Smart Commuters Recognized at 17th Annual Awards Luncheon

On April 10, Community Transit recognized the achievements of employers, Employee Transportation Coordinators and smart commuters from across Snohomish County and Bothell at our 2013 Smart Commuter Awards Luncheon.

This year’s honorees prove that choosing sustainable transportation options not only help individuals save money and stress, but also make our community a better place to live and work for everyone.

Smart Commuter of the Year – Lynette Boulch, Premera Blue Cross

Lynette has been committed to choosing smarter ways to work for over 25 years.  She’s currently a vanpool driver and has recruited numerous new vanpool riders over the years.  When she’s not vanpooling, she takes the bus to work.

Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year – Karen Lee Kimber, Swedish Edmonds

Karen has been in her role as an Employee Transportation Coordinator for over 20 years and continues to make an impressive mark on her company’s Commute Trip Reduction program.  This year, Karen developed a “HAVEAGR8RIDE” newsletter that gives her employees the cost of driving alone, tips on how to find other commute options and how to determine their carbon footprint.

Employer of the Year – AT&T

AT&T has had a great commute program for many years.  In 2013, AT&T promoted seven different campaigns to educate and encourage employees to choose smart options to driving alone.  The result of the campaigns was phenomenal, including having 47 employees log more than 14,063 bicycle commute miles during an eight week bike competition.  Not only does AT&T’s management support these activities for their employees, they also provide ORCA Passport that provides transit and vanpool fares for their employees.

The 2013 award recipients were all from businesses throughout Snohomish County and Bothell who support Washington State’s Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) goals.  Community Transit receives funding from the state to help these employers reduce drive alone vehicle trips to their worksites by providing services such as the Smart Commuter Awards, advanced training for Employee Transportation Coordinators, a Guaranteed Ride Home program, transportation fairs and resources on commute options to approximately 24,000 employees at 74 worksites.

More details and the list of the winners and nominees are posted on Community Transit’s website.  To learn more about Community Transit’s services for employers, visit www.communitytransit.org/ChoiceConnections.