When “wonderful” customer service in Southwest Florida means saving a life
Real estate market in Southwest Florida: Prices and sales are falling
According to their latest statistics, Naples real estate agents’ inventories increased nearly 60% year over year, while Lee County inventories grew more than 50% in June.
Tourism in Lee County is the $2.9 billion engine that drives the local economy 24/7.
It takes an army of 48,000 men to control this tank, and at any given time a few will outnumber the rest.
That excellence was what was at stake Friday at the 2024 E Awards, also known as the 24th annual Elaine McLaughlin Outstanding Hospitality Service Awards. Organized by the Lee County Commission, Tourist Development Council, Visitors and Convention Bureau and The News-Press, the event attracted some of the region’s top tourism leaders and staff to the Caloosa Sound Convention Center in downtown Fort Myers.
“When I look around this room, I see so many faces that positively impact our visitors and residents every day and demonstrate how friendly our destination is to everyone,” said Pamela Johnson, deputy director of the office. “When we say we welcomed 2.98 million visitors last year, that means you helped 8,165 visitors every day. It’s your incredible attention to detail, focus on service and adaptability that sets us apart from destinations around the world. (Everything) you do impacts your guests, and they really let us know how wonderful your service is.”
Here’s what you should know:
How many nominations were submitted for the Lee County, Florida award?
The office received nearly 1,000 E Award nominations from visitors, locals and colleagues who praised the customer service provided by travel professionals. Nominations can be found in the news press, hotels and attractions, and online at EAwards.org. Learn about some of the winners and other honorees here.
When customer service means saving a life in Lehigh Acres, Florida
In tourism, customer service sometimes means saving a child’s life, which is what Rebecca Flora and Tanya Ray of Lee County Parks and Recreation accomplished at the Veterans Park gym on Homestead Road in Lehigh Acres when they won the Good Samaritan Award.
“Without her actions and quick thinking, this child may not be with us today,” said Cindy McCurry-Ross, editor in chief of The News-Press, who presented the award. “Every day, we are amazed, impressed and overwhelmed by the generosity and support of others.”
When Ray, a program specialist, entered the gym on Halloween, he noticed the 12-year-old lying motionless on the floor. Flora then quickly determined that he had no pulse.
“Tanya alerted me that we had a child collapse,” said Flora, director of the Veterans Park Recreation Center and a county employee for 28 years. “I started compressions. Then I told Tanya to get the AED” – also known as an automated external defibrillator.
Since the outcome was uncertain, “we wanted to make sure he survived”
For two or three minutes the outcome was uncertain as Flora told The News-Press what was going through her mind at that moment during the resuscitation.
“My goal was to keep him alive,” she said. “We wanted to make sure he survived. It was totally unexpected. He collapsed unexpectedly. He’s a really good kid in our program. We just stayed calm, composed and collected to make sure he got through this.”
His heartbeat returned,
“I spent 20 years in aquatic sports and worked as a lifeguard and pool supervisor,” Flora said. “Although I trained weekly in CPR, I had never performed CPR on a live victim. It was interesting that I was in a recreational setting. I was in the right place at the right time.”
A happy ending for what began as a Halloween horror
McCurry-Ross stressed that her customer service did not end there.
“The two stayed with the man and assured him that everything was OK and that emergency services would be there shortly,” McCurry-Ross said. “Emergency services arrived at the scene and took the child to the hospital, where it was determined that he had suffered a heart attack.”
Now 13 years old, he still comes to the leisure center, and that brings a smile to the face of Ray, who had new feelings on Friday.
“I feel very honored and close to tears,” said Ray, who has worked for the district for eight years.
A fireworks display like no other for a man in Cape Coral
“Our winner in the Attractions category is the first to ask questions when planning an event and ensures all community partners are represented and heard when communicating safety protocols,” said McCurry-Ross. “During citywide events, she is always available to her team and the community and goes above and beyond to ensure guests have an exceptional experience. She is always eager to connect people with resources and is a great representative of guest services.”
In one case, Emily Haeger, senior recreation specialist in Cape Coral, has taken providing resources to residents to a new level.
“The nominee received a call from a visually impaired person who wanted to enjoy the fireworks at Red, White and Boom on the Fourth of July,” said McCurry-Ross. “This person did not have a guide dog or assistant with them to celebrate this special day. On the day of the event, the nominee decided to accompany this person and describe the event to them while also overseeing the logistics of the day. She even coordinated Uber pickup and drop-off. She is constantly making sure guests are comfortable and having fun at the events and is a proud public servant.”
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Award winner: “I work very hard to be inclusive. What I did was ordinary.”
Haeger told the News-Press she did not expect the award.
“I’m very shocked. All the winners have done extraordinary things. For me, what I did was very normal. My family works with adults with special needs,” she said. “It seems easy to accommodate someone. I try very hard to be inclusive because my mother works with adults with special needs, so when you see them going through life, you can just take a second to make it easier.”
Haeger, who has worked for the city of Cape Coral for three years, said she just enjoys helping.
“I moved here from the Chicago suburbs in 2019. I’ve been a parks and recreation kid my whole life, so I’ve been doing parks and recreation since I was 14. I’m glad to still be involved,” she said. “I help plan and coordinate special events. I’m on a team of five. There are five of us that do all the events for the city of Cape Coral, the big events.”
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Who are the winners of the Lee Tourism Industry E Awards 2024?
- Award: Chester Thomas, Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina.
- Accommodation: Richard Underwood, The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village.
- Sightseeing features: Emily Haeger, City of Cape Coral
- Best Tourism Manager: Mario Rostran, Operations Manager, HMS Host.
- Good Samaritan:Rebecca Flora and Tanya Ray, Lee County Parks and Recreation.
- Restaurants: Haley Dalton, Fine Folk Pizza
- transport: Matthew Blank and Christopher Hipp, Lee County Port Authority Police Department
- Other services/companies: Loren Christol, Best Buy.
A complete list of honorable mentions should be posted on the visitfortmyers.com website Friday afternoon.
Columnist Phil Fernandez ([email protected]) is with the Naples Daily News, grew up in Southwest Florida, and has directed Pulitzer Prize-winning projects. He writes “In the Know,” one of the USA TODAY Network’s most-read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.
