Celebrating Service
Message From The Director
The beginning of our year is when we have several of our internal conferences to update each other on progress, review goals and celebrate successes. As a group, our teams work all over the state, but with so many of them moving around, it has always been nice for us to celebrate each other this way whenever we are together.
Celebrating 20 years of service or more is usually a good indicator that you have been successful and had the opportunity to work with people from all over South Carolina. These employees have guided us through so much the last few decades, and though a few retired this year, many are still going strong. I want to start this month by recognizing these employees who celebrated work anniversaries this past year and have contributed so much to the success of the Park Service.
If you know them, you know how lucky we are to have each of them.
20 years of service
Kevin Palmer – Kings Mountain
Troy Crider - Myrtle Beach
Chris Flowers – Cheraw
Joy Raintree – Sandhills Region
Cathy Taylor – Paris Mountain
Robert Dinkins - Lake Hartwell
Michael Trotter – Table Rock
25 years of Service
Brenda Magers – Huntington Beach
Robert Lenehan – Myrtle Beach
Chris Waddell – Cheraw
Jason Hege – Paris Mountain
Cheryl Gray – Hickory knob
30 years of service
Ted Betchler – Huntington Beach
Michael Walker – Huntington Beach
Al James – Landsford Canal
Mark Powell – Lower Coast Maintenance
John Toby – Central Maintenance
One of the other categories we love to recognize our team on is the exceptional customer service they provide to our visitors. We even have one award for the team member that has served our team exceptionally well this year. They are the face of our parks for so many visitors and set the bar high for how to take care of customers. These people are the ones we get emails about, the people whose attitude and practices inspire us all to be better.
This year’s recipients are:
John Boyd – Paris Mountain
Bridgett Scott – Devils Fork
John Hiatt - Charles Towne Landing
Tina Zorn – Givhans Ferry
Niesha Williams – Cheraw
Chris Priolo – Huntington Beach
Toni Rivers – Santee
Daylene Pitts – Dreher Island
Marina Wolfe – Lake Wateree
Maria Thompson – Hickory Knob
Ted Sbardella – Information Technology
These people and many others just like them are what makes this such an incredible place to work and to visit. Every step of my career I have been surrounded by talented and passionate people. As Director, I get to see how many of our team members are giving their all every day to ensure that South Carolina State Parks are the best they can be today and are prepared for tomorrow.
Make sure to congratulate all of these folks the next time you see them!
Paul
January 2023