Goodwill West Texas honored 96 of its employees with Smiling G Tenure Service Awards this year. The tenure award celebrations coincided with recognition of store teams who earned $1 million or more in sales in 2023.
Employees receive Smiling G tenure awards for one year of service, then every five years after that. Employees with more than 25 years of service receive honorable mention awards annually. Employees also receive a Goodwill pin, certificate of recognition and $100 bonus in thanks for their dedication and contributions.
Seventy-five of the Smiling G award recipients earned one-year service awards, fourteen employees earned their five-year awards, and four employees earned their ten-year awards. San Angelo Sherwood team member, Tabatha Hernandez, received her 25-year service award. Mindy Keesee of Brownwood and Executive Vice President of Operations Jim Tredennick received honorable mention awards for 27 years of service.
In addition to these individual employee awards, seven store teams were provided lunch, Goodwill t-shirts, and Goodwill sweaters for achieving $1 million or more in sales.
Approximately 60 percent of the employees across the Goodwill West Texas territory self-identify as having a disability or disadvantage to employment. They all play a vital role in the success of the retail stores in which they serve, and in turn, the success of the Goodwill mission to provide opportunities for people with barriers to employment. Because of the funds raised in retail stores last year, Goodwill West Texas served more than 1,800 people through its mission programs.
These celebrations and accomplishments are all made possible by the donations generously provided by communities across West Texas. Congratulations to all Goodwill West Texas employees who were honored in these celebrations.