the streets. He worked on the frontline operating a bucket truck to repair traffic signals and restring intersections. The work took several months of 16-hour days. It took a lot to rebuild the city and he is proud to be part of that.
Ken and the family have been an inspiration and role model for future generations.
Ashleigh says, “My dad’s an incredible person and I definitely aspire to be like him. He sincerely cares about people and a job well done. I hope I can have the same positive impact throughout my career. I am proud to share his passion for doing the right and best thing possible in the work we do and am grateful for what he’s taught me and his unwavering support and love.”
That relationship goes both ways as Ken is extremely proud of his family. Before Ashleigh started working for the city, he would discuss situations with her and get her outsider perspective. They both are wired with the same values and share a passion for public service. In Ken’s words, “We have the same passion for what we do. That is doing the right thing for the right reasons and making sure the work means something.”
“We have the same passion for what we do. That is doing the right thing for the right reasons and making sure the work means something.” — Ken Martin
Seven years ago, Ashleigh started working for the city in the City Clerk’s Office. She always knew she wanted to work for the City of Charlotte. She studied at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC) for her undergraduate and then later at the UNC School of Government where she earned her Masters of Public Administration. She says, “I wanted to make sure I could add value wherever I ended up with sincere hope it could be the City of Charlotte.” With two job offers after graduation, she chose the city and has been grateful for that decision.
Ashleigh’s division facilitates the business needs for each of E&PM’s seven divisions, each with a unique set of responsibilities, from maintaining rights-of-way to managing special projects like the recent renovation of the Spectrum Center.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of my position is assisting with the challenges that face our department and fitting the best puzzle pieces together to get to the best outcome possible. Every day is different and I get to work on diverse issues and play a role in making E&PM a great place to work. Everyone working for the City of Charlotte contributes to our great City’s overall success and I’m proud to have the opportunity to be a part of that.” — Ashleigh Price
Ashleigh and Ken may work in different departments, but work is their favorite thing to talk about. Once they start talking about the city, it’s hard for them to stop. Ken is able to share his experiences with Ashleigh and what he has learned. And they can talk about new situations and the right way to approach it. It’s a large part of their life. Even Ken’s wife is a teacher, furthering the family passion for public service. For all of them, it’s been a rewarding career. Ken highly recommends others to work for the city.
Ken highly recommends others to work for the city.
“The City of Charlotte is a great place to live and work,” Ken said. “It has afforded me and my family countless opportunities to better myself and contribute to the place I love and choose to live. There are many great folks within this organization that are doing great things and making this city a great place to live and create a sense of family and genuine care for each other and Charlotte. It is very humbling to be at this juncture in my career knowing that God allowed me to be a part of something great in my life that I will certainly keep close in my heart forever.”— Ken Martin
Ken will retire at the end of November, but he will leave a legacy behind. And with Ashleigh and other family members working for the city, the family business will continue.
