The nine awards were handed out last week.
View full sizeWinners of the 2011 Howdy Awards for Hospitality Excellence are (from left) Amanda Malone of Chandler's Restaurant at Yankee Candle Flagship in South Deerfield (Food category), Khia Eagan of the 7-Eleven store in Sunderland (Retail/Business category), Bob Aubrey of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield (Attractions category), Elise Wright of the Belchertown United Church of Christ (Public Service category), Melanie Smith of Six Flags New England in Agawam (Howdy Spotlight Award winner), Mary Mercier of The Yardehouse in South Hadley (Beverage category), Tony Rogers of the Comfort Inn & Suites in Ludlow (Accommodations category), Jason Guzman of Valet Park of America in Springfield (Transportation category) and Judy Brinn of Peter Pan Bus Lines in Springfield (Unseen Hero category). The Howdy Awards, which honor frontline hospitality employees in the Pioneer Valley, were held at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting Room in Holyoke on Tuesday, May 10.HOLYOKE – Nine front-line employees in the Pioneer Valley’s hospitality industry received Howdy Awards and hearty thank-yous last week from the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The awards recognize employees that have gone above and beyond in the performance of their duties and provided outstanding service to their guests and customers. Their work is vital to the region’s tourism industry.
Winners are: Tony Rogers, desk clerk at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Ludlow, in the accommodations category; Bob Aubrey of West Springfield, a show staff member at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, in the attractions category; Mary Mercier, a bartender at The Yardhouse in South Hadley, in the beverage category.
Amanda Malone, event coordinator at Chandler’s Restaurant at Yankee Candle Flagship in South Deerfield won in the food category. Elise Wright of Belchertown, secretary at the Belchertown United Church of Christ, won in the public service category.
In the retail category, the winner was Khia Eagan, assistant manager at the 7-Eleven in Sunderland. Jason Guzman of Chicopee, a valet for Valet Park of America in Springfield won in the transportation category. Judy Brinn of Agawam, a charter coordinator for Peter Pan Bus Lines in Springfield, won the Unseen Hero Award.
Melanie Smith of Greenfield, a national tour and travel representative for Six Flags new England in Agawam, won the Spotlight Award.
Members of the general public nominate employees, and the Howdy Awards Committee narrows that list of more than 800 people to 47 finalists, who were honored at a reception in April.
A group of judges then selected winners. The judges for this year’s event were Mark Dorr, communications manager for the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association; Steve Jacques, director of customer services at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Highway Division; and Katrina White, Travel Trade Manager for the Rhode Island Tourism Division.
Sponsors for the 2011 Howdy Awards for Hospitality Excellence are Baystate Health, CBS-3 Springfield, Eastern States Exposition, Global Spectrum, The Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House/The Delaney House, MassLive.com, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, The Republican, WRNX-FM and Yankee Candle Company.
For more information, visit www.valleyvisitor.com.
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