Merriman maintains the boilers that warm the air and water within the hospital and aid in the sterilization process of medical instruments.

“Donnie takes his responsibilities very seriously,” wrote his nominator. “If there’s a problem, he takes that even more seriously. His fellow colleagues frequently ask him for assistance or for his opinion with different tasks, and he’s always willing to help.”

The colleague of the year is selected from 11 individuals named colleague of the month from January through November of the year. Merriman was the August colleague of the month.