Senior Accountant Blaze Stoute was recently nominated for an SMS Standout by Division Manager Allan Weatherford for Excellent Performance, Quality of Work and Living the SMS Mission.
Allan says, “Blaze has developed and implemented detailed job profitability reports that give our teams additional visibility into the financial performance of our business. By drilling down to individual staffing assignments and projects, we now have the tools to analyze the basic building blocks of our business and to affect changes to improve overall profitability. The reports also add a layer of QA/QC by helping to flag areas where payroll and invoicing may need to be double-checked for accuracy. Blaze’s efforts epitomize our core values and are helping to drive our continued success!”
We wanted to learn how Blaze does such a detailed job so we sat down with him to find out what a day in his life is like.
AC: Describe a typical day at work.
BS: Coffee. Spreadsheets. Occasional workout at SMS Training building. Lunch. More spreadsheets. I drink a lot of water as well.
AC: What was the best vacation you have ever taken?
BS: My wife and I went to a Houston Astros’ game on May 12, 2014, and I caught a homerun with my hand.
AC: Describe yourself in one sentence.
BS: I’m efficient.
AC: What is your favorite thing about your job?
BS: I get to work in Microsoft Excel every day.
AC: What food could you live on for a month?
BS: I like starches. Corn, rice, and potatoes. Shoutout to Dr. John McDougall.
AC: Do you have a side hustle, hobby or volunteer group that you’re involved in outside of work? What else do you spend your time doing?
BS: I have four kids, so I am usually outside playing with them. I also enjoy gardening.
AC: How do you stay motivated at work?
BS: I’m not a huge Mellow Joy fan, but free coffee is cool. In terms of capital expenditures, a coffee machine probably gets the most return on investment over any other company-owned asset.
AC: What has been the most fulfilling moment in your career so far?
BS: Courtney Juneau once looked at a spreadsheet I produced and said it was one of the best/most useful reports to ever come out of the SMS business office. So I got that going for me.
AC; Who would play you in a movie?
BS: Jason Statham
AC: Tell us about a moment that changed your life.
BS: I had Mucoepidermoid carcinoma in 2014. It’s a cancer of the salivary gland.
My house flooded with 5 feet of water in 2016. It’s been a wild ride for sure.
AC: What would be your advice for future [safety professionals]?
BS: You should definitely get your certification as a welding inspector. CWI for the win.
AC: What is your favorite activity outside of work?
BS: I like gardening. It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a farmer in a war.
AC: Name one book that inspired you professionally.
BS: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
AC: Which talent or superpower would you most like to have and why?
BS: I was always told that understanding accounting is a superpower, so I’d just like to maintain that one.
AC: What was the best advice you were ever given?
BS: In times of plenty, store food.
In times of famine, eat.
AC: A penguin walks through the door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?
BS: He says, “No, Mr. Madison. There’s no penguin. You get too much sun today. There’s no penguin.” He is here because he needs me to send him back to the South Pole.
