All Aboard!
Here’s to
Excellence
As Amtrak’s president and CEO, I do a fair
amount of traveling aboard our trains, talking
to customers, visiting our facilities and meeting
our employees. I typically prefer to be on the
road than to be behind a desk in our corporate
headquarters—it gives me the opportunity to
experience our service firsthand and to talk to
the employees on the ground.
I recently returned from a series of trips to
recognize employees being awarded the President’s Service and Safety Award, our flagship
employee recognition program. These employees are nominated by their peers and supervisors and undergo a thorough review process to
determine their eligibility.
In addition to the ticket agents or conductors
you may meet, many other dedicated employees
contribute to the safety, comfort and reliability
of the service we provide. Having met these
award winners, I’d like to shine a spotlight on
just a few examples of their commitment to
Amtrak and to you.
Take for instance the dedication of 35-year
Amtrak veteran Mike Frazier, who as a senior
director of System Operations based in Wilmington, Del., answers the call 24/7/365 to help
manage operational challenges such as track
blockages, derailments, mudslides, hurricanes,
snow and ice.
Recognized for their valor, Engineer James
Lamb and Conductor Shane Johnson, both
based in Shelby, Mont., helped save the life of
man found critically injured in the gauge of
the track.
Among our award winners are numerous
front-line employees for whom customers ask
by name. Lead Service Attendant Christopher
Worley is known for his charisma and professional demeanor aboard the Cross Country
Café on the Chicago-Fort Worth-Los Angeles
Texas Eagle. At the St. Louis station, Ticket
Agent Jeanine Boggs is well known among
customers for her energy and excellent customer service.
Because collaboration is a necessity on the
railroad, we also recognize team accomplishments. Comprising employees from Boston,
New York and Washington, D.C., the High
Speed Rail Service Engineer Team put its
collective engineering expertise together to
develop solutions and make software upgrades
to improve the reliability and availability of our
Acela Express® equipment.
Our employees are the key competitive advantage for Amtrak; it’s these men and women
who represent the expertise and dedication to
quality service that Amtrak strives to deliver.
On behalf of these individuals and all the men
and women of Amtrak, I thank you for choosing
to travel with us today.
Sincerely,
JOSEPH H. BOARDMAN
