Building Strong Relationships

"The customers are delighted," he remarks. "They're getting their jobs sooner."

Despite the positive changes he's brought, Morton remains modest.

"I've hired all these wonderful people, then I need to get out of their way because they've got so much talent I would only slow them down," he says.

He credits his assistant director, Dan Swisher (whom, ironically, Morton was apprenticed to back at GP) and Larry Weber, chief information officer, for their contributions. Weber developed an Internet storefront to bring the department's services to more people. It won the Governor's Quality Award last year.