THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 d
Page A-9
County will install new cameras on school buses in 2014 To be placed on 25 buses to catch illegal passing
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BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Jordan Fazenbaker, general manager of the Gaithersburg Red Lobster, with one of the restaurant’s eponymous creatures.
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Fazenbaker’s win-win: A career and a wife New GM supervises more than 85 at Gaithersburg Red Lobster n
BY
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
While earning a business management degree at Frostburg State University in Western Maryland, Jordan Fazenbaker entered a manager training program that included an internship with the restaurant chain Red Lobster. He found his calling. “I immediately was drawn to the business,” said Fazenbaker, 27, who recently became general manager of the Red Lobster on Shady Grove Road in Gaithersburg. “I enjoy the stability of being in the restaurant industry because people have to eat,” he said. Before joining the Hagerstown Red Lobster as a server in 2008, Fazenbaker worked at The Plum, a Hagerstown eatery frequented by judges, attorneys and others in the downtown area. And he not only found a career at Red Lobster but met his future wife, Stephanie, at the Hagerstown location. “She worked for the company for 10 years before she recently resigned to stay at home,” said Fazenbaker, a native of Hagerstown. “She actually trained me as a server.” Work romances can be tricky, and Fazenbaker said he was careful to keep things
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professional on the job. “You never want to bring your personal life into the work place,” he said. Fazenbaker is a natural, professional leader “who thrives on developing people and achieving high standards,” said Billy Rudd, director of operations for Red Lobster, which is owned by parent company Darden Restaurants, based in Orlando, Fla. “He is loyal to his team and his guests.” In Hagerstown, Fazenbaker soon was promoted to service professional and management positions, and most recently was staffing and training manager. He helped train more than 50 employees there. In Gaithersburg, Fazenbaker oversees all aspects of restaurant operations, including managing more than 85 employees. It can be a daunting task in the fast-paced food industry, but he has found the work rewarding. “I like to see the smiles on my customers’ faces when they enjoy the food and have a good time,” he said.
Restaurants employ more people than construction, banking Restaurants and bars are a key employer in the area, accounting for some 39,000 jobs in Montgomery and Frederick counties, according to state labor department figures. That’s
JORDAN FAZENBAKER n Age: 27.
n Position: General manager, Red Lobster, Gaithersburg. n Previous position: Staffing and training manager, Red Lobster, Hagerstown. n Education: Bachelor’s degree, business management, Frostburg State University. n Family: Wife, Stephanie; two children. n Best business advice given: Treat your employees fairly, and they will treat your customers well. Your best competitive edge is your people.
more than the construction, manufacturing, banking and insurance segments. Issues such as a potential minimum wage hike in Montgomery County should not be a major deal, Fazenbaker said. “I’m a big believer in taking care of my people,” he said. The federal government shutdown did not affect business much at the Gaithersburg Red Lobster, said Fazenbaker, who started as general manager in September. “It’s still booming here. Our goal is to provide a great service,” he said. Customers have requested broader menu options beyond seafood. Red Lobster transformed its menu two years ago to provide more
dishes and greater value, Fazenbaker said. The restaurant gets its seafood from all over the world, with many of the lobster tails coming from Maine, Fazenbaker said. “We get the best catch from each ship,” he said. “These are top-quality, assured vendors who keep in mind the safety of our customers.” Through the Darden Harvest program, Fazenbaker and fellow employees support the John C. Tracey Boys’ Group Home in Rockville. The program provides fresh, wholesome food donations on a regular basis to organizations that need them. “We only donate the unused food, not leftovers,” Fazenbaker said. “We try to make sure it goes to a great place.” Darden Restaurants, which is publicly traded, has been named to Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for three consecutive years. It saw its revenue rise by 7 percent, to $8.6 billion, in fiscal 2013 from 2012. Red Lobster, which has more than 700 locations across North America, showed a sales decline of 2 percent in fiscal 2013 to $2.6 billion. Darden’s other brands include Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52 and The Capital Grille. kshay@gazette.net
Montgomery County police say new cameras on some county school buses will be installed and ready for action by early January to catch drivers who illegally pass the buses. The cameras will automatically record drivers who pass a stopped bus while its stop arm is extended with flashing red lights. Violators will have to pay a $125 fine, according to an Oct. 22 memo from County Council staff. Cameras will be installed on 25 school buses that run routes with the highest number of passing incidents. Wiring for the cameras will be installed on another 75 buses so the cameras can be swapped among the buses. County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said the cameras will be active by Jan. 3. The county also has the ability to purchase up to 75 additional cameras during its contract, according to the memo. The County Council enacted a law in March 2012 that enabled police to install and operate cameras on school buses to catch drivers who pass the vehicles when they are stopped and operating their flashing red lights. Speaking on Thursday at a joint meeting of the County Council’s education and public safety committees, Manger said a vendor contract was in the works and the police department had signed a memorandum of understanding with Montgomery County Public Schools. As of the Thursday meeting, the county attorney was still reviewing the police and school system’s agreement before approving it, said county spokesman Patrick Lacefield. Manger attributed the delay in getting the program up and running to the police department’s unsuccessful attempt to bridge a contract with another jurisdiction. The department eventually turned to a request for proposal process. The police department also had a difficult time finding similar programs in the country to analyze, he said. Manger said the issue was related to the police department’s efforts to analyze other bus camera programs. “Make no mistake, we were trying to look at what other
jurisdictions were doing,” he said. “Much of the delay for this had nothing to do with the procurement process.” Manger said he thinks the cameras coupled with county police’s public education campaign scheduled to start in December will mean more drivers will be aware of the law. According to the Oct. 22 memo, revenue from the cameras will depend on variables including the “structure of the contract” and the violations that occur. Manger said the cameras are not about making money. “It’s about the fact it makes the roadways safer,” he said. County Councilman Philip M. Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg said he thinks it’s important the cameras are publicized. “This is a crucial public safety measure the public needs to be aware of,” Andrews said. Andrews said police should cast “a large shadow” to help minimize violations around the county, while focusing the cameras on the routes where the most violations happen. County Council Vice President Craig Rice (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown said his daughter was recently almost hit by a vehicle that illegally passed a bus and that he had chased down the driver. “I’ve seen it firsthand,” Rice said, describing some drivers who “disregard” buses signalling for them to stop. County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring — who voiced her frustration at the program’s delay in August — said it was “astounding” to her how many drivers don’t know the rules. “I see it happening all the time,” she said. Todd Watkins, director of transportation for the school system, said in a previous interview that the new cameras will automatically detect a violation and send the evidence, which will be confirmed by both a contractor and the police before a ticket is sent out. Of about 1,270 total buses in the school system, roughly 400 currently have cameras that run continuously, he said. If a bus driver believes they were illegally passed, the school system is able to go back and examine the footage and pass it on to police who can send out a warning notice. lpowers@gazette.net