May 17–23 is National Public Works Week, a time to recognize and celebrate the people who keep our community running. Each day this week, we share the story of an employee from General Services Administration. Their work often happens behind the scenes, but it’s essential, from fleet operations to building maintenance. These are the individuals who make sure everything runs smoothly, supporting the services our community depends on every day.
There’s a world champion working in the Wake County mailroom. Most people have no idea.
Rodney Thompson will probably laugh if you bring it up, but it’s true. Back in 2010, he competed with Top Gun All Stars on a large coed cheerleading team and won a world championship in their division. He also spent time as a tumbling instructor, coaching students in Level 1 through 5 classes and private lessons.
It’s not the first thing that comes to mind when you think “mailroom supervisor.” But spend a few minutes with Rodney, and the connection starts to click: coaching, teamwork, getting a group to perform at their best under pressure. That’s his whole job now; just with fewer backflips.
Rodney joined Wake County’s General Services Administration in Facility and Field Services in February 2019. Before that, he covered a lot of ground. He grew up working in his family’s landscaping business in Miami, learning early what real work felt like. After high school, he enlisted in the Army and was assigned to the Old Guard, the ceremonial unit responsible for rendering honors to fallen service members and their families. It’s one of the most prestigious assignments in the military, and not something soldiers take lightly.
After his service, he studied horticulture, launched his own landscaping business and eventually made his way to Wake County.
He’ll tell you the mailroom is nothing like people imagine. “It’s more than just sorting and delivering envelopes,” he said. Every package, legal document, check and interoffice delivery that moves through his operation has somewhere important to be. When things run smoothly, departments across the county can do their jobs. When they don’t, the ripple effect is real.
What most people miss is how much is happening behind the scenes: route planning, logistics, tight deadlines, weather delays, last-minute changes. It takes quick decisions and constant coordination. “There is significant coordination happening behind the scenes each day,” Rodney said. From the outside, it might look simple. That’s sort of the point.
No two days are the same, and he’s perfectly fine with that.
What drives him is simple: he wants his team to feel supported, and he wants their work to matter. “When our operations run smoothly, it allows other departments to focus on serving the community.”
Outside of work, he’s most himself with his hands busy—yard projects, building things, anything outdoors. His horticulture background never really left him. He’s also focused on personal growth: leadership development, learning about investing and building toward something bigger.
He came to Wake County looking for stability, work-life balance and a place where he could lead and keep growing. A few years in, it seems he found exactly that.
The world championship title makes for a great story. But it’s what Rodney Thompson does every day, keeping things moving so everyone else can do their jobs, that stands out even more.
