MIKE FALACARA
RICH HERNANDEZ
AIRPORT VOICE, JANUARY 2020 15
PORT introduces
WE SOAR
Employees rewarded for Best Practices
Small signs of big change are everywhere
you look at the Port Authority
of New York and New Jersey’s
airports. And behind the new
lanyards, the bright smiles, and
the celebrations of jobs well done, a
new way of serving our guests has
emerged.
Driven by a freshly energized
workforce and underpinned by
WE SOAR – a robust airport employee
engagement program – the
airports’ revamped core service
values now reflect an overarching
promise to employees and customers
alike: By delivering exceptional
experiences together, we will soar
to new heights and proudly become
the global standard for seamless air
travel.
Port Authority Aviation Director
Huntley Lawrence said, “We’ve
created a new customer experience
organization that is focused on airport
service quality improvements.
These changes are already reflected
in dramatic improvements in our
Air Service Quality scores and it is
just the beginning.”
To accomplish this, nearly
40,000 employees from dozens of
airport businesses have participated
in classroom exercises or
viewed a training video since the
start of 2019 to learn more about WE
SOAR and its principles, which are
captured with a few key words and
phrases:
• Welcome
• Exceed Expectations
• Seek to Connect
• Own It
• Approachability
• Respect
The WE SOAR training program
affirms that all employees, whether
they interact directly with customers
or work behind the scenes, can
build relationships and bridge gaps
to deliver world-class service.
In addition to receiving an introduction
to the WE SOAR service
values, more employees are now
equipped with tools and technology
to enable success. Airport Customer
Experience Specialists, better
known as ACES, carry tablets
programmed with airport maps
and real-time journey information
so they can better address customers’
needs and provide support to
their co-workers.
Beyond training and new equipment,
The Port Authority is acknowledging
excellence, recognizing
and rewarding the workforce
whose daily contributions turn
service aspirations into a reality.
Since September 2019, over 600
employees have been recognized
via the online WE SOAR HIGHER
nomination portal for providing
outstanding customer service to
guests from all over the globe. Using
a simple web-based form, airport
guests can recognize a service
provider, and employees can
nominate each other. Their stories
appear on a virtual Wall of
Excellence, like this one from December
15: “This young man gave
very concise directions (we were
confused and tired) and gave them
with great cheer and lifted up our
spirits.”
The Port Authority has committed
to recognizing employees and
volunteers monthly, quarterly, and
annually across the airport system.
Inspired individuals who put the
WE SOAR principles into action
will receive quarterly awards of
$500; annual award recipients will
receive $2,500.
Aviation Director Lawrence was
pleased to add, “We’re proud of our
airport employees and their dedication
to delivering outstanding customer
service.”
It takes an extraordinary collaboration
between the Port Authority,
airport terminal operators, federal
partners, and contracted service
providers to operate our airports
each day. So the next time you are
walking through the airport, take a
few minutes to visit WeSoarHigher.
com and recognize one of the dedicated
members of this special community.
To nominate someone, goto:
www.wesoarhigher.com
RECOGNITIONS
CONGRATULATIONS
MIKE FALACARA.The ARK
Import Export Center, LLC announced
Michael Falacara as
Chief Operating Officer. Prior
to joining the Ark team, Mike
was the Chief Operating Officer
for dnata Aviation Services
U.S. based operations responsible
for managing over 3,000
RETIREMENT
employees, overseeing 7 discrete
business lines that produced
over $100MM in revenue
with strong profitability.
VINCENT DICICCO, DVM,
who will be joining the The
Ark management team as
Veterinary and Bio-Security
Compliance Officer, effective
January 2, 2020. DiCicco will
be responsible for ensuring
The ARK’s compliance with
best bio-security and animal
welfare practices throughout
The ARK’s operations, including
the ARK Pet Oasis, Equine
Export, Equine Import and
Ground Handling.
RICH HERNANDEZ, has
joined Hermès Aviation LLC
as Business Development &
Service Manager/Northeast
after 24 years at Amerijet
where he served as Northeast/
Southeast Regional Manager.
GINGER EVANS has accepted
the position as Chief
Strategy Officer for CAG Holdings
LLC. of the Carlyle Group.
Evans had most recently been
CEO of Reach Airports, the joint venture between CAG Holdings and Munich
Airport to provide training, consulting and management services to
the aviation sector. Both Reach and CAG are part of the group involved in
the redevelopment of Terminal One at JFK Airport which is expected to
break ground in Spring 2020.
KRYSTAL BRUMFIELD joins CAG Holdings as its new chief of staff. As
Chief of Staff, Brumfield is responsible for leading collaboration among
CAG’s cross-functional teams to ensure effective and streamlined performance
to advance the development, implementation and execution of
corporate priorities and strategic initiatives.
MARK FLUG, CATHAY Senior Airport Operations Manager is new
Secretary of KAAMCO.
MARY SCOTT. Mary has been management
in the Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) for 16 years with the
past 5 years as the Deputy Federal Security
Director - JFK International Airport.
WILLIAM BOWE Time for Bill to move
on. Loved by many in the cargo world at
JFK Airport.
Emily Shyu with We Soar posters
/www.wesoarhigher.com
/www.wesoarhigher.com