At the end of each year, Millwood holds an award ceremony to celebrate sales and operation achievements. The pillar award is the most prestigious award at Millwood and is given to team members who exemplify Millwood’s four pillars – Trust, Servitude, Discipleship and Integrity.
The winning team member is chosen based on the nomination of his or her peers. The application includes questions about each pillar and requires examples and testimonies regarding the nominee’s actions and behavior. Our executive team then evaluates the applications before choosing the winner.
In the past, the award was given to one of the 1,600 Millwood team members in our family. This year the program was updated to reflect the diverse group of people we have in our company. With 30 locations nationwide, nominations were often split based on location; someone in our Dundee facility might not know the winner if that person is from our Rochester location.
This year, each Millwood location was tasked with nominating their own pillar winner. The winners come from a variety of backgrounds, positions and experience. Many were surprised to receive the award because they felt someone else should have it. “Winning this award makes me happy, but I did not expect it because so many others deserve this award,” said Melrose Park winner Juventino Martinez.
This was a sentiment echoed by nearly all the winners — the humility is hardly surprising, as the award requires a person to show integrity and serve others. Trust, another of Millwood’s pillars, was also on display with each winner. Bob Hite from Vienna made a point to thank his team because “without them, this would not be possible. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.”
The growth of the pillar award allowed Millwood to recognize those team members who were flying under the radar; individuals from smaller plants had less chance simply because they interacted with fewer team members.
Hamilton winner Jose Manuel Ramos summed it up perfectly.
“Doing the right thing has always been important to me, whether I get recognized or not,” he said. “This award is the first I’ve received in my entire life; I was so emotional that I sent pictures to my family in Guatemala. Thank you, my Millwood family.”
Congratulations to all our pillar winners:
Alburtis - Jesus Almodovar
Hamilton - Jose Manuel Ramos
Nashville - Alvaro Reyes
Apple Creek - Joe Miller
Cleveland - Johana Gomez
Dundee - Mark Smith Sr
Smyrna - Expectacion Guardado
Cudahy - Fernando Rodrigues
De Pere - Luis Acosta
Florence - Epifaneo Marin
Melrose Park - Juventino Martinez
New Hope - Kevin Lezama
Columbus - Juan Ayala
Mechanicsburg - Marcus Edison Turner
South River - Kelly Singerline
Glenwillow - Keysi Gonzalez
Leetsdale - Clarence Belliveau
Rochester - Angel Mangual
Waterford - Rafael Florencio
Tompkinsville - Jason Head
Vienna - Bob Hite
Waverly - Corey Leasure
Corporate Office - Judy Staley