County ceremony celebrates the best of the best

Commissioners present Our Personal Best awards to county employees

Vancouver, WA – The Board of Clark County Commissioners and County Administrator Bill Barron presented Our Personal Best awards to county employees in a ceremony on August 20.

The Our Personal Best Employee Recognition Program was created to celebrate Clark County’s talented, dedicated and innovative employees and the many services they provide to the community. Employees were nominated by their peers for individual and team OPB awards. The commissioners also presented a special award this year to the employees of the Community Development Department. Here are the employees honored:

Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

This award, which is given for achievements above and beyond the call of duty outside the boundaries of an employee’s regular duties and responsibilities, goes to Margie Johnson. As a Civil Unit Supervisor, Johnson has served the Sheriff’s Office Civil processing unit for the past 24 years. Over the span of her career, she has improved customer service and is highly recognized for performing on a consistent basis above and beyond the call of duty.

Community Service

Pete Capell, Public Works Director and County Engineer, was the nominee selected to receive the Community Service overall award. Capell spends countless hours of his “off” time as an active member of the Rotary club, Lunch Buddy program, school vitamin program and Festival of Trees. He is also active in the SW Washington Chapter of the American Red Cross, actively organizing the county’s regular on-site blood drives and working for many years to make the chapter a success.

Cultural Diversity

This award goes to an employee who supports and encourages cultural diversity and inclusiveness within the county’s work environment and in the community. Mike McCabe, Outreach Sergeant for the Sheriff’s Office, was selected for his willingness to contribute to meaningful and positive community dialogue, his partnership efforts to enrich the lives of others and his commitment to fundamental fairness and inclusion.

Customer Service

This award recognizes excellence in serving the public, measured by both the employee’s commitment to customer service and skill meeting the needs of the customer. The award goes to Joe Ellingson, Environmental Health Specialist for Public Health, who has worked in the safe drinking water program for nearly 14 years. Over that time he has provided excellent customer service to the people the county regulates and serves, building strong relations with well drillers, owners of small public water systems, realtors and fellow co-workers.

Innovation

This award is given to an employee for his or her new ideas, systems, procedures or other innovations. Bart Arthur was nominated for his ingenuity in researching and recommending a rarely used method for bidding Public Works projects. Arthur’s recommendation, as well as his diligence during construction, meant that the new Highway 99 Bridge over Salmon Creek was completed a week earlier than expected.

Leadership and Management

As the Director of General Services, Mark McCauley has provided the vision and leadership to both conserve energy and produce renewable energy. Under his guidance, the county is preparing a feasibility study to encourage a private partnership to build and operate a large scale biomass-fueled generating plant at the old International Paper mill site in north Clark County. The goal would be to create jobs, preserve forest health and increase energy independence.

Quality

This award is given for the commitment to and delivery of services that meet the highest standards of quality. The winner is Tony Golik, a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney assigned to the Major Crimes Team of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Golik has exemplified the characteristics of a superior deputy prosecuting attorney and his performance has been particularly noteworthy as a trial attorney during the past year and a half. He has a positive, optimistic outlook and a fine sense of humor. A pleasure to work with, Golik lends support and assistance to other attorneys with their cases.

Working Relationships

This award goes to Peggy Muhly, Employee Relations Manager for the Public Works Department. The past eighteen months have been very difficult for the department due to the economic crisis. Public Works went from recruiting in early 2008 to downsizing and layoffs in late 2008 to mid 2009. Throughout it all, Muhly has won the admiration of managers, Human Resources staff, union representatives and even the people who were laid off. Her hard work, compassion for people and dedication to the department has been exceptional.

Multiple Achievements

This award is presented to an employee who has received two or more nominations in more than one category. Ken Price, Operations Superintendent for Public Works, was nominated in both the Community Service and Above and Beyond the Call of Duty categories. Both nominations are based on the various ways Price gives back to the community. His involvement in Take Your Child to Work Day and Dozer Days are examples of his commitment. In addition, Ken is always there when needed – during the past winter storms he worked 16 to 18 hours per day, staying in touch with crews and coordinating work.

Price always uses his abundant experience in construction, road operations, equipment and contracting to do whatever it takes to make his crews and their projects a total success.

Team Award

This award goes to the Highway 99 Bridge Replacement Delivery Team: Bart Arthur, Louie Benedict, Julie Christian, Lisa Hemesath, Mark Jenicek, Rob Klug, Jim Lester and Linda Small.

The emergency closure of Highway 99 at Salmon Creek, due to safety concerns, created significant challenges to local business and travelers. Thanks to the Highway 99 Bridge Replacement Delivery Team the construction was completed in five months and just nine months after the closure.

Due to their exceptional work and outreach effort with residents and businesses, many obstacles were overcome. The project won the 2008 Washington Chapter of the American Public Works Association Project of the Year recognition. The combination of excellent team work, determination, and the use of innovative bidding and construction techniques allowed for the project to be completed ahead of schedule.

A Special Award to the Department of Community Development

During the OPB ceremony, the commissioners presented a special award to employees in the Department of Community Development for their endurance during the 2008 and 2009 downturn in the economy. Community Development has been the single most impacted department in the county. Since the beginning of 2008, the department has been through no less than five rounds of lay-offs, reducing staff from 120 to the current 65 employees, with some of those people working less than full-time. Although there has been massive change, the entire staff of Community Development continues to perform at a high-level with an eye toward providing courteous, professional service to applicants and the public.