Kloomachin Club Nominees

Nominees:
Ryoko Mosely

• Ryoko is one of the most consistent customer service providers I have ever seen. When she is here at Heronswood Garden, she shows everyone else how its done. Everyone wants to bathe in the sun that is Ryoko - she is friendly, resourceful, she's funny as heck, she tries to answer questions for our visitors even before they know how to ask them, she brings doggie treats with her and has every dog and pet owner excited to see her when they get out of their car. I mean that - I can't tell you how many times a dog knows they are coming to see Ryoko and hops out of the car, eagerly pressing forth toward the Ticketing Office, while their human has a huge smile on their face. Her deep appreciation of plants makers her a great saleswoman of the Windcliff plants that are sold (of which the Garden gets 30% of all sales) and encourages people to become members by thoroughly sharing the benefits of becoming a member of such a fantastic place. She brings years of rich experience with her and a charm only Ryoko can bring - we are lucky to have her.

Debby Purser

• Debby has really increased her public presence at the garden this year, leading guided tours and lecturing to garden clubs, including to over 400 people. She has become the face of the PGST here at Heronswood and many visitors have remarked on her professional behavior, knowledge and enthusiasm.

Cherie Jacobs

• Cherie is an exemplary employee and goes above and beyond for anyone who needs assistance AND does it with a genuine smile! She never complains and does everything to the highest level of excellence. I can't say enough of the appreciation that I have for her and couldn't have made it through the last 6 months+ of learning Grants & Invoicing without her.

Barrett Schmanska

• Barrett is a class clown, right? He creates the impression that his main job is to make us all laugh. His history of delivering the goods however, tells a far different story of very hard work, dedication and exceptional service to the tribe. Why should Barrett be in the club? Here's a few reasons:
  • Major multi-million dollar construction projects Barrett has completed as the fully responsible representative of the tribe:
    • Longhouse
    • Elders Center
    • Education Building
    • Wetlab
    • Point Casino
    • Sewer Plant
    • Teekalet Housing Project
  • Development plans and regulations Barrett has put in place for the tribe:
    • Sewer Plant
    • Trails Plan
    • Hazard Mitigation Plan
    • Environmental Protection Code
  • Job titles/positions Barrett has held with the tribe:
    • Planning Director
    • Housing Director (two, maybe three times)
    • Grants Manager
    • Project Manager
• I believe there are very few people in Indian Country or anywhere else who have a record of service and success like Barrett's. He's made a legacy at PGST of good buildings, good infrastructure and good plans for the future. I really believe he has provided the tribe with World Class customer service and deserves to be in the Kloomachin Club.

Sanda Hankins

• Sanda is an amazing boss, who is always ready to help when you go to her with a problem or if you just need to vent about something. She goes above and beyond and never makes you feel like you're intruding, even if it's the 15-20th time you need to get her help. I am truly glad to be able to work and learn from her. 

Rory Mcleod 

• Delivering excellent customer service is part of Rory's nature. It's the result of an old fashioned work ethic, a desire to do a job properly and a desire to please people. He succeeds in delivering projects that make happy customers, including the tribal community, the Council and other tribal departments. Rory was on the Old Red Cedar subdivision site during a very wet construction season starting pumps and moving fire hoses around after hours and on weekends to make sure the site and the road didn't flood. This was on his own time after the contractor had gone home for the day. Over and over Rory jumps in to provide leadership, construction expertise and just to help when things go haywire. Often outside of his 'job description.' He helps other departments and often individual tribal members and families. He's stepped up to provide leadership with projects that didn't have an assigned project manager, like the Housing Authority's Warrior Ridge project, the Accounting Department remodel, the Natural Resources building replacement and the Human Resources modular building. He's a team player and I think he sees the entire tribal organization and commumity as his team. Most projects Rory also goes above and beyond what is required to add something extra to a project at the request of a department director or just to make a project better. Sometimes these customers can be demanding or bring something up at the last minute and Rory takes it with patience and good nature. I believe Rory does all this because he really cares. That's cool! He absolutely deserves to be in the Kloomachin Club. 

Steve Knowlton

• Steve is always willing to help when asked. He has a positive attitude and always asks how you are doing. His chill vibes make the workplace welcoming.

Jesse Henley

• Jesse has been extremely helpful and very careful with his followup in our dental clinic this year as we transitioned with a new director and made changes in our technology/services. One of the standout activities was our recent transition in our radiograph technology. This transition required much of Jesse's time working with the technology transition representative from PlanetDDS and, then, afterward, there was significant trouble-shooting involved in getting our digital sensors to work correctly with the new software. Additionally, Jesse spent hours (which was not anticipated) in transferring patient records (individually) into the new database so that we could access historical records as needed. Initially, I was unaware of this additional burden placed on Jesse, but he completed the task in record time. Jesse has been a fantastic example of excellent internal customer service and represents himself and his department well. I am glad we have him at PGST and I've really gained a greater appreciation for him through these past few months! 

Joseph Price

• My uncle Joe is a natural born teacher, he incorporates culture and language into his everday life. He goes the extra mile to make sure that we are correctly learning and sharing our ancestors teachings and creates space for younger people in the tribal offices and community to learn from him. And encourages other staff in our workplace to take on leadership roles that better their education in native culture such as enrolling in advanced Klallam Language classes. He has been an amazing role model in our community for years but has recently been working a lot more with different departments so each department gets to practice culture throughout our workplace which ultimately helps us better serve our people.