We are so honored to recognize this year's Hero Award - these are two outstanding team members who represent the best of the best! Maria and Naomy were both honored at a recent Merrill meeting in San Diego, CA as well as at their communities.
Maria Rodriguez – Merrill Gardens at Ballard (WA)
Maria is an incredible housekeeper and so much more. During the past year, she devised a way to cover all 101 apartments at our Ballard community with minimal help due to staffing shortages. And despite the challenges, ‘friendliness of housekeeping’ was one of the highest marks on the resident surveys at Ballard - a community that has very positive reviews overall.
General Manager, Lisa Palm, says “Maria challenges us to bring our best and she does it with humility. She shows up every day with a smile and she treats us all like family, making the residents feel so special. She is an amazing coworker and proactive with her team, always looking for ways we can improve. The only challenge is that all the residents want Maria to be their housekeeper!" It’s clear that Maria brings joy to everyone at Ballard and we are lucky to have her on our team. We captured the moment that Maria learned of her award - check out the video below.
Naomy Martial - Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place (FL)
During her 17 years at Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place, Naomy has worked in dining as a Lead Server, in assisted living as a licensed CNA, in housekeeping, and as the Lead Receptionist at the front desk. Wherever she is working, Naomy is the consummate leader, going well beyond her job description to help in any way she can and taking ownership of whatever is asked of her.
Senior General Manager, Tina Keating, says “No matter the task, it’s never too big or too small for Naomy and she does it with enthusiasm. Following the pandemic, we struggled to fully staff our assisted living and housekeeping departments and Naomy volunteered to help – and she did an outstanding job, wowing our residents as always. Naomy possesses one of the most incredible work ethics I have ever seen and she does it all with a smile that lights up any room!" Naomy is truly special and she brings so much passion to her community! Check out her video below.
We could not be more grateful for our incredible team members that keep our communities going every single day - we could not do it without them.