Last month, we closed our offices for a day to hold an employee information meeting.
Whenever our entire staff gets together, I’m reminded how lucky I am to work with such a great group of people. Our staff members are fun, and funny, but they’re also incredibly hard workers, innovative and committed to making our association the best financial partner for ag producers and rural homeowners in our area.
At that meeting last month, we recognized several employees who have gone above and beyond their call of duty in the last year. There are two types of awards: our Distinguished Service Award, an award given to employees who have improved our association and benefitted our customers in some way. These award winners are nominated by their co-workers, and those nominations are ultimately judged by our senior management team. The second award is given to people who were recognized for outstanding service attitudes. Those winners are the Employee Choice awardees, and they are nominated at large by other employees, and then chosen by a committee of their peers.
I’d like to share the winners’ names, as well as the remarks shared by their supervisors and their peers as they recognized the employees.
I hope you’ll join me in congratulating them—and give them a big THANK YOU for their contributions to our cooperative. They truly make all the difference in the world.
Rebecca Bowmaster – Distinguished Service Award
You identified some issues with our file management process that were causing confusion and redundancy. When you brought the issues to our attention, you had already prepared a well thought out and detailed solution. We liked your idea and asked you to run with it. You formed a cross sectional team of staff members, gained their consensus as well as the consensus from our IT department; led the communication effort to the rest of the staff, and finally developed and managed the implementation plan. Your actions demonstrated initiative, team work and leadership.
Garret Barbush – Distinguished Service Award
You have taken a huge leap in the past year to becoming a solid performer and a true asset to our team. While exceeding sales goals in every area, your approach to the job has impressed your co-workers. You embrace the team approach with exceptional communication and collaboration with others that allows you to deliver a high level of service to our customers. In addition to learning the skills of the Loan Officer position, you are aggressively pursuing an MBA degree.
Sandy Miller – Employees’ Choice Award
You are someone that many people rely on in many facets of the day to day operations. You help out with everything including compliance, reports, forms, procedures and operational details. We commend your ability to be mindful of the many needs of our customers and to work hard to help MidAtlantic Farm Credit provide the great customer service that sets us apart from our competition. The committee recognizes you for all you do, as do your fellow employees and our customers every day. Congratulations!
Linda Scott – Employees’ Choice Award
Your ability to handle your usual work load, pilot new procedures and pleasantly work from another office while displaced are all reasons that you exemplify what a MidAtlantic Farm Credit Employee Choice Award winner should be. The committee recognizes your dedication and resilience during busy and challenging times as well as your ability to persevere. You are a wonderful asset to the association. Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work!
Andy Terrell – Employees’ Choice Award
Your nomination was based on your knowledge not only in the agricultural industry but within the financial industry as a whole. Your ability to juggle a large agri-business portfolio while mentoring fledgling loan officers is an attribute to your hard work and dedication to MidAtlantic Farm Credit. The awards committee recognizes not only your commitment to your own job but your value on honing other loan officers as the future of the company. Congratulations and thank you for all you do!
Christine Soos – Employees’ Choice Award
After your nomination by one of your peers, the selection committee has recognized your extraordinary dedication to your job. Commendations from your nomination and the selection committee included were that when an unusual situation occurred that left us with two vacant customer service positions within a period of about two weeks, you were asked if you would help us fill the gap until we could re-staff. Without hesitation, you agreed to the redirection of your responsibilities and took over the customer service function. Even though you had help from others, your influence brought a sense of stability and calmness to an otherwise panic situation. Your approach and dedication to the task at hand set an example to others who often volunteered to help. You demonstrated teamwork and leadership in its purest form.
Congratulations to all of our winners!!
