Genie Commute Profile

Genie Industries is in the business of “lifting people to new heights” and has done just that through its rideshare program. Genie manufactures lift equipment, which it sells in 72 countries around the world. The company has experienced a lot of growth, spreading to four work sites in Redmond and one in Bothell. Parking, while free at all sites, is at a premium due to the increasing workforce. Add to that the growth in traffic and the resulting longer and more stressful commutes, and many Genie employees were ready to look at different ways to get to work.

Representing Genie Industries (From left to right): Suzanne Scalzo, Stephanie Jensen, Gordy Anderson.

Stephanie Jensen, one of two employee transportation coordinators at Genie, took on the challenging assignment of helping Genie's employees form carpools and vanpools in the spring of 1996. The task was huge. Besides having to deal with different work sites, Genie has multiple shifts and mandatory overtime. Workers are on assembly lines, not sitting in front of computers, so communication via email was not possible.

Determined, Jensen went through employee records, searching out zip codes, coordinating employees who lived near one another and worked the same shifts, then notifying them via memos of possible matches for carpools and vanpools. As an incentive, the company started a policy of preferred parking for carpools and vanpools right by the main entrance to each worksite, and provided a $15 subsidy for vanpools. Jensen's hard work paid off with incredible success. Today, there are 357 employees who carpool at Genie.

Vanpooling seen as added help for diverse labor force
In 1998, Genie Industries became involved with the Welfare to Work program in conjunction with Bellevue and Shoreline community colleges. The company helped write the curriculum for the manufacturing courses and provides on-the-job training. As a result, Genie has hired over 40 workers from the program.

Earlier this year, Suzanne Scalzo, the second employee transportation coordinator at Genie, worked with King County Metro to help the company find a way to assist its Welfare to Work employees in getting to work. Although its carpooling program was a resounding success, no vanpools had formed. Genie decided to contract with Metro's Rideshare Plus for help in the promotion and organization of vanpools. The vanpool subsidy was increased to $40, and Rideshare Plus did on-site promotions and commuter matching. The first van was on the road within one month. Once the first van was seen in the parking lot, other employees wanted to get on board. There are now seven vanpools with 58 employees traveling to Genie.

Both Genie Industries and its employees are seeing the benefits of ridesharing. “Not only are there fewer cars on the road, but there are also fewer cars in the parking lots, creating more space for visitors and vendors,” says Gordy Anderson, program manager. “Employees arrive at work on time, leave on time, are less stressed, and save money!”

*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.