Before starting his career at Metro Transit, Paul Poppie had repaired tanks, trucks, and other equipment for the U.S. Army and earned a degree in diesel mechanics. So, when he landed his first job fueling buses at South Garage, he almost didn’t make it past the first year. “I had a new, fully stocked toolbox and was thinking, ‘I didn’t go to school for this,’” Poppie said. It didn’t take long to move up, though, and Poppie ended up with a 37-year career in transit. He retired in November 2021.

During his time in Bus Maintenance, Poppie worked at nearly every garage but spent most of his time at Nicollet, where he worked for more than 20 years. In addition to working at several locations, he also had a variety of different roles over the years, performing engine tune-ups, inspecting new buses and repairing wheelchair lifts, powertrains, injectors and transmissions.

Poppie found even more variety when he moved to Facilities Maintenance, where he spent the last five years of his career as a facilities technician. “We do everything in this job – fixing toilets or sinks, changing out glass, cutting grass to who knows what,” he said. “Every day is different….This has probably been my favorite job because you do so many things.”

In retirement, Poppie planned to sell his home in White Bear Lake and move with his wife to northern Minnesota, where he could spend more time hunting, fishing and boating.