SSCVA Honors 2016 R.O.S.E./R.I.S.E. Awards Winners with Ceremony at Radisson at Star Plaza

SSCVA Honors 2016 R.O.S.E./R.I.S.E. Awards Winners with Ceremony at Radisson at Star Plaza

On Tuesday, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority held their 10th Annual R.O.S.E./R.I.S.E. Awards Ceremony at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville to celebrate a bouquet of exceptional people who go above and beyond in the service industry.

Click here for more photos of the event!

The Recognition of Service Excellence (R.O.S.E.) Awards were created to acknowledge and celebrate the non-managerial or hourly employees who exceed usual expectations when providing hospitality services to guests and customers. Those front-line employees who have made a lasting impression on guests are nominated for this award by either their managers or the guests themselves. Whether they’re servers, front-desk clerks, housekeepers, bartenders, tour guides or service employees, these amazing people have made the South Shore visitors’ experience that much better.

The Recognition of Industry Success and Excellence (R.I.S.E.) Award honors managerial employees and past R.O.S.E. winners who continually exceed expectations with guests and customers. These conscientious and caring employees exemplify what the region’s hospitality industry is truly about.

“This is one of our organization's’ favorite days,” said Speros Batistatos, President and CEO for the South Shore CVA. “This one is special to the staff because we really get to celebrate the people who make our industry happen and that’s the frontline employee.”

“The focus of our 12 R.O.S.E. Award winners, our dozen R.O.S.E.’s, is that you’ve got to be frontline and you’ve got to be the person out there making it happen for the guest,” Batistatos said. “That’s very important to us and we think that’s what makes a difference for our guests. We have a great deal of buy-in from the private sector. This year’s gift basket for our winners is over $1000 and that’s up from around $700 last year.”

“It’s just a great night and it’s about who it should be: the people who make it happen. We’re so fortunate to be in an industry that is fun!” concluded Batistatos.

This evening had a special feeling as it was the 10th Anniversary of the awards ceremony as well as a bittersweet sense about it with the event being held at the Radisson at Star Plaza, which will no longer be in operation next year.

“This is actually where the very first R.O.S.E. Awards were held,” said SSCVA Director of Communications, Erica Dahl. “Three years ago we added the R.I.S.E. category because we still get managerial and second-time R.O.S.E. nominees and we want to be able to continue to honor their hard work and hospitality in the service industry.”

“We’re doing something special for some of the long-time employees of the Radisson who have worked for 20 years or more,” Dahl said. “We have a table and we invited them to be our guests to enjoy the evening.”

One of this year’s R.O.S.E. winners was Nichole Charlene who works as an Auditor’s Clerk at the Lake County Auditor’s Office.

“It was humbling,” Charlene said of being nominated and, ultimately, winning. “I was not expecting that. At first I was just, wow! I work for the Lake County government and our customer service is so important to the people who come in and need our help. It’s heavy when you come into a government office and I try to look at the customer as myself and I picture myself on the other side of that counter. What would I want for myself? And I try to give that.”

This year’s R.O.S.E. Award winners were: Nichole Charlene, Roy Chandler, Marzette Jennings, Laverne Taylor, Michelle Vidojevic, Connie Jacobs, Daniel Allen, Grace Liang, Jennifer Buckler, Dennis Ingram, Nicole Kimmett, and Emily Gulbrandsen.

The 2016 R.I.S.E. Award winners were: Jim Drewenski, Nicole Angotti, and Jeffery Clayton

R.O.S.E. and R.I.S.E. nominations for frontline and managerial employees are accepted year-round at www.rose-awards.com