Whatever it Takes!

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Whatever it Takes! Award
Employee of the Year
Unsung Heroes
Milestones
Horizons Award
Success Stories

About Us / Whatever it Takes!

Celebrating our Employees!

Going above and beyond the call of duty, our employees are dedicated to the concept of doing "Whatever it Takes!" to make our customers successful and satisfied.

Our values are extremely important to us, and we operate and live by them every day. Honesty and integrity, along with hard work and appreciation, form the foundation of our long-lasting relationships. Service Management Systems is proud of our people, our diversity and our culture. Take a few minutes to scroll through some of the successes and accolades our employees, management and teams have received this recently.

The 'Whatever it Takes!' Award

Each quarter, our employees and management nominate the coworkers or employees that impressed them most! By going above and beyond their daily job duties or by showing their dedication to our company’s core values, these employees were nominated for the Whatever it Takes! (WIT) Employee of the Quarter Award. From these nominations, each employee is then considered for the prestigious WIT Employee of the Year Award.

Quarter 1, 2024 Awardees:

Kendra Brown

The Mall at Green Hills – Kevin Gleason’s Division

Kendra is an exceptional team member. She always strives to do a great job, and goes above and beyond to get the job done. She helps cover when someone is absent, and if she sees a need, she fills it. She is always eager to learn and grow. She is a valuable asset to our team. She works hard every day she is here and is committed to our facility, customers, and our team.

Nominated by: Kimberly Urquhart, Facility Manager

Sherman Fuller

Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) - David Shultis' Division

Our customer shared the below email: "I want to bring to your attention the 'above and beyond' act one of your employees, Sherman Fuller, did earlier this week. A passenger dropped some trash in one of the receptacles and after going through the TSA Checkpoint and while at her gate, she realized her wedding ring had fallen off in a trash can pre-security. She called the Airport Operations Center to report the lost ring and SMS was notified. Unable to determine which receptacle the ring fell in to, Sherman searched through a number of cans and was able to locate the passengers ring and got it returned to her prior to boarding her flight. Needless to say, she was elated due to Sherman’s unselfish act of sifting through garbage to find her lost ring. Sherman has been at VPS for a number of years and worked for a company prior to SMS and has always done an outstanding job for TEAM VPS. Thank you." - Michael J. Stenson, Deputy Airports Director, Okaloosa County Airports

Nominated by: David Shultis, Division Vice President & Phil White, Division Manager

Darren Stokes

NorthPark Mall – David Shultis' Division

Darren is the second shift supervisor at NorthPark Mall and with that position he has shown dedication, teamwork, loyalty and hard work. He takes pride in every assignment he does and it has not gone unnoticed as he has gotten some high praise from several of the stores in the food court on how great it looks when he is on and clean it is. Our clients even recommended him for employee of the month as they got a cooperate compliment. He is a great worker and is very much appreciated. Thank you Darren for all you do for us and the SMS Team.

Nominated by: Lisa Mrasak, Facility Manager

Stanley Amaker

Plymouth Meeting Mall (Plymouth Meeting, PA) | Northeast Division

VALUES IN PRACTICE: Achievement | Appreciation | Fairness | Hard Work | Honesty | Humility | Integrity | Loyalty

Stanley Amaker has been with the company for 19 years. Stanley goes above and beyond day in and day out for his entire shift. Stanley takes initiative to complete each task unassigned to him. He's extremely dedicated to his work and also helps the team to become more efficient by leading by example. Stanley never complains about the work he's assigned, he just gets it done by any means necessary. Whenever Stanley is given an assignment he sees to it that it's done correctly and up to company standards. He volunteers for projects that need to be done, such as deep cleanings. He also has a great knowledge of all machinery and their workings and takes very good care of all housekeeping equipment. He is a great team leader and does his best to encourage the team to put their best foot forward at all times. Stanley also has very beneficial ideas and suggestions when it comes to game planning projects, what materials will be used or needed, and also how to execute the plan. If I had a team full of employees like Stanley, I would never ask for anything more! His loyalty to the company with the amount of years of service speaks volumes. But then to perform at optimal levels is truly a blessing any company could have on their team - which is why I nominate Stanley Amaker!

Nominated by: Site Manager - Plymouth Meeting Mall

(In the photo L to R): Peter Martinowich, DVP Gleason's Division Operations Manager, Stanley Amaker, 2023 Whatever it Takes! Employee of the Year, Cecil Sloley, Division Manager

Unsung Heroes 2023 Team Awardees:

For Employee Appreciation Week 2023, SMS introduced a new annual award that recognizes one team from each of our two divisions nationwide which have continually and positively influenced their customer's location from behind the scenes. Whether someone is looking or not, these teams display a positive attitude, a willingness to do "Whatever it Takes!" every day, and a commitment to providing consistent, quality services.

Deptford Mall | Housekeeping Team

Deptford, NJ

How has this team shown consistently strong performance?

"This is a great display of teamwork! You can see it consistently. I was recently conversing with the Facility Manager, Alvaro, and he reminded me that Trudy was one of the employees who assisted him with some training when he first started at Deptford. The team is always on point: there are where they are supposed to be, and doing what they are supposed to be doing. The property is always at a very high standard and shows well!"

In what way has the team worked beyond the normal requirements of their jobs to provide excellent customer service?

"The client is very engaged in how we go about our workday. They are very comfortable and confident in our ability to get things done without worry. This is because of the great leadership on all levels."

Is there an issue, problem, or situation that the site / team successfully addressed? Describe a specific instance, project, or challenge where the team exemplified their special contribution or innovative solution.

"At this account, we are not responsible for the exterior. However, the appearance was not being maintained very well. The client requested our assistance and our team jumped into action immediately! They got the parking lot cleaned up so well, we have now been tasked with the exterior support with additional hours. This is the perfect example of how providing high-quality services can grow our company."

-Nominated by Cecil Sloley, Division Manager

The Woodland Shopping Center | Housekeeping and Maintenance Teams

Grand Rapids, MI

How has this team shown consistently strong performance?

"This team continues to perform outstandingly in all aspects. The team completes all training on time and uses our internal platforms to document and deliver results to the client. On every visit, the program shines whether it's SMS or PRIET executives. There is no getting ready with this team because they are always ready. They are ready to help with any additional task and never look for extra recognition."

In what way has the team worked beyond the normal requirements of their jobs to provide excellent customer service?

"This team is always willing to go above and beyond in any unexpected situation that is thrown at them. I continually hear from the clients how impressed they are with the leadership and the team members. They are the definition of teamwork."

"This is a challenging location with staffing due to wages. However, because of the team chemistry, many of the workers will remain with SMS."

-Nominated by David Shultis, Division Vice President

Milestones

Two of the greatest Core Values we feel our employees exhibit are Hard Work and Loyalty, and are some of the driving forces behind our company's success. This is evident in the Milestones reached each month.

Congratulations to the following employees who has reached a significant SMS Milestone Anniversary in April 2024!

5 Year Milestones

Darryl Carter
Audrey Hall
Christopher Rose

10 Year Milestones

Elvia Lopez Lazo
Rosa Chavez Garcia

15+ Year Milestones

No 15 Year Milestones this month.

The Horizons Award

The Horizons Award is our most prestigious award, given to Service Management Systems leads and directors for achieving quality, safety and productivity goals. Winners are honored at our annual leadership meeting and receive an etched crystal trophy and a $1,000 prize.

2022 Service Management Systems Winner - Alvaro Gomez
Facility Manager, Deptford Mall – Deptford, NJ

Alvaro Gomez is an example of the American Dream, and Service Management Systems is proud to be part of Alvaro’s story. After migrating to the United States, Alvaro Gomez’ first employer in 2006 was Service Management Systems. Alvaro quickly rose through the ranks from supervisor to Facility Manager at Deptford Mall in New Jersey. He is a high-performing Facility Manager with a positive attitude, and has the respect of his team because he’s a hands-on Manager. SMS lost the account due to pricing constraints in 2012; however, a few years passed, and SMS was re-awarded the contract in 2020. When asked his opinion from mall management on who they should select as janitorial provider, he did not hesitate to endorse the return of SMS.

Although housekeeping staffing hours at Deptford Mall have dropped over the years, Alvaro maximizes his team's output and keeps the property looking great. Macerich, our client at Deptford Mall, has 100% confidence in Alvaro and gives him high praise on every visit and high inspection scores. It starts with restroom entrances, equipment cleanliness, his office, breakroom, and employee appearance. Alvaro does a fantastic job maintaining all equipment and has one of SMS's most organized storage areas.

Alvaro is strong-willed, honest, diligent, tenacious, humble, and a man of faith. He embodies all the SMS core values and is an excellent choice for the 2022 Horizons Award!

Just a few more examples of how our managers, employees and teams go above and beyond every day. Scroll through the Success Stories below to read more about how our teams are doing "Whatever it Takes!" to deliver excellent customer service.