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Individual Winners

Brieanna Ponzar (CBS) nominated by Dev Chaudhary

I would like to nominate Briana Ponzar for the Unsung Hero Award. Brie consistently goes the extra mile, making significant contributions behind the scenes. Brie consistently dedicates her time and expertise to an important role that helps our staff grow. Her ability to prioritize our work unit's success in critical areas such as tracking recharge materials, creating building maps and floor plans, generating work orders for various projects, and overseeing the Concur Travel and Expense System is pivotal.

Furthermore, Brie plays an essential role in coordinating special projects and performing administrative tasks not only within the CBS department but also in Solid Waste and Recycling, This includes assisting colleagues with training sign-ups, managing appreciation funds, tracking campus closures hours for the staff, and organizing orders for office supply, shoes, calendars, band-aids, hoodies, and winter jackets, and many more.

I firmly believe that Brie is highly deserving of the Unsung Hero award due to her selfless dedication and her invaluable support to our supervisors including myself. She does this with a positive attitude and takes on new challenges with excitement and a positive outlook. I extend my gratitude for your consideration and for recognizing Brie's exceptional work.

Suky Yasui (CBS) nominated by Alison Goldenberg (Guest Relations) and Tony McKnabb (CBS)

Custodian Suky Yasui should be recognized for her exemplary work and behavior toward CU's guests during the CU v. Colorado State football game that occurred on September 16, 2023 at Folsom Field. Ms. Yasui appeared to exceed the high standards of Facilities Management because she was watchful of the health, safety, and welfare of CU's guests in the women's restroom.    

Ms. Yasui was assigned to the women's restroom near the club and suite level entrances on the East Concourse. With an unprecedented sell out crowd, long lines, and heavy foot traffic in the women's bathroom, one might expect to see waste, toilet paper strewn on the floors, paper towels overflowing from the garbage, and an overall "mess," etc. Not so. Not on Ms. Yasui's watch. The dense crowds that cycled through the women's bathroom didn't faze Ms. Yasui one bit. Ms. Yasui kept the restrooms spotless and clean throughout the entire evening. It was apparent that Ms. Yasui takes her job as a custodian very seriously and she takes personal pride in keeping the bathrooms well-stocked, clean, and inviting for guests. I was impressed.  

More impressive and exemplary, however, was Ms. Yasui's watchful eye and quick thinking that evening. While cleaning the individual bathroom stalls, Ms. Yasui noticed guests "passed out" and unresponsive/unconscious on the floors of the bathroom stalls. This happened not once, but three times within a 30-45 minute time period. Some people freeze in these types of situations. Ms. Yasui did not freeze. Instead, Ms. Yasui sprung into action and promptly reported the three medical emergencies occurring in the bathroom. On each occasion, Ms. Yasui swiftly alerted Guest Relations' staff who in turn, immediately alerted the medics. When the medics arrived, Ms. Yasui instantly saved the medics precious time because she followed through and escorted the medics to the exact stall where the guest was experiencing the medical emergency.  

Ms. Yasui not only showed compassion for others, but she was the voice for guests who were unable to speak for themselves. Ms. Yasui held the health and safety of others with the utmost and highest regard. Ms. Yasui should be recognized for her actions, accomplished with speed and calm efficiency. Ms. Yasui's work and dedication toward the guests of CU epitomizes the culture and safety of CU's Facilities Management. I am proud to have met and witnessed Ms. Yasui's praiseworthy actions. CU should be proud to have her as a dedicated employee. ~Alison Goldenberg

As an addition to Alison's nomination for Suky, I wanted to add that Suky volunteers for all OT when needed. She sacrifices her time to work CU Football games, finals, fixed seating upholstery cleaning and many events at Macky.  Every time I rotate Suky out of a building I get a call/email requesting that she come back due to the level of service she provides and how well she communicates with everyone she comes in contact with.  Suky is truly a stellar employee, not just for one event, but all year round. ~ Tony McNabb

Bee Mahathongdy (CBS) nominated by Rubi Andazola

I'm nominating Bee because she has excellent customer service and is an excellent team player.  She is always willing to help the team when needed.  Bee reminds the team about safety, and she also learned our new system AIM quickly.

Brandon Kulachkosky (CBS) nominated by Steven Stuart

I am honored to submit this nomination for Brandon Kulachkosky for the I & S Customer Service Award. In my role as GL-2 at SEEC / SEEL / AES, I have had the pleasure of witnessing first-hand Brandon’s exceptional commitment to providing unparalleled service to our customers. Brandon is a shining example of what customer service excellence truly means. He consistently goes above and beyond to meet and/or exceed our customers' expectations and his dedication is nothing short of remarkable. Below, I would like to highlight some of the qualities and actions that make Brandon the ideal candidate for the Customer Service Award: Exemplary Communication Skills: Brandon possesses remarkable communication skills. He listens attentively to customers' needs, responds with clarity and empathy and ensures that every interaction leaves a positive impression. Empathy and Understanding: Brandon has an exceptional ability to put himself in the customer's shoes. He shows genuine care and understanding, which not only resolves issues but also builds strong customer relationships. Problem-Solving Expertise: Brandon excels at solving complex customer problems with creativity and resourcefulness. His ability to find innovative solutions has often turned challenging situations into opportunities for growth. Consistent Dedication: Brandon consistently demonstrates unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction. He is always willing to put in the extra effort to ensure that every customer leaves our building feeling valued and appreciated. Positive Attitude: Brandon maintains a positive and enthusiastic attitude, even in high-pressure situations. This not only uplifts the spirits of our team but also creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere for our customers. Team Collaboration: Brandon works seamlessly with the entire team to ensure that customers' needs are met. His collaborative spirit has contributed significantly to a cohesive and efficient work environment. The impact that Brandon has on our organization's reputation and success is immeasurable. His exceptional customer service not only fosters customer loyalty but also garners positive reviews, referrals, and ultimately, contributes to a culture of welcoming. I wholeheartedly recommend Brandon for the I & S Customer Service Award. His dedication, problem-solving prowess, and unwavering commitment to customers make him the perfect choice for this award.

Rocio Castro (CBS) nominated by Lupe Castaneda

I want to nominate Rocio for being an outstanding leader. She is great at communicating and providing the resources. She is always ready to help and support us when we need it. She plans things smartly, makes sure we do our job right every morning, and thinks about how we can do even better in the future. Rocio's hard work and guidance have helped our team succeed, and she deserves the recognition. Thank you!

Erin Lind (Accounting) nominated by Bonnie Worrall

I would like to nominate Erin Lind for the Excellence in Leadership Award. She has been great at leading the FM Accounting team through the AiM rollout. She has provided instruction, guided us through the new processes and, helped us work through each challenging issue we ran into in order to get the information we needed to complete our monthly reports and reconciliations. Her knowledge from being a part of the team that worked on the design of the system and wrote the SOP’s was shared and when anything new came up she encouraged us to collaborate and explore our options within AiM or learn to utilize the Power BI report system.  I watched her answer questions from Facilities Management customers with patience and grace - even when there was not much more she could say than a fix or report was being developed and would hopefully be available for them to access soon. She is always responsive and helpful and, when the information or report was available, made sure to follow up with the customers to let them know the answer or outcome of the question or issue they had asked about.

Trent Wilson (East Campus Grounds) nominated by Joshua Hollingshead

Trent Wilson is someone who checks all the boxes for excellence in leadership! After working with Trent for 2 years I have seen him move up into a bigger leadership role.  Trent takes the time to train his employees. He is the first person to ask how your day is. He cares about his work and is proud of the work he does here at CU Boulder and that rubs off to his employees!

Charles Holstein (East Campus Grounds) nominated by Adriana Charbonnet

He always has in mind where we as a team can be more environmentally friendly. He worked to get us a composting trash can in the shed, and to find out if we could put noxious weeds in the compost instead of the trash. He has our non-human residents in mind every day at work.

Osei Simmons (Distribution Center) nominated by Denise Worthington

Osei Simmons has been an exemplary employee since day one. He is an extremely motivated, kind, and thoughtful employee. He has received tons of positive customer feedback about how efficient and kind he is. The feedback specifically mentions how great he is at answering questions and how supportive he is to his fellow team mates. One can be quoted as saying "Osei looks like he was running the whole show." Every person I know at CU that has met Osei has nothing but positive compliments, he is already known on campus as a genuinely great person to work with. It is clear that he takes a great deal of pride in his work and in CU. In addition to his excellent customer service, Osei has been a valuable resource when training new employees, and has been a great source of information to those just starting out at CU. I have received feedback from new employees stating how great he is at training. He has great insight into what the moving and hauling team needs and what those in management can do to best support that team. He has volunteered for many things above and beyond his job description. He participates in the mentor program to better improve his skills and his knowledge of how the CU Boulder campus runs. He also sits on the FM safety committee representing the Distribution Center and has volunteered for staff council. He volunteers for any and all trainings offered and is eager to participate in and learn as much as possible from CU. As Property Services has been implementing new processes that would help us move to a more paperless system he has worked hard to learn the system and to make sure the rest of the team understand it as well. He also provided valuable feedback and insight into the changes being made and offered great suggestions for how to make those transitions smoother even volunteering to do a little extra work to give others time to adjust to the new system. He makes sure I know if someone else on the team made a great suggestion, as it is clear he wants everyone's voices to be heard and to get credit for their contributions. He is ready and willing to stay later if ever needed, and will lend a hand with any project without any hesitation. It has been an absolute pleasure having Osei on the Property Services team and he is a credit to CU as a whole.

Sun Lim (Recycling) nominated by Robert Allen

The best leaders are the people who do good work all day, every day. Whether leadership is in their job title or not, these individuals show us how to be our best, by consistently bringing their best. They make it look easy, because their disciplined nature pushes them to go above and beyond every time. Will they help out a teammate or accept that extra task? Of course they will, it's not even a question. They build great teams by being a great teammate and lifting others up with them.

Sun Lim is one of those unassuming and highly effective leaders. His work ethic coupled with his ebullient spirit is what makes him exceptional. He laughs and jokes with everyone he sees as he goes through his workday spreading smiles along the way. He anticipates the needs of his customers and responds to special requests with cheerful urgency, earning praise from office managers, proctors and building managers all over campus.  He's the guy that rallies the crew for a team lunch or an Eggamuffin breakfast treat. Our recycling team would not be the same without him and we are so very grateful to have him. Cheers to Sunny!

Ben Hughes (Engineering) nominated by Dena Heisner

Simply put, Ben is awesome and an asset to our department and CU!  I selected the customer service award for him because, my projects and I are so often the customer looking for Ben's expertise.  He is exceptionally responsive, extremely thorough, innovative, cooperative, and always good-natured.  Ben is always willing to help make projects better and processes smoother.  Not only has he earned respect for his knowledge and opinion, but he is also a pleasure to work with.

Noah Huber (Engineering) nominated by Stephen Carberry

Noah Huber has been the most influential person for me on the CU Engineering/Inspection team. Since I started @ CU 3 years ago, Noah has consistently been a huge support for me during my initiation process, learning the campus projects, helping me decipher systems I have no experience with, just overall becoming a more efficient & effective inspector. Noah has been our defacto ,Team leader as far as the inspection team goes. He sets up a lot of pre-construction meetings with general contractors,CU PM's, subcontractors as-well. Noah has been a great mentor for me as far as my time here at CU has been. I feel he is an excellent inspector and respected colleague.

Ryan Moeller (PDC) nominated by Amy Kirtland

Ryan is a thorough project manager who looks ahead, learns from past experiences, and brings a level of professionalism to his work.  He continues to work on projects with tight timelines, and he is able to maneuver these timelines alongside the dynamics of demanding clients.  Ryan is a great team member within PD&C.

Paul Longfellow (Trades Building Engineer) nomniated by John Gleason

I would like to recognize Mr. Paul Longfellow for his commitment to the core mission of our institution in maintaining building systems that support world renowned research. The University of Colorado Boulder leads the world in areas of quantum physics and laser research and the mechanical systems these critical departments require are maintained by Mr. Longfellow. Mr. Longfellow was chosen for this critical role due to his attention to detail, his approach to prioritizing and communicating deficiencies to stakeholders as well as his mechanical aptitude. The University of Colorado Boulder is fortunate to have Mr. Longfellow on our team and his dedication to this institution warrants recognition as an Unsung Hero.

Sara Kelly (Trades Operations/Small Construction) nominated by Andrew Calvo

Sara has great customer service skills.  She has been very proficient when it comes to her service in procurement, as the outage coordinator for our customers, and the same can be said for project coordinator duties. She continues to improve our current processes to improve the efficiency of how we do business.  Because of mandatory changes within the Procurement Service Center (PSC), her duties became a little more detailed and time consuming.  Sara doesn't complain about this situation, but instead she finds ways to improve our processes, so these mandatory changes don't slow our business process down and affect our customers. 

Ed Von Bleichert (Sustainability) nominated by d'Andre Willis

Ed's contributions to capital projects in the past year have truly made a difference in the potential energy performance of our buildings as well as our LEED scorecard results. His expertise and diplomatic demeanor is extremely valuable to campus, particularly in a time when sustainability and carbon neutrality are ever more important.

Tim Lockhart (EHS) nominated by Chris Ewing

Tim Lockhart is the Director of Occupational Health and Safety in Environmental Health and Safety Office. A significant health concern in a department in ARCE was brought to the attention of EH&S back in July of this year. Tim took on the responsibility of coordinating both a medical review and an environmental assessment of the building where the reporting department is housed. Drawing on his expertise and previous experience in these cases, he brought together outside vetted professionals from both the medical and environmental fields to conduct interviews with the individuals reporting the health concerns and to perform a thorough environmental assessment of the building. Tim was one of the main people to speak during the townhall meetings that were held to provide building occupants with information about the investigation, project updates, and to address questions. Tim made himself available to the building occupants throughout the investigation  to answer questions and address concerns. Throughout the investigation Tim has acted with the highest level of professionalism and sensitivity to the concerns of all the building occupants and of course to those who reported health concerns.

Adam Stroup (EHS) nominated by Tim Lockhart

I would like to nominate Adam Stroup from EH&S for the Excellence in Customer Service Award in recognition of his outstanding efforts in response to flood mitigation during last winter's artic freeze.  During the unprecedented cold snap, the campus had numerous buildings impacted with flooding due to frozen and broken water lines.  The resulting floods impacted building operations and campus functionality in a variety of spaces across campus. Adam took initiative during this period to help delineate the extent of the damage and define the scopes of work for mitigation and remediation.  Many of these projects required mold remediation and asbestos abatement to ensure our campus community was kept safe. His swift response, proactive measures, and willingness to work extra hours (including weekends) not only minimized the impacts of the flooding but also showcased a level of dedication that significantly exceeded expectations.  Adam's strong communication skills allowed him to collaborate seamlessly with other team members from multiple departments, demonstrating strong leadership and teamwork skills.

Zac Cameron (Main Grounds) nominated by Brian Lindoerfer and Scott Redder

Zac Cameron is consistently recognized for his exceptional customer service to campus.  Zac has taken on additional duties in his new role as Main Campus Turf & Ground Maintenance Manager and continues to play a key role in supporting campus outdoor events.  Through the year, we have received numerous accolades for Zac's great work in supporting outdoor commencement events, fall welcome, and this year's unprescedented media events for the football program, including three events with Fox Big Noon and an ESPN Gameday event.   Zac always represents Facilities Management with the highest professionalism and is alway available to make a positive contribution to make certain our campus events are well supported.   Additionally, these nationally televised media events highlighted the tremendous beauty of our campus grounds, this is also a tesitiment to Zac and his Main Campus Grounds Team's great work.

Team Winners

Custodial Team 10 - Supervisor Alma Valenzuela, Team Lead Efren Avitia Nevarez and staff  (CBS) nominated by Dev Chaudhary

I am writing to nominate Custodial Team 10 for the Teamwork Award. The custodial team led by Alma Valenzuela and Efren Avitia Nevarez consistently goes above and beyond to maintain our facilities at the highest standards. Their commitment to excellence is evident through the heartfelt appreciation from various building proctors and customers. Peggy Hilton from the College of Music commented on their work in restoring the Grusin Lobby's carpet, enhancing the facility's appearance, and creating a positive atmosphere for all. Jemie Henderson from Wolf Law praised the custodial team for their diligence, positivity, and overall excellence in service, reflecting their ability to foster a welcoming environment for everyone. Their consistent efforts to maintain a pleasant workspace are commendable. Even our Chancellor, as mentioned in Scott Bocim's email, has taken notice of the custodial team's effort to keep our building in great shape. In conclusion, their unwavering commitment to excellence, positive attitude, and collaboration make them ideal recipients of the Teamwork Award. Their hard work not only enhances our facility's environment but also boosts the well-being of our staff and visitors.I hope you will consider recognizing their exceptional teamwork and making a truly positive impact on our organization.

Heather Bennett and Bonnie Worrall (FM Accounting) nominated by Lori Black

No matter what the situation or issue is, Heather and Bonnie have ALWAYS been there to help.  It seems like since COVID they have been buried in daily work as well as project closeout in Unifier and yet they always took the time to help the Design & Construction staff with numerous issues and questions.  I so appreciate their cheerful attitudes and willingness to work as a team even when they have been under a lot of pressure and been very understaffed.

Adam Patzer, Ben Lucero, Jacob Brown, Ross Calvo, Rich Stebbins (Transportation) nominated by Craig Miller

The shop has had to work extra days & hours & some have worked outside their job duties the last couple months as 1 of our team has been out with a serious health issue that has reduced our workforce by 20%. The workload of vehicle issues on the campus has only increased during this timeframe making it more demanding on everyone. The team has stepped up in every aspect that has been asked of them to ensure the campus has the needed vehicles for every day use along with special events such as home football games. For this I believe they are well deserving of this award. Thank you.

The Electrical Crew (Trades) nominated by Jason Schlosser

The Electrical crew is often relied upon to provide last minute services and coordination to a variety of Events on campus. In addition to event support, over the last two years, the team has received an increasing amount of requests related to campus safety where exterior lighting installations were requested by CUPD. The team always does amazing, quick work in responding to these requests. Many thanks and appreciation for the teams ability to prioritize these requests, and for their expertise to skillfully add new exterior lighting regardless the age or complexity of the installation site.

Chad McCue and Justin Miller (Electrical Shop/HVAC Shop) nominated by Jason Schlosser)

On Friday September 1st, 2023, the department of Chemistry and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences were experiencing cooling deficiencies which were negatively impacting their research. The same evening Chad McCue, Electrical Shop, managed to source a spare variable frequency drive from campus and staged an installation at the deficient air handler. The following day Justin Miller, HVAC shop (on a holiday weekend) volunteered to come in to complete the installation including all of the controls for the air handler, thus restoring building operations to normal. Chad and Justin’s teamwork, skillful expertise and level of care supporting these two research departments is extremely commendable and much appreciated.

AiM Core Team (Jessica Bradley, Don Inglis, Kevin Griffin, Katherine Dunklau, Erin Lind, Tanya Patzer, Wilson Batdorf, Alan Fasick, Bea Antequera, Andrew Calvo, Carolina Pire, Eric Miller, Jon Sherman, David Laliberte, Phil Coyle) nominated by Brian Lindoerfer and Jodie Ferrera

As project sponsors, Brian Lindoerfer and Jodie Ferrera would like to nominate the core team for an annual award for the implementation of the AssetWorks system.  We embarked on this project, knowing it was going to be a big lift. The core team’s dedication, expertise and collaboration over the past three years was crucial in overcoming various challenges and integrating the new system into our daily operations.  The time and effort put into this project well exceeded their typical job duties, and their willingness to go the extra mile did not go unnoticed.  We are nominating this team to recognize their hard work, dedication and results and their continuing efforts to help our teams adapt to the new tools and processes.  Thank you for your commitment to the project. Your contributions will have a lasting impact, and we are grateful you are part of our team. You truly deserve every bit of recognition that comes your way.

Safety Awards

Deven Chavez (Electrical Shop) nominated by Don Fitzpatrick

Deven continues to be an active participant on the FACMAN safety committee. He was the first committee member to present a safety topic to our committee. Deven selected electrical cord safety and he shared his knowledge and expertise to our group. Deven along with Craig Perez also initiated a hearing conservation program which involved setting up ear plug dispensers in several mechanical rooms. This program is now being rolled out to other departments. The purpose of our safety committee is for our members to bring the topics we discuss back to their teams, and Deven continues to be a great example to his team. Thanks Deven for all your efforts especially in promoting safety to our FACMAN teams!

Eric Jaskuta (Outdoor Services) nominated by Don Fitzpatrick

Eric is actively involved in our safety program by serving on both the FACMAN and Outdoors Services safety committees.  He is very proactive in noticing potential safety hazards around campus and will bring these issues to the committee’s attention. For example, Eric has expressed the need for a hearing conservation program which is now a focus area for several departments. Finally, Eric is a Lead Arborist on campus and has a real passion in the industry while always remaining safety focused for his team. Congratulations, Eric!

DEI Awards

Kelsey Draper (HR) nominated by Beth Angus

In the last 3 months of my new employment here at CU, I've been very impressed with Kelsey's ability to ALWAYS be available to anyone in need and greets them with such positivity and acceptance! He offers an open door to everyone, provides all levels of support from basic orientation information to furthering your education and if he doesn't know an answer, he spends the time and does the research to find out.

Lindsay Schumacher (PDC) nominated by d'Andre Willis

Lindsay has a vision for building skills for all the planners in creating documents that are fully accessible to blind or low-vision individuals. She took the initiative to raise this issue and act on it by bringing CU experts to lead training. Her passion for this is a powerful step toward a more welcoming and accessible culture. Additionally, creating more accessible documents for publication, our website, and solicitations for services has the potential to create a more diverse pool of applicants for our business. Thank you Lindsay for taking the initiative to make positive change.

Student Awards

Jackson Horton (Accounting) nominated by Bonnie Worrall

Jackson has been working for FM Accounting for over a year now and he is always up for whatever project we have for him to do. He is quick to learn new systems and processes and stayed flexible as the new AiM system came online and changed how we get information out of AiM to complete the monthly fund 71 reconciliations. He is a good teacher and has helped to onboard a new student employee and a new accountant! It is always a pleasure to work with him. Thank you Jackson!