2002
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Category: ETC* Leadership Karen Zammit,
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Listen to one of the radio spots featuring this winner! |
ETC’s commitment turns lemons
into lemonade
Energy
plus a willingness to try new things are key for a successful ETC. Karen
Zammit seems to have an infinite supply of these two qualities, and they
have earned her a 2002 Commuter Challenge Diamond Award for ETC Leadership.
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Jan. 22, 2003 Awards Ceremony Karen Zammit (second from right) of Continental Mills accepts her Diamond Award for leadership as an employee transportation coordinator. On the left is Kent Councilman Tim Clarke and Continental Mills HR Manager Angela Barnes. On the far right is Kent's CTR Coordinator Cathy Mooney. |
One of the first things Karen did after becoming ETC at Continental Mills’ Kent, WA manufacturing plant in 1999 was to conduct an employee survey to determine employee commuting habits and how best to structure the CTR program. She then developed a program complete with informational brochures for new hires and an internal ride matching program, with preferred parking and a Guaranteed Ride Home for HOV and transit users soon following. Constant promotions such as posters outlining the company’s CTR offerings and CTR articles in the worksite’s monthly newsletter help increase employee awareness and participation in the larger promotions such as Oil Smart or Rideshare Week.
Zammit works hard to introduce new elements to the CTR program at Continental Mills’ manufacturing plant. She regularly attends Kent ETC Networking Committee meetings and takes advantage of professional development opportunities. She also applied for and was awarded an employer service grant in 2002 to implement a transportation subsidy that covers half of the monthly cost for employees’ Metro bus, Sounder train or VanShare fees.
“Karen has infused Continental Mills’ program with tons of energy and a commitment to success. In three years she has reduced the SOV for the work site by 18%,” said City of Kent CTR Program Coordinator Cathy Mooney. “She has continued to sell the benefits of this program to her management team and has gained their respect and support for all she tries to do.”
The success in building the Continental Mills’ CTR program belies the site’s commute obstacles: a relatively isolated location with no transit options and a multiple-shift employee population just small enough to make carpool matching difficult. Nonetheless, Zammit has tackled each challenge with good humor and determination. Management at Continental Mills has shown their support by allowing Zammit the flexibility to try new things.
“It takes constant influencing for people to change their habits,” said Zammit. “I believe our CTR program is successful because of the subtle shift we are seeing in attitudes toward commuting. To our employees, commute modes other than driving alone are now realistic options.”
Commute Program
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*Some definitions: An “ETC” is the staff-level employee transportation coordinator responsible for the daily administration of the transportation program; “PM” is the transportation program manager; and “CEO” refers to the top management-level person at the worksite. “SOV” stands for single-occupant vehicle, and “CTR” for commute trip reduction.