Wendy Binner got her day brightened on Friday at JAK's Warehouse. The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority surprised Binner with a rose, and a notice that she was a ROSE Award Finalist.
The ROSE Awards were created to recognize employees who go above and beyond on a daily basis at their jobs. Customers have more interactions with the front-desk employee than owners or managerial staff so it's these employees that can have a lasting impression on patrons.
Binner has been with JAK's since the opened. She is the Reservation Specialist and schedules parties and makes everyone's special day even more special.
Binner said of receiving the award, "This is so great. I had no idea! I love doing what I do. I love helping people and making their day special."
Other surprise stops that the SSCVA made were at Bellaboo's Play and Discovery Center, Lucrezia Italian Ristorante, Crown Brewing, Indiana Ballet Theatre, Fair Oaks Farms Dairy Adventure, and Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites.
The awards ceremony will take place at the Avalon Manor this year in late September. New to this year's ceremony, the SSCVA plans to present Recognition of Industry Success and Excellence (RISE) Awards. These new awards will honor managerial employees that have either risen above expectations or were previous ROSE Awards winners who have yet again gone above and beyond.
"We received nearly 100 nominations this year," Bethany Randolph, Special Events Manager for the SSCVA said. "ROSE Award nominations can be given by supervisors or guests and it's all about recognizing those who give excellent service to the public."