Wednesday, December 22, 1999
Exceptional employee receives award
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
All employers expect their employees to be punctual, dependable and proud of the work that they do.
Yet Bill Swartz is an exceptional employee at the Ohio Department of Transportation's Tiffin complex on SR 100, where he has been an employee for 11 years. Swartz, 46, is all that, and developmentally disabled.
And the State Use Committee recognized the Tiffin man as their Employee of the Year Monday morning at the ODOT garage where he works. On June 28, 2000, he will travel to Columbus to receive a plaque and further recognition.
Flashing a smile, he explained that he loved his job, and the people that he has worked with. "I'm a cleaner,'' he explained. "I buff floors, mop floors, do desks and sinks.'' He works for them two days a week, four and a half hours a day. The Department of Human Services also benefits from his cleaning ability several days a week.
"He's very conscientious,'' said his community supervisor, Carolyn Loudenslager. "It is a pleasure working with him. Bill is a pleasure.''
He has been promoted to crew leader and supervises another developmentally disabled adult in the cleaning duties.
"I like it here,'' Swartz agreed. "I like this job. I have a lot of friends here. I bowled with Richard sometimes.''
"We were really surprised and honored when we received word that Bill had won the award,'' Mark Leahy, director of Seneca Rehabs said. "Bill has worked extremely hard every year.''
Swartz recently suffered the death of his parents, whom he helped support with his earnings. "He loves his job here,'' said his sister Linda. "He has a lot of good friends here. We lost our parents this summer, and they were all here for him.''
"We are fortunate to have Bill,'' said Curt Tusing, his supervisor at ODOT. "He does an outstanding job and gets along well with the ODOT people. He always does his job and does it well; he is part of us.''
The State Use award was developed four or five years ago for the annual reports to the governor and legislators, stated David Newcomer of the State Use Committee. "We wanted to feature folks that provide the workers at the state agencies. We received Bill's name from a nomination form, then the State Rehabilitation Services committee submitted his name as a nominee, and then a sub-committee of three members made the selection.
"I was really impressed with how supportive ODOT is in Seneca County,'' Newcomer added. "We were impressed with the quality of Bill's work, the fact that he has been on the job for 11 years, and that he isn't just another worker. He is also part of their bowling team and helps at the Lions Club pancake breakfast.''
Approximately 117 community rehabilitation centers, such as Seneca Rehabs, provide services through the State Use Committee, also known as the State Committee for the Purchase of Products and Services Provided by Persons with Severe Disabilities. The program uses the purchasing power of state and local governments to provide employment opportunities and vocational training for Ohioans with severe disabilities.