Ring the Bell – May 2017

WorkSource Columbia Basin would not be the same without Ricardo Valdez, and for that reason, we are nominating him as one of May’s Ring the Bell nominees. He goes above and beyond for all of his customers. That includes peers, staff, partners, WSCB customers, our landlord, and maintenance and cleaning crews. He is consistent in his delivery of customer service as he listens, willing to answer any question, any time. He is our rock when a difficult situation or customer conflict arises.

“There is one word for me that best describes having Rick as a Supervisor: admiration. I admire Rick for his dedication to his craft and his adaptability to the constant changes that occur in our workplace. I admire how he is able to multi-task and remains upbeat and smiling. I admire his knowledge on technology used at WorkSource. He is always there to help; staff look to Rick when they need some help fixing something around their cubicles.

Most of all, I admire, the full attention he gives to each customer. He listens to every word being spoken and provides the assistance necessary for each situation. Customers leave knowing someone ‘really was listening to them’. Rick does all these things daily.”

“He is always here starting the day for WorkSource Columbia Basin, even when he has a day off.  He says it is so he can come get some coffee, but he is always catching up on his email and making sure things are in order for the building.  He takes care of our water and coffee each month so we will never go thirsty!  He is hard-working and fun to be around!  I appreciate him and everything he does for our Career Path team and for WorkSource Columbia Basin.”

“I’ve had the unique experience of working with Ricardo both as a customer seeking services at WorkSource Columbia Basin and now as a colleague. In both roles, he has immediately impressed me as someone who is passionate about his job.

As an unemployed individual seeking services, I counted myself lucky when Ricardo was the first person I met at WSCB, because it seemed he always provided answers to my queries.  And to top it all off, he is truly friendly and made me feel like he wanted to help me. When I joined the Career Path Services team earlier this year, I immediately recognized Ricardo from my earlier interactions with him. I was pleasantly surprised to see that his welcoming demeanor and “can do” attitude are the same today as they were two year earlier when I was a customer. He is as helpful and friendly with staff behind the scenes as he is at the front desk once the doors are open to the public.

I’ve worked in some form of customer service and public service for 40 years and Ricardo Valdez far and away exceeds the standard and is in my opinion, the very best in class!”

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Our second employee nomination for the May 2017 Ring the Bell award is Central King Commerce Employment Practitioner, Landon Colclasure.  Over the last two years, Landon and gone above and beyond in his work with Community Jobs participants in South Seattle. Participants praise Landon for his consistency and problem-solving attitude to ensure that participants have a high likelihood of securing long-term employment.

Landon has been exceptional in becoming part of the fabric of the South Seattle community.  It is a rare day that Landon doesn’t meet an employment partner while walking through the Rainier Valley or run into a partner that has nothing but great things to say about their work with Career Path Services because of him.

The DSHS office in Rainier has adopted Landon as more than a contractor in their space as well. He is a part of the Rainier DSHS WorkFirst team.  If you pop in to the office, you will be able to find where Landon sits by listening for the laughter and the positive community that he has created around his workspace.

The Commerce Team is so privileged to have Landon as one of ours – thank you for all you do.