He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Computer Science and came directly to work for Orem. Lazalde started before any city employee even had a personal computer.

“Ernesto’s dedication to the City of Orem was personal. Not only did he complete his professional duties, but he was also called upon to use some of his unique talents,” said Steven Downs, deputy city manager. “Ernesto is very well-versed in 3D printing and in the operation of drones. During the recent construction of the Family Fitness Center and Library Hall, Ernesto volunteered his drone and his time to capture time-lapse videos of the construction.”

Over the years, he has helped implement the use of the internet, the building of a website, the launching of cell phones, personal computers, live-streaming city meetings and much, much more.

“We have seen a lot of technology changes throughout my 36 years with the City of Orem. I was here when we installed the first personal computer. There was no way to network the first ones until several years later when ethernet was invented and Novell came out with their networking operating system for servers,” Lazalde said. “Later Windows came out and nobody had a clear idea of what role the new operating system would have in the corporate world. As an I.T. division, we thought it had great potential and started finding ways to develop user friendly applications and later converted all our legacy software into Windows based systems.”

“The thing I will miss the most is the relationships that I built with other City of Orem employees and the satisfaction that our division got by watching their excitement when we implemented a software solution that made their jobs more efficient,” Lazalde added.

“Ernesto has been the main driving force behind the City of Orem’s technological advancement over the past four decades. He has taken us from the pre-email, pre-internet age into the complex and tech-dependent time of today. He has been a steady hand at the IT helm and seen us through thousands of changes, upgrades and updates,” said Pete Wolfley, IT and communications.

Wolfley also called him a great friend and mentor, adding that he would work until 2 a.m. to get election info online as soon as possible. Wolfley said, “He was always the type of employee who would go above and beyond to solve problems, help out, and make a difference in Orem.”

Downs added that Lazalde’s experience set him apart from the back. “Anything that the City of Orem does in the world of technology has the fingerprints of Ernesto Lazalde on it.”

A special retirement party and luncheon was held for Lazalde by the city Thursday afternoon.