The Saratoga Department of Public Works (DPW) was presented the “Caught Doing It Right” award by the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce. They were recognized at the Saratoga Town Council Meeting on July 21. The certificate acknowledged them for beautifying the town.
“This month we had them as the recipients because they’ve just done so much progress in a short period of time,” said Stacy Crimmins, Chief Executive Officer of the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce. “They put the fence up around the Community Center, the flowers [around town], the striping on the streets right before July 4, and it just made a huge impact because it all happened very quickly.”
According to Crimmins, the “Caught Doing It Right” award was presented to Ray Bernal of Strong Tower Designs. This award was based on customer service, since Bernal went above and beyond in helping a customer find what they were looking for.
“We are trying to encourage businesses to take that extra step and do something a little bit more,” Crimmins said. According to Crimmins, the Chamber of Commerce takes nominations as well as recognize outstanding behavior on their own.
“That customer was me,” Crimmins said of Strong Tower Designs’ award. “I was looking for something in particular and he said ‘I have it at my house.’ And I said ‘Would you be willing to sell it?’ and he said ‘Yeah, come on.”
Dusty Bone, of Sage and Sand Motel, was awarded with a “Caught Doing It Right” certificate as well. “He was talking about how he’s got some long term guests that stay there for construction or whatever,” Crimmins said. “They don’t know a lot of people so he makes them feel welcome by hosting a barbecue in the parking lot. Everyone brings something, and they grill and sit around and visit. So that’s just an extra special thing that not every business would do.”
These awards, as well as the behavior that earns them, brings repeat customers to the businesses, according to Crimmins. “It is a big deal to be recognized for something that you already know you should be doing.”
Crimmins encourages residents and travelers to call or email to nominate businesses for the award with a little backstory for why the business should receive it. The “Caught Doing It Right” Program began when travelers were experiencing car trouble in the area and they wrote a letter to acknowledge the wonderful service and care that they received from businesses in town. “We may not think of it as a big deal, but we just had someone in here from California saying ‘You people are all so nice. That’s just not how things are in other places,’” Crimmins said.
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