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Award Winners

Be a Smart Commuter

Smart Commuter Rewards is an incentive program to help worksites reach their goals to reduce drive-alone trips and vehicle miles traveled by their employees.

Each quarter, participants in the Smart Commuter Rewards program are nominated as Smart Commuters.

Four quarterly winners are selected by a group of Employee Transportation Coordinators who volunteer on the Peer Advisory Board. That board also selects the Smart Commuters of the Year from the quarterly winners.

Program funded in partnership with WSDOT, local governments and businesses.

Awards Honor Committed Commuters, Businesses

A bicycling professor, commuting grandparents and the new Korry Electronics plant near Mukilteo were among the winners at the Annual Smart Commuter Awards. The Community Transit-sponsored event, formerly the Visionary Awards, was established in 1997 to celebrate the commuting champions of Snohomish County and Bothell , promoting greater use of commute alternatives and management support of employer transportation programs.

Community Transit receives state funding to help large employers reduce single-occupant vehicle trips to their worksites. The Smart Commuter Awards recognize employers who support Washington State’s Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) goals, Employee Transportation Coordinators who promote CTR, and employees and commuters who reduce vehicle trips to work by using alternative transportation.

2010 Award Winners

Smart Commuter of the Year, CTR,  Arnie Berger, University of Washington-Bothell

Arnie is the consummate bicycle commuter. He started his bicycle commuting journey back in 1971 as a post-doctorial student and calculates that he’s pedaled about 80,000 miles and eliminated roughly 60,000 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution from the environment by not driving. For many people this type of commute from Redmond to Bothell would be too difficult. But for this professor of science and technology, it’s simply 40 years of smart commuting.

Pictured: Arnie Berger with Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor

Smart Commuter of the Year, Non-CTR, Nick & Marian Arment

Five years ago, Marian and Nick decided to make a simple change to their lifestyle that has benefited their health, the community and those around them. They decided to leave their cars at their Mill Creek home and bike and bus to work everyday - Marian to Everett and Nick to Seattle.

As a result, they have improved their health, allowing them to savor life’s experiences including time with their grandchildren. When the weather does not cooperate with their bike commute, Marian and Nick don’t take separate cars - they carpool together to a park & ride and take the bus. Their change has served as an example to their coworkers, inspiring some to bike to work as well.

Pictured: Nick and Marian Arment with CEO Joyce Eleanor

Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) of the Year, Simone Leblon, Bayer HealthCare

When Bayer HealthCare relocated to Snohomish County, they faced a number of challenges to fulfill their business needs. Simone Leblon ensured that their transportation program remained a priority, and her efforts have paid off. She successfully engineered Bayer’s ORCA pass program renewal, added carpool spaces to their parking lot and educated all employees about their transportation options.

As a result, two other employees from Bayer HealthCare were recognized for their commuting accomplishments by Community Transit in the past year. Rachel Bjork was a Smart Commuter of the Quarter in 2010. Jennifer Dawson won a quarterly drawing in the Curb the Congestion program.

Pictured (from left): Rachel Bjork, Dave Carlson, site head for Bayer HealthCare, ETC of the Year Simone Leblon and award presenter Bob Drewel of the Puget Sound Regional Council
 

Employer of the Year, Esterline Control Systems’ Korry Electronics

Long before Korry relocated from Seattle to Snohomish County in 2009, their management was committed to providing employees with outstanding transportation benefits. Korry supports an ORCA pass program that allows employees to use all buses, trains and vanpools in the Puget Sound region at no personal cost. They also host internal promotions that encourage and reward employees for using commute alternatives. For their efforts, Korry was able to retain 99 percent of their employees during their relocation and can boast that 51 percent of them use a commute alternative.

Pictured (from left): Joni Hards, Korry Employee Transportation Coordinator, Victoria Lindsey, Korry, and award presenter Bob Drewel

 

Past Smart Commuter Award Winners

2009

Smart Commuter of the Year: LeeAnn McMillen, AT&T

Smart Commuter of the Year: Carrie Merkley, ADP

Smart Commuter of the Year Non-CTR: Marjorie Blaine

Employer of the Year: Cypress Semiconductor

Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year: Sara Poirot, Trade Products & Specialty Manufacturing

Read more about the 2009 winners.
 

2008

Smart Commuter of the Year: Deborah Conley-Staerk, UWB

Smart Commuter of the Year Non-CTR: Sione Phillips

Employer of the Year: Fiserv Health

Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year: Sabrina Combs, City of Bothell

Read more about the 2008 winners.

 

2007

Smart Commuter of the Year: Steve Moody, Philips Healthcare

Smart Commuter of the Year Non-CTR: Coco Counts

Employer of the Year: Amgen

Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year: KC McNeil, Romac Industries

Read more about the 2007 winners.

 

2006

Smart Commuter of the Year: Dave Michel, Stevens Hospital

Smart Commuter of the Year Non-CTR: Justin Thompson

Employer of the Year: Comcast Cable Everett

Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year: Kathy James, State Farm

Read more about the 2006 winners.

 

2005

Smart Commuter of the Year: Eldec Vanpool (Larry Monson, Linda Monzel, Joyce Stearns, Colleen Durham, Debra Byrd, Marlene Douglas, James Cundy, Cathy Dishman and Mike McClellan)

Smart Commuter of the Year Non-CTR: John Carl Smith and Lynden Kimbrough

Employer of the Year: Monroe Correctional Complex

Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year: Grace Giorgio, NW Composites

Read more about the 2005 winners.

 

2004

Smart Commuter of the Year: Carol Davis and Stan Kosick, City of Bothell

Employer of the Year: Stevens Healthcare

Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year: Ron Gihlstrom, Matsushita Avionics

Read more about the 2004 winners.

 

2003

Smart Commuter of the Year: Matt Kozleski, Tetra Tech FW

Employer of the Year: Tetra Tech FW

Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year: Christine Abbey, Goodrich Aviation Technology Services

 

2002

Smart Commuter of the Year: Radford Hembree, Goodrich Aviation Technology Services

Employer of the Year: Premera Blue Cross

Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year: Chris Stein, AT&T Broadband