Ryan Young's path to becoming a Bloomington equipment operator took him from professional kitchens around the world to the city's snow plows and fiber optic installation sites.

Young, who has worked for the City of Bloomington for three years, shared his unconventional career journey during a recent employee spotlight presentation. Before joining the public works department, he spent years as a pastry chef, working for NFL and Major League Baseball teams in Houston, then moving to the Caribbean, Middle East and Germany for World Cup Soccer and Formula One racing events. He operated bakery stores in Houston from 2008 to 2017 before returning to Minnesota.

In his current role, Young handles winter snow plowing, pothole repairs, catch basin inspections and tree trimming activities. For the past year and a half, he has also served as a fiber optic inspector, overseeing installation safety and compliance with local ordinances. His diverse skill set includes fluency in Spanish, which he uses to communicate with fiber optic installation crews.

Young has collaborated with IT Department staff member Molly McDonald to develop a real-time tracking application for potholes and tree trimming work. The Esri web interface allows teams to map maintenance activities on mobile devices and is currently in testing phase. The technology builds on existing city systems to improve field operations tracking.

Outside his city duties, Young serves on the board of the Bloomington Historical Society, where volunteers are working to digitize artifacts for online viewing using a recently received grant. The organization continues to seek community volunteers and support for its preservation efforts.