UPLIFTING EMPLOYEES CAREER EXPERTS DELIVER INSPIRATION, TIPS AT WOMEN'S CONFERENCE
We were Glendale strong at the Arizona Women Leading Government (AZ WLG)’s Waves of Wisdom: Empowering Women Leaders conference on Nov. 6 and 7 in Phoenix. Not only did we have one of the largest groups attending the conference, but several of our employees made a big splash with highly visible roles. Our Director of Communications Sue Breding, who serves on the AZ WLG’s Board of Directors, did an excellent job helping to plan the event, as well as introducing speakers and keeping the audience engaged as the moderator for a panel “deep dive” where our Community Services Department Director Kimberly Hall and our Fire Captain Tammy Cifra shared wisdom. Mesa’s deputy city attorney Kelly Whittemore and Phoenix’s Assistant Public Works Director Lorizelda (Lori) Stoeller also shared stories of success on this panel. Our Video Producer Jessica Mensch skillfully served as a moderator asking questions of a different panel of influential women on the importance of finding mentors and beating “imposter syndrome,” as well as leveraging LinkedIn effectively. Attendees soaked up the stories of inspirational careers, the advice delivered about overcoming self-doubt, tackling fears of public speaking and other important career-related topics. Thank you to everyone in our city who participated in the conference!
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EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY CITY HONORS VETERANS AT PARK City employees joined our Mayor Jerry P. Weiers and City Councilmember Leandro Baldenegro, as well as some of our other councilmembers, for a special event that honored our country’s veterans. The Veteranos Park Dedication Ceremony drew a crowd to the park at 5401 W. Ocotillo Road on Nov. 8. This event was a way to say thank you to the brave veterans for their service and sacrifice to the United States. Previously, it was called El Barrio Park. Glendale resident and U.S. Army Veteran Matilde “Matt” Madrid, who served during the Vietnam War, was formally pinned for being awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He had not been formally presented with his medals ever before. Other distinguished guests included Lt. Gen. John Goodman, USMC, Retired, the members of the 388th Composite Squadron - Glendale Civil Air Patrol and U.S. Air Force Colonel (retired) Ed “Hamster” Hamill flying the Folds of Honor biplane.
Check out a video our videographer Mike Harris made at the ceremony below.
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MORE GREAT NEWS IN GLENDALE THE EMMY® BELONGS IN GLENDALE The Communications Team had a big night at the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter’s Emmy® awards ceremony. The city of Glendale earned an Emmy® for excellence in editing for the work of Luis Jacinto, Jessica Mensch and Mike Harris on the team’s halfhour documentary, Forged by Fire: Glendale’s Heroes in Action.
CITY EARNS VALLEY METRO CLEAN AIR AWARDS Our Transportation team, along with colleagues in Water Services and Field Operations, shined at Valley Metro’s 38th Annual Clean Air Campaign Awards. Transportation won the MAG Livable Communities Award for building bike lanes and improving pedestrian access along five miles of 67th Avenue. Sandy and Kirk Ressler earned the Commuter Icon – Carpool Crusader Award for 21 years of carpooling. Sandy is a Contract Monitor in Field Operations, and Kirk is a Lead Water Service Representative. Susan Angotti, a Transportation Department Management Assistant, was a finalist in the Rising Star Transportation Coordinator category, while Cassandra Johnston, our Traffic Education Program Manager, was a finalist in the Creativity & Marketing - Event - More than $250 for her work producing our Glendale Family Bike Ride. Our Transportation Department was named a finalist in the Creativity & Marketing Events – Electronic, Print or Visual Display category for its employee newsletter.
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CANCER SCREENINGS BEING OFFERED Did you know that prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men across the United States? And the older they are, the more likely men are to be diagnosed with this disease. The good news is our city will once again provide FREE Prostate Cancer Screenings from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 18 in a mobile unit outside of the Glendale Adult Center. Benefits-eligible employees may take advantage of this service. To make an appointment, call 480-964-3013 or 1-800828-6139.
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LEARN HOW TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES If you are a manager looking for ways to motivate your employees, NEOGOV has exactly what you need. There is a Leadership and Motivation three-part video series available through this platform. The first one, Leadership and Motivation: Introduction, describes the connection between leadership and motivation. It discusses the definition of motivation, asks if unmotivated people exist and explores the role of the leader in motivating other people. In the second course, Leadership Motivational Do’s, participants will learn ideas and actions leaders need to consider when motivating other employees. The third in the series, Leadership Motivational Dont's warns leaders against taking action that demotivates their employees and offers examples of habits and characteristics to avoid in the journey to motivate, inspire and lead.
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Register for these courses through NEOGOV.
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MORE WAYS TO ENGAGE IN GLENDALE EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST AIDS RESIDENTS HIT BY FLOODS
It takes a special type of person to head toward a disaster, enthusiastic and ready to roll up their sleeves to help residents rebuild and restore hope amid tremendous devastation. That heart for service, selflessness, strong leadership and dedication are exactly the traits our Emergency Management Specialist, Maddi Rybicki, demonstrated when catastrophic floods hit the City of Globe last month. Maddi was deployed to Globe for nine days to serve as the Acting Emergency Manager/Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) Director, steering aid for the community of about 7,000 people. This monumental task involved working with different levels of government on a wide range of critical responsibilities: documenting destruction for official aid, procuring contracts to clean up the city, developing temporary sewage system repairs, implementing water delivery and setting up shelters for displaced residents. Tragically, three lives were lost due to the powerful storms. Maddi worked around the clock, launching wireless emergency alerts to inform residents they needed to evacuate, implementing a system to label buildings for safety and occupancy, staging first responders to determine water levels, and coordinating a temporary debris management site. She even arranged for therapy dogs to comfort those impacted by the disaster and delivered an inspiring speech to residents at a City Council meeting.
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CONTINUING STORY OF SHINING EMPLOYEE “In an emergency, our role is to work with all levels of government to capture and document what happened, what we’re doing and what the plan is moving forward,” Maddi said. “We had three more storms coming for us in Globe, and the damage was so intense from the first storm. Resources and tools were not available. We were running on a skeleton crew and skeleton resources trying to work with the county and the state, who were also activated. It was just all hands-on deck coming to help.”
CONTINUING STORY OF SHINING EMPLOYEE “I just wanted to send them all a big hug,” Maddi added, referring to Globe residents. “That was the goal of my speech was to show them they weren’t alone and that we were bringing in the resources they needed. It shattered my heart to see what these people went through. It was such an honor and a privilege to serve their community.”
Maddi and our Emergency Management Director, Nicole Munson, hold credentials through the Arizona Qualification System (AQS) allowing them to be deployed to disaster sites as qualified personnel. Glendale is also part of the Arizona Mutual Aid Compact (AZMAC), an agreement that ensures assistance between different cities and counties during emergencies. Maddi, who holds a master’s degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security from Arizona State University (ASU), credited our City Manager Kevin Phelps and Glendale staff members for their support. She said Glendale is a pioneer in establishing its own Emergency Management Department, a rare structure among local jurisdictions. “I brought the skillset of what we do in Glendale to Globe,” Maddi said. “It’s really just being selfless and asking, ‘What more can I do to help you?’ I wanted these people to know they are worth something.”
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BUILDING GREATNESS IN GLENDALE EMPLOYEESYour GEARING UPtext FOR GLITTERS paragraph While the weather is getting colder, our Economic Development Department is preparing to spread warmth and good cheer for our popular hometown tradition - Glendale Glitters. The department anticipates more than 2 million lights will be shining brightly in the area immediately surrounding the Civic Center, including the city annex building and Bead Museum. This beloved holiday lights display will have a similar footprint as it did last year, but it will not incorporate any piece of Murphy Park this season because of the Downtown Campus Reinvestment Project (DCRP) construction. Our employees will prepare for the official Glendale Glitters treelighting ceremony at 5:45 p.m. on Nov. 28 in front of the Civic Center entrance. Holiday carolers and other performers will entertain residents and visitors on the two kick-off days - Nov. 28 and 29. Santa Claus will be available to pose for photos with children of all ages both those days and vendors will sell items.
LA-Z-BOY OPENING ADDS TO ECONOMY Our city has scored another win for economic activity. Earlier this month, La-Z-Boy Incorporated opened its newest distribution center at 17000 W. Glendale Ave. The modern structure spans about 225,000 square feet and employs about 30 people. Our Mayor Jerry P. Weiers said the American furniture brand opening a second location in Glendale demonstrates the “strength of our city and the continued growth and opportunity we’re creating together.” This company is known for its quality, comfort and timeless design. The expansion shows how established companies trust our city’s continued growth and potential to succeed long-term.
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