Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Contact: Nancy Alcalde                                                                                         

Telephone: (202) 366-0091

Media Advisory                                                                             

For Immediate Release

Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Honors Employees with Administrator’s Awards

(Massena NY) Members of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) workforce were recognized yesterday by SLSDC Deputy Administrator Craig H. Middlebrook during an awards ceremony held at the Eisenhower Lock Visitors’ Center in Massena, New York.  Corporation employees who have exemplified the organization’s core values of Service, Leadership, Stewardship, Dependability and Commitment earned awards in a number of categories.

The following SLSDC employees received recognition for their accomplishments:

Administrator’s Award for Notable Achievement: Stephen McCargar and Jeffrey Robert

SLSDC Leadership Award: Randy Gilmer and James MacDonald

Commitment to Excellence Award: Carl Eldridge, Nate Jarvis, and Thomas Ritchie

Excellence in Teamwork Award: Keith Benham, Jeremy Buffham, Matthew Cole, Nicholas Hallada, and Kevin Smith

Safety First Team Award: Robert Barkley, Jonathan Chapman, Ryan Chatland, Anthony Curley, Shaun DaFoe, Eric Hebert, Michael Howard, John McCarthy, Ronald McGregor, and David Sanford

Also recognized for receiving an award from the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao was Jonathan Chapman.  Mr. Chapman received a Meritorious Award, the third highest award bestowed by the Secretary in recognition of exceptionally meritorious service to the Department of Transportation or Federal Government.

Josef Walker and Amanda Helmer were recognized for heading up a Christmas gift drive at the SLSDC to provide gifts for children in the Massena area.

In addition, three employees were acknowledged for their retirement from the SLSDC: John Matthews, Jeffrey Root, and Larry Mattison.

The SLSDC is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation and is a major employer in the North Country area.  The mission of the SLSDC is to serve the marine transportation industry by providing a safe, secure, reliable, efficient, and competitive deep draft international waterway.  The work performed by SLSDC employees keeps tens of millions of tons of cargo moving throughout the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System.