“Quentin Latta is a fixture at St. Francis who knows more about our plumbing and HVAC than virtually any member of my team,” said Brent Wilkins, Sr. Dir. of Ancillary Services for University of Kansas Health System. “Quentin is our resident expert who hops in and does an amazing job on any problem. He’s a key player with us, and we think the world of him.” Quentin Latta is a McElroy’s plumber/pipefitter, and we’re celebrating his 30^th work anniversary with us on February 22, 2026. We honor Quentin for his service as one of McElroy’s finest problem solvers.

History of Service

Quentin grew up in the St. Marys/Wamego, Kansas area where his father, Joe, worked in construction at Jeffrey Energy Center. “I look up to my father,” Quentin said, “and I learned my work ethic from him.” Like his father and grandfather, Quentin served in the military. He joined the Army while in high school and began training after graduation. As a member of the 1^st Cavalry Division, 82^nd Field Artillery, Quentin deployed to Kuwait and Iraq for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He served as a forward observer, locating, identifying and “painting” targets with a laser for artillery and air support to attack.

From Apprentice to McElroy’s

Quentin returned to Kansas, and in 1995 went to work at Jeffrey Energy Center where he began his plumbing/pipefitting union apprenticeship. Laid off in early 1996, the union led Quentin to a position at McElroy’s. “I didn’t know anything about McElroy’s,” Quentin said, “but I quickly found them to be good people – friendly, talented and smart. McElroy’s takes good care of their employees and sets you up to succeed with the tools and knowledge you need.”

UKHS St. Francis

From the beginning, Quentin has spent most of his hours working within healthcare facilities – mostly at The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus. “It’s rewarding to work in a medical setting, because I know I’m helping the hospital care for people,” Quentin said. “There’s also a wide variety of projects to enjoy. I work on everything from ¼-inch pneumatic tubing to 16” steel piping, from high-efficiency boilers to medical-gas delivery systems.”

Knows Every Valve

“I think Quentin knows every valve on every system on the St. Francis Campus. He probably installed most of them,” said Matt Herl, a McElroy’s plumber/pipefitter who has worked with Quentin since 2009. “He is highly intelligent, efficient and technically up to date. Quentin is very familiar with all the systems and knows exactly how things run – and when they don’t, he quickly figures out why. Quentin can be pretty direct, because he knows exactly what he wants, and he wants it done the right way. He’ll listen to alternatives, but 90-percent of the time if you do it just like Quentin says, it’ll be great!”

Self-Directed

With three decades of doing mechanical system work in the region’s healthcare environments, Quentin is highly self-directed. Wade Jueneman, McElroy’s president, and Jimmy Thomas, McElroy’s project manager, both oversee jobs Quentin works on – but very much leave his day-to-day schedule to him. “Wade and Jimmy have so many major projects to manage, the less they have to deal with the better,” said Quentin. “They’re always quick to provide any special information, equipment or materials I might need so I can stay on task. Otherwise, they trust me to know what needs doing and how to take care of it.”

Hunting and Fishing

In his free time, Quentin enjoys the outdoors. He lives near Wamego with his fiancé, Lisa, close to his father and two sisters. There’s room to go hunting and four-wheeling, and he has great photos to share of the giant spoonbills he catches on fishing trips. “I have a new bird dog, a German Shorthaired Pointer named Wren,” Quentin said. “She’s a big girl, just a year old and already nearly 80 pounds. We’ve been hunting upland birds – quail and pheasant.”

Best Possible Solution

“Quentin is a huge asset to the McElroy’s team and an absolute joy to work with,” said McElroy’s President Wade Jueneman. “He doesn’t simply do the job at hand. He looks for the best possible solution to get the client back in business quickly, while keeping their needs and costs in mind. That makes all of us look great.” McElroy’s is glad Quentin joined our team 30 years ago, and we’re looking forward to many more years with him. Not only is he a great problem solver in his own right, he makes everyone around him better too. Thank you for three outstanding decades of service, Quentin Latta. McElroy’s appreciates you!