Lincoln Messenger, Gold Medallion Edition - April 2018

GOL D MEDA L L ION

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LINCOLN MESSENGER GOLD M EDA LLION EDITION

East Coast Gold Medallion Veterans and Military Spouses

inspiration

A Letter from Philip I was happy to attend the Gold Medallion ceremonies with you all again this year to recognize those among us who Work. Inspired. The above quote is actually taken from a lecture that Lincoln was giving on the work put in by Beavers, ants, honeybees and the like. In his view, while they all labored, the basic product of their work has not changed for thousands of years.

Given our Gold Medallion theme, “Work.Inspired.” this seemed a fitting reference. Each of us is called to work through our challenges, to push past our obstacles, but more importantly, to improve…in doing so we can be an inspiration for one another.

I started my professional career 25 years ago last month when I enlisted in the Army, I share that goofy picture because it represents a snapshot in time. That guy did not know much (unfortunately, I know only a little more), but the difference between the 1993 Philip Rizzo and me today, is a concerted effort to get better. My hope is that I am standing up at Gold Medallion in 25 years saying the same thing…because as my wife would certainly attest, I still have work to do. Wherever we are today, whether we were awarded, or celebrated others being recognized, today is merely a snapshot in time, and we have an opportunity… an obligation to continue to grow and get better.

I love watching the Olympics, not because I am a die hard fan of curling, or the Biathlon, like many of you, I suppose, I watch it for the incredible stories of inspiration. After seeing the video clips, with the music in the background and announcer sharing the athlete’s saga, you realize that merely being an Olympian and competing at that level represents a high point in the journey of those athletes who have struggled just to get to the Games. If you really want to feel bad about sleeping in, watch the Paralympic Games to see individuals who have overcome injury, amputation and blindness, along with the related adversity, to excel and compete at the highest level.

Well, I would suggest that with over 1300 Lincoln team members, there are easily over 1300 unique stories, YOUR Stories, stories filled with struggle, stories with low points and difficult challenges.- I am inspired by the work that I know you are putting in each day despite those challenges. We all have a story, so how does the action we take today serve to represent our struggles, our challenges?

It is important to remember that others see us, our residents, our partners, and most importantly, our teammates are all watching our 2

“ Man is not the only animal who labors; but he is the only one who improves his workmanship.”

– Abraham Lincoln, 1858

story, the questions we have to ask is how do we inspire those around us?

If we added some dramatic music and voiceover to a video of us on our next resident interaction, Is the work we are putting in today worthy of inspiring?

Our residents start and end their day with us – we are, by far, the most important “business” relationship they have. How do we honor that responsibility?

While we are not Olympians, THIS is our chosen profession, so how do we “improve” our workmanship?

Workmanship, really can be broken down into two components, our skill at completing a task, and the attitude that we have when completing it.

One of my favorite songs, the one I am introduced to each year at Gold Medallion, is “Get A Rhythm” by Johnny Cash. It is a song about a shoe shiner, now while that is a skill to be sure, it is one that is likely picked up and mastered relatively quickly. What stands out to Johnny Cash is the attitude and energy of this particular shoe shiner. While some of us have mastered our daily tasks, the vast majority (myself included) have opportunity to continue to Get Better each day, to “Get a Rhythm” in our work. Wherever we are in our career, each day offers a chance to elevate our approach, our attitude, so that on balance, our overall workmanship, will improve.

The core value that speaks to that is Commitment, which we define as passionately striving each day to deliver on our mission to serve our residents, our partners and each other.

Despite what else is happening in our World - To strive “passionately” – THAT is infectious, THAT is inspiring. We have all seen evidence of people “phoning it in” – punching the clock if you will, just waiting until tomorrow. They REACT to their day, they WAIT for the next thing to “happen” to them, then share with the rest of us why it is an unfair burden. Hopefully you have had an opportunity to work with someone on the opposite end of the spectrum. Someone who comes in each day with energy, ready to shape the day, and a plan to do it…when that same event happens, their response is to embrace the challenge and find a way to get better as a result. Be THAT person for those around you!

Wouldn’t you rather work with the person who is striving passionately to find solutions, to improve. We all want to be on a winning team, and we ALL need to be accountable to making that happen. The recognition we gave to our team members at Gold Medallion was as much for the mastery of their tasks, as it was for their passionate approach to completing those tasks.

I hope you had an opportunity to sit back and relax a bit and, as Lincoln once said: “Do not worry when you are not recognized, rather, strive to be worthy of recognition.”

thank you

Our Lincoln Military Housing Veterans, Military Spouses, and Family Members

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s a Nation, we have military members deployed in harms way all over the world. If it weren’t for the

selfless sacrifice that our military members and their families make each and every day, we wouldn’t enjoy the freedoms we have. Our mission is defined to support them in doing theirs, with every mission beginning at home.

At Lincoln Military Housing, we are blessed to have many of our veterans and spouses as part of our team. Thank you for all you have done, all you do, and the sacrifices you have made. We are proud to have you as part of our Lincoln family.

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Lincoln Military Housing Announces the 2017 Partner of the Year Award Navy Partners from Naval Station Norfolk – Housing Service Center and Naval Air Station Patuxent River for Their Support of Military Families For the sixth year, Lincoln Military Housing (LMH), a Military Housing Privatization Initiative Partner, presented its Partner of the Year award to the Navy and/or Marine Corps Housing team members who excel as a liaison between Lincoln Military Housing residents and local military commands.

More recently, Joanna received a well-deserved promotion. The leasing team worried that with all of her new responsibilities she would slow down on referrals. Anyone else would! Not Joanna. Her new position has given her the opportunity to work with our site teams and has not slowed her down her referrals. We are so fortunate to work beside her each day.

The 2017 award winners are Housing Referral Specialist, Joanna Strong, of Naval Welcome Center, Hampton Roads, and Housing Director, George (Ross) Keene, of Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

GEORGE (ROSS) KEENE is the Housing Director for Naval Air Station Patuxent River (Pax River). Ross is a Retired Navy Chief (2012) and lived with LMH at Pax River during 2005-2006. He was assigned as the acting Housing Director May 2017 and officially took the role in August 2017.

Since joining the Pax River Housing team, Ross has diligently offered support wherever needed, from attending pre and final inspections, playing a role in helping to partner our community events with MWR events and assisting the District Manager with resident concerns.

Following one of our snow storms, Ross happened to be in the office on a Saturday catching up on some work and helped one of our pregnant CSR's clear the sidewalk and entryway to the community center, as one of our residents had it reserved for a special event. During STAR month Ross devoted his time to the kitchen, cooking our maintenance team one heck of a breakfast! His support to the Pax River Housing family has proven to be a true partnership, and we are very fortunate to have him on the team.

These individuals serve as an advocate for the service member and their family and work hand in hand with the Lincoln Military Housing team to ensure our military families receive outstanding service. Each nominee is chosen based on criteria such as having excellent communication, exhibiting a positive attitude, a team player, dependable, effective problem-solving skills, and the willingness to go the extra mile for our military families.

JOANNA STRONG at the Norfolk Welcome Center has been an instrumental part of our partnership since startup in 2005. Her kindness to the leasing team during a stressful time for both LMH and Navy Housing never went unnoticed. Joanna has referred more housing applications to the leasing team than any other counselor. She always ensures LMH speaks to every member at her desk and makes the process on the service member as seamless as possible. For many years, Joanna was the liaison with the EFM coordinators and worked closely with the leasing team on assigning based on the needs of the EFM family. She is nicknamed our "angel" as she is always helping families in dire situations get to the Lincoln crew to be taken care of quickly.

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Thank you for everything you do for our great military families and Lincoln, and congratulations on being our Partner of the Year!

East Coast Gold Medallion

East Coast Gold Medallion East Coast Gold Medallion

East Coast Gold Medallion

East Coast Gold Medallion

2017 Mid-Atlantic Gold Medallion Winners

• CSR of the Year | Katie Buttriss

• District Manager of the Year DaKysha Harris

• CSR of the Year | Jenni Sale

• Assistant Manager of the Year Tiffany Treagus • Maintenance Supervisor of the Year Matt Spates • Service Tech of the Year David Klimasiewfski • Service Tech of the Year | Cameron Qualls • Groundskeeper of the Year | Kevin West • Service Coordinator of the Year Kim Porter

• CTA of the Year | Harry Marshall • STA of the Year | Terrell Carmouche • GMO / Accounting / Admin of the Year Alex Tishler • Rookie of the Year - Office Tharcie Smith-Payne • Rookie of the Year - Service | Russell Phillips

• Community Services Award Emilee Anderson • SatisFacts Overall Winner Mechanicsburg and Thurmont • SatisFacts Move In | Flag • SatisFacts On Notice Mechanicsburg and Thurmont • SatisFacts Work Order Mechanicsburg and Thurmont • SatisFacts Most Improved | Portsmouth

• Service Team of the Year | Indian Head • Spirit of Lincoln | Angie St. Clair • District of the Year | Camp Lejeune 5

East Coast Gold Medallion

East Coast Gold Medallion

East Coast Gold Medallion

East Coast Gold Medallion

East Coast Gold Medallion

2016 West Coast Gold Medallion Winners MARINE CORPS • Porter of the Year | Maria Alcaraz • In-House Turnover | Gregorio Canseco • Service Technician of the Year Cristian Enriquez • Service Technician of the Year | Mike King • Customer Service Rep. of the Year Karen Graves • Customer Service Rep. of the Year Tara Garza

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• Service Manager of the Year Tony Quinene • Service Coordinator of the Year Portia Johnson • Assistant Manager of the Year Melissa Arfield • District Manager of the Year Krista Kaufer • Support Services Award | Geffrey Levin • Bookkeeper of the Year | Monica Chernus • Rookie of the Year | Anly Hernandez

East Coast Gold Medallion

• Spirit of Lincoln | Hilarion “Larry” Pisco • CTA of the Year | Stasha Crawford • Community Champion of the Year Carlton Thrasher • District of the Year (500 Units and Under) Coleville • District of the Year (501-1,000 Units) Yuma • District of the Year (1,001 Units and Higher) Mesa

East Coast Gold Medallion

West Coast Gold Medallion

West Coast Gold Medallion

South Gold Medallion

West Coast Gold Medallion

• Maintenance Supervisor of the Year Robert Diaz

• Assistant Manager of the Year Heidi Smith

• Maintenance Supervisor of the Year Keith Barker

• Assistant Manager of the Year Lesley Bonnell

• In-House Turnover | Danny Balver

• Customer Service Rep. of the Year Antonio De La Vega

• District Manager of the Year Nichole Collins

• Service Technician of the Year Mark Toohey

• Customer Service Rep. of the Year April Pentangelo

• District Manager of the Year | Kari Reeger

• Service Technician of the Year | Shawn Bild

• Bookkeeper of the Year | Kaelie Paul

• Service Technician of the Year | Ken Sollars

• Service Coordinator of the Year Renee Horn

ARMY/NAVY REGION SOUTHWEST • Porter of the Year | Julian Hernandez • Porter of the Year | Moises Ramirez • Porter of the Year | Jesus Quintero

• Service Technician of the Year William Hall

• Service Manager of the Year | Katie Dirkx

• Support Services Award | Pam Johnson • Support Services Award | Tiffany Johnson • Rookie of the Year | Denise Jordan • Rookie of the Year | Lupita Valadez

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West Coast Gold Medallion West Coast Gold Medallion

West Coast Gold Medallion

West Coast Gold Medallion

West Coast Gold Medallion

• Spirit of Lincoln | Heidi Smith • Spirit of Lincoln | April Carew • Spirit of Lincoln | Frank Brehm • Community Champion of the Year Johnny Martinez • Community Champion of the Year Vickie Breedlove • CTA of the Year | Darlene Juarez • CTA of the Year | Katie Williams • District of the Year (500 Units and Under) Village at NTC

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West Coast Gold Medallion

• District of the Year (500 Units and Under) China Lake

West Coast Gold Medallion

West Coast Gold Medallion

ARMY REGION SOUTHWEST

ADDITIONAL AWARDS

• Service Manager of the Year Desiree Carter

• Call Center Representative of the Year Walter Hurni

• Groundskeeper of the Year Norman Sandoval

• Call Center Representative of the Year Karen Octaviano

• Service Technician of the Year Jesus Herrera

• Advocate of the Year – Southwest Army/ Navy | Tiffany Comrie

• Rookie of the Year | Francisco Villafana

• Advocate of the Year – Southwest Marines Lori Credico • Advocate of the Year – Southwest Navy Wendy Castro

• Village Manager of the Year Sara Rodriguez

East Coast Gold Medallion West Coast Gold Medallion

West Coast Gold Medallion

Legacy Award

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LEGACY IS DEFINED AS A GIFT THAT IS LEFT TO OTHERS. Each person has an opportunity to leave a legacy in their professional environment through their leadership, strength, hard work, dedication, and passion. By creating a legacy you are contributing a positive impact on the environment around you.

Commitment is one of our Core Values and this award honors individuals who have committed more than 10 years to Lincoln, individuals who have been loyal team players and with positive attitudes. Individuals whose actions go above and beyond to support our residents because they care. Individuals who have a legacy of making a difference.

SOUTHWEST MARINES: Richard Thompson Richard Thompson joined Lincoln Military Housing in January 2007 and is the Regional Assignment Manager for the Southwest Marines Region. In joining the Lincoln team, Richard continued his long and proud history of serving our nation and military families. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1974 and served in the Personnel Administration, Engineering and Amphibious Assault fields, in a number of roles and leadership positions, for more than two decades. Following retirement from the Marine Corps, Richard joined the Joint Housing Office at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, where he continued to serve by supporting military families from 1997 to 2007. Since joining Lincoln Military Housing in 2007, Richard has been instrumental in ensuring that the housing needs of innumerable military families have been met through the provision of exemplary service in a quality home environment. Congratulations to Richard Thompson as this years Legacy Award Winner.

SOUTHWEST NAVY: Jamie Munoz Jaime Munoz is hard-working, consistent and always willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. He takes every challenge head-on and still finds the time to develop the team members around him. There is a “can do” spirit, you can always trust it will be taken care of when he is at the helm. Jaime started with LMH as a Service Tech in 2001 and was promoted to Maintenance Supervisor shortly after. As Maintenance Supervisor, he was an intricate part of the success of the first San Diego property build from the ground up. In 2014 he was promoted to a Maintenance Supervisor III when his leadership skills made it the right decision to have him permanently oversee two properties with a combined unit count of 960 homes.

Company loyalty is his core and heartbeat. Congratulations to Jaime Munoz as this year’s Legacy Award Winner.

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Gold Medallion Awards

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O BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS MOST PRESTIGIOUS AWARD THAT LINCOLN PRESENTS, team members must meet an impressive list of attributes. Recipients of the Gold Medallion award have demonstrated proficiency in their work, along with dedication to our military families, co-workers, and Navy Partners. Congratulations to all of the winners of this prestigious awards!

SOUTH ARMY

MID-ATLANTIC

Carmen Thompson

Christy McBride Christy McBride joined the LMH team in May 2011 and quickly became the leader of the pack, offering words of encouragement and support to the staff. The enthusiasm brought to the team elevated her above the rest earning Rookie of the Year in 2012. One resident wrote “I am very grateful to the Lincoln Military Housing team in Camp Lejeune for working with me on my move-in, as there were some unforeseen circumstances. My husband was coming back from deployment, and I was moving home. They made it so that I could move in on a Saturday because it was the only day I could. On the way down my car carrier got a flat tire, so I went ahead and called to say there may be a delay in me getting there on time.

The woman on duty (Christy McBride) went as far as to give me her personal number so that if I could not make it there by the time her shift ended, I could call her and she would go back so I could get my keys. Truly this whole team is wonderful!” Thanks for all you do, supporting your career Marine Corps husband, tending to the residents, being recognized as Resident Manager of the Year in 2014 and training the team. Congratulations to Christy Mc Bride for receiving this year’s Gold Medallion!

Dino Spencer Dino Spencer personifies all of the qualities and attributes that are needed to be considered for the most prestigious Gold Medallion award and more. Over the past 13 years, he has shown hard work and dependability in every aspect of the job. Residents will go out of their way to recognize the exceptional quality of work that is performed in their home and will regularly ask for him/her by name. This person has been acknowledged in Satisfacts surveys as well as regular emails and phone calls to the office boasting about the fabulous job that he has done. Not only is he passionate about the quality of work he provides he is also a workhorse proven by the almost 3,300 service requests that were completed in 2017. Showing integrity, mentoring co-workers that may need assistance has earned him respect and trust by the team. His dynamic personality is contagious, and one cannot help but feel the positive energy upon every encounter. Just imagine the entire workday filled with a "whistle while you work" attitude that is contagious to all. That is what Dino brings to Lincoln every day. Congratulations to Dino Spencer for receiving this year's Gold Medallion

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Since joining our organization in 2014, Carmen has impressed us with her commitment, sense of teamwork, and strong work ethic.

Providing exemplary customer service, and being an all-around great employee. She is quiet, easy going, and funny, which makes her co-workers enjoy being around her. She is truly appreciated her willingness to participate in the team spirit! Carmen’ strengths include her dedication to providing exemplary customer service to our residents, being self – reliant, with the desire to consistently meet deadlines. She is receiving this honor simply because she has achieved greatness. Her willingness to complete any task with a great attitude, as well as help those around you are just a few of the reasons why Lincoln Property Company is proud to have you as a part of our team. Congratulations to Carmen Thompson for receiving this year's Gold Medallion.

SOUTHWEST MARINES: Andy Killion When reviewing this Gold Medallion award winner’s nomination, it was exceedingly difficult for the Southwest Marines Regional Leadership to find any deficiencies in the requisite traits. “Having just come on board in January as the Regional Vice President, in my short time, it has become evident why they struggled to find any shortcomings.” Says, Jill Dorflinger. Since joining Lincoln Military Housing over five years ago, Andy Killion has made it a daily focus to bridge the relationship and knowledge gap between Lincoln, Our Partner and Our Residents. While on active duty Marine, he lived in our housing and shared “As a Marine and family man, I knew that when I was away from my family for extended periods of time, they were in good hands with Lincoln and they were going to be taken care of…not having to worry about my family allowed me to focus on my Marines and mission.” Having spent over 29 years serving our country, he knows all too well the impact we have on the greater mission and his work, today with Lincoln, continues that proud legacy that he started building when he worked alongside our Legacy Winner, Richard Thompson, in housing. Congratulations to Andy Killion as this year’s Gold Medallion Award Winner.

WEST ARMY/NAVY: David Scott David Scott began his career with Lincoln at the start of Phase IV back in 2007. He quickly established himself as Super Star in customer service for Lincoln when it came to handling everyday tasks required of our Service Team.

No matter what issue he was presented with, he remained professional, friendly and committed to solving the situation to the satisfaction of the Service Member and their family. He always has a positive attitude, friendly smile and truly enjoys taking great care of our residents. He is famous for his outstanding customer service, and we are constantly receiving great feedback from the residents whose homes he takes care of.

He is a Top Performer for Lincoln, and we are proud to have him as part of our team. He is also known as China Lake’s very own “Hamburglar.” Congratulations to David Scott as this year’s Gold Medallion Award Winner.

SOUTHWEST NAVY: Rachel Martinez Rachel Martinez can be described in one word. Amazing! Her passion for teaching and developing employees is evident in everything she does. She leads by example and is truly invested in the progression and success of her team members as well as LMH. Starting with Lincoln almost six years ago, she continues to be a “go to” person for all things policy and procedure related. In addition to being an Accredited Residential Manager, she takes great pride in being one of our key Certified Training Associates. She has not only played an integral part in many of our region’s training rollouts, but she was a crucial contributor in creating the curriculum for our very successful CSR Workshops. She hasn’t faltered in making a positive impact on her team and our organization. Her hard work and dedication have certainly not gone unnoticed. Congratulations to Rachel Martinez as this year’s Gold Medallion Award Winner.

WEST ARMY/NAVY: Rosa Martinez Rosa Martinez began her career with Lincoln back in 2008. She handles her everyday duties with a big smile and positive attitude.

She is extremely detail oriented, thorough and enjoys staying busy all day long. She understands that internal customer service is as important as external customer service and excels in this area.

Her positive attitude and infectious laugh help to keep our teams

motivated each and every day. She is committed to our team and sees them as part of her extended family. She takes on whatever task is assigned to her and completes it with a big smile and without a second thought. She is a pleasure to work with, and we are fortunate to have her as part of our Lincoln family. Congratulations to Rosa Martinez as this year’s Gold Medallion Award Winner.

SOUTHWEST MARINES: Patrick Costa Patrick Costa began working as a painter at 12 years old taking small painting jobs during breaks from school. He started painting professionally at 19 on construction sites and real estate properties. He worked on Camp Pendleton painting homes before the Lincoln takeover. Due to his tremendous talent word began to spread and many people were seeking out his service. He owned and operated a family business with his sons painting multimillion-dollar homes and properties. Ten years ago he made the switch back to military housing to provide more stability for his family. He has become a great asset to Lincoln Military Housing. Congratulations to Patrick Costa as this year’s Gold Medallion Award Winner.

SOUTHWEST NAVY: Frank Brehm Frank Brehm’s knowledge, commitment, and hard work make him invaluable to Lincoln Military Housing and the District that he oversees. He leads by example and he truly cares about the residents and the level of customer service that is provided.

His dependability and initiative have also been key components to successful day to day operations. He puts the team and residents ahead of his personal needs and does whatever it takes to get the job done. He continually teaches the team new skills and best practices and also services as a Certified Training Associate and Lincoln Charities Ambassador sharing more of his knowledge. He encourages Lincoln Military Housing employees to deliver on our mission of providing exemplary service to our residents. He truly believes in service as he has volunteered 57 hours at Community Service events (regional and site level) and served six years in the military prior to joining the Lincoln Military Housing Team in 2010.

Congratulations to Frank Brehm as this year’s Gold Medallion Award Winner.

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200 Fairbrook Dr, Suite 101 Herndon, VA 20170

At Lincoln Military Housing, our mission is to provide military families with exemplary service in a quality home environment, employees with unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional development, and military partners with quality homes and vibrant neighborhoods.

our core values balance

respect

commitment

empowerment

integrity

communication