A little recognition goes a long way
February 11, 2020
The City of Red Deer’s annual Employee Recognition Awards Banquet recognize employees for continuous years of service, special achievements and acknowledgement for those who go above and beyond to make our city a better place. This year, more than 130 employees were recognized.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Bob Stollings Memorial Award. Established by City Council on January 21, 1985, the award is presented every year to honour Robert (Bob) E. Stollings, a loyal and dedicated employee of the City of Red Deer from 1960 to 1984. The recipient of this prestigious award displays outstanding civic performance in alignment with The City’s Cornerstone values – respect, integrity, service and excellence.
The winner of the 2020 Bob Stollings Memorial Award was Ken Lehman, Ecological Services Operations Coordinator with the Recreation, Parks & Culture department. Ken works tirelessly to make sure our city and our community remains a healthy and sustainable place to live and play. His dedication, passion and expertise for ecological living have made significant contributions to making Red Deer the green, healthy ‘city within a park’ our community enjoys.
Ken has played a transformative role in implementing some of The City’s most successful Parks initiatives including community gardens, edible orchards and pollinator parks. His leadership and passion for environmental sustainability and green living is infectious among his colleagues and anyone who crosses paths with him.
When asked how it felt to receive the award, Ken shared “It was a total shock. It is a huge honour to receive the award and it was very overwhelming. So many people are deserving of this award. The entire experience has been very encouraging and I have been honoured as many people have had such kind words.”
“I am so grateful to work for this organization, and to work with so many great people both at The City and within the community. I’ve had some wonderful opportunities working here. I have the trust to run with projects that are meaningful to me and meaningful to the community, and that will continue to build community for years to come.”
In addition to the Bob Stollings, employees were recognized in the categories of continuous service, safety and a few special recognition awards. The RISE-ing Star Award, awarded to an employee who has demonstrated excellence within the first one to five years of their career at The City, was given to Niki Burkinshaw, Transportation Engineer. The Innovation Award, which recognizes leadership in innovation and sustainability, was presented to two groups: the Intelli Project Team and the ePCR Implementation and Ambulance Billing Improvements Team. Finally, Erin Stuart, Darin Sceviour and Stephanie Gramlich of the Sorenson Station Energy Reduction and Renewable Energy Solar Panel Project were given the Green Tribute Award.
