Each year, the City of Phoenix and the City Manager host a high-profile Employee Excellence Award program to recognize employees for exceptional work performance and efforts related to their jobs. The program also allows the city to demonstrate to the public the high levels of achievement in their local government. This year, the Aviation Department was honored with two of these awards.

The Aviation Department’s Design and Construction Services Division had two employees recognized for their contributions to a milestone project in the city before joining the airport. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) plans to make a $12 billion investment into a new manufacturing campus in Phoenix that will result in approximately 1,900 new full-time jobs over a five- year period. City staff from several departments contributed to the success in bringing TSMC and a host of supplier companies to Phoenix. Special Projects Administrator Mario Brown and Civil Engineer III Scott Clark were recognized for their key roles in the project’s infrastructure. Production is scheduled to start in 2024.

The second award went to one of our tremendous Aviation Department dispatchers. The dispatchers work around the clock to provide exceptional customer service to our passengers, work alongside employees to communicate information to various areas of airport operations, and more.

Our phone lines are open 24/7, seven days a week so when you need assistance, our dispatchers are just one call away. They are the eyes, ears, and voices that keep our airport operations running smoothly.

One of our dispatchers, Kerri received a phone call from a suicidal person who was attempting to jump into traffic. Kerri was able to get the caller to reconsider their plan and use tactical questioning techniques in order to extract information on their location at the airport.

She had police dispatched and on scene while maintaining the crucial conversation with the person on the phone. As a result of her professionalism, the caller was transported by police to receive treatment.