OmniRide’s Continued Digital Transformation
You may have heard through the grapevine that we are going through what some may call a digital transformation. You’ve already gone through one digital transformation when IT implemented videoconferencing technology like Zoom and Microsoft Teams at the onset of the pandemic. Now the focus is on enhancing the way we work and communicate internally via the launch of SharePoint. SharePoint is a Microsoft web-based application, that allows companies to store and organize any content and information. That includes documents, images, videos, news, links, lists of data, web pages, and tasks. In addition, the platform serves as an intranet, which is a company’s internal website for information sharing. SharePoint will serve as the central information hub for OmniRide. There will be department sites for each department’s files and information and an intranet site for company information and news.
SharePoint can streamline business processes, essentially making you more productive. It can also encourage information sharing, transparency, and collaboration. It will allow us to share information easily and more securely with Keolis. As we get closer to the launch date, which is still to be determined, you will receive updates on important dates and changes, links to access our SharePoint intranet site and department sites, and training opportunities so you can hit the ground running. One of the first steps in the rollout of SharePoint, visible to all employees was adding your user profile picture in Microsoft 365, which is why it now appears in Outlook. This is only a small piece of what’s to come in the coming months.
The Inaugural Senior Summit Event Was a Success
The first OmniRide Senior Summit Event took place on June 15th, and it was a big success! The goal was to provide a wide variety of information to the senior community in one place at one time. We had 24 event showcase partners that hosted tables to share information on their services with attendees. Some of which also presented on safety and security topics, local resources and programs, and caregiver services. The total turnout for the event was estimated to be over 200 attendees. As seniors re-emerge post covid, this event served as a reminder or introduction to our services and other services relevant to this demographic. We look forward to doing something like this again in the coming years. Thank you again to all who participated and helped make the event a success.
Stormwater Replacement Project in OmniRide’s Backyard
Back in April 2021, a sinkhole developed in OmniRide’s backyard, and the repair of this sinkhole led to a discovery of issues within the stormwater system. The pipe joints were corroded and/or rusted, which created places where water entered through the joint. This water that entered the joints, eventually carried soil with it, which eroded the backfill around the pipe. You then run the risk of the system collapsing from the void that’s created, thus the origin of the stormwater replacement project. This work has been going on for some time now in OmniRide’s backyard at the Transit Center, and it has come to an end.
To see how far we’ve come, here are some pictures to illustrate the undertaking of this project by Doris and her team. An interesting note is that some areas of the paving are 36 inches thick to withstand the heavy buses and high traffic volume every day. Completion, including any punch-out items and removal of supplies and equipment from the extra lot, was completed in mid-July.
New Employee Spotlight Tyler Alberico
Tyler Alberico is the new Professional Development Fellow at OmniRide, working under the Planning and Operations department. He attends Christopher Newport University (CNU) and is currently a senior pursuing his marketing degree with a minor in graphic design. He’s had two previous internships with transportation engineering firms in the D.C. Metro area. Seeing the ins and outs of several projects at both governmental and transit agencies solidified his interest in transit. With this fascination, he started to look for internships at transit agencies, came across OmniRide’s website and the rest was history.
A cool fact about Tyler is that he’s played the drums since elementary school and is currently in CNU’s drumline, as the tenor drums section leader. Tyler is based at the Transit Center but will work remotely when CNU’s fall classes resume.
