Museum employees honored

Two employees from the Sweetwater County Historical Museum received recognition for their work and dedication to customer service.

Judi Laughter, who has worked at the museum for the past six years, earned the Red Carpet of the Year award from the Green River Chamber of Commerce. The award recipient is chosen from the monthly red carpet service winners. The program started five years ago to recognize those who provide great customer service in Green River.

Laughter was nominated by her boss, Brie Blasi, who said Laughter went above and beyond while helping a group of visitors from outside of Wyoming. Laughter helped the group over a period of several weeks, helping them gather information, contact residents about a historic site they wanted to visit and kept the museum open late to allow the group a chance to visit the museum when they arrived.

"Judi always offers great customer service, but this was one example of how she always puts forth her best effort to make sure visitors have the best experience," Blasi wrote in her nomination.

Laughter said she wasn't aware she was being considered for the Red Carpet of the Year award, saying she only found out after Blasi told her the chamber asked the 2015 red carpet winners to attend the awards luncheon.

"I was surprised, I didn't have a clue," she said.

She said she works to make sure people leave the museum happy and enjoys sharing the county's history with visitors.

Another employee, Exhibits Coordinator Dave Mead, was honored during the Rare and Exceptional Achievement for Customer service in Hospitality awards hosted by the Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism Board. Mead was named the Employee of the Year at the awards ceremony. His nomination stems from his willingness to go out of his way to help visitors with suggestions and directions for things to see throughout the county. An outdoorsman who spends his free time exploring the county, he is the go-to person for suggestions about out-of-the-way and historic locations found in Sweetwater County.

He created a traveling exhibit last year based on the book "Wyoming's Outlaw Trail," which was funded in part by the Wyoming Humanities Council. The exhibit was displayed throughout the state, with more than 9,000 people seeing it during its tour. He has helped install museum exhibits throughout the county, including those seen at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County and the Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport. Mead also helped update and redesign a museum brochure about the many rock formations found throughout the county, He has also worked on signage for the Killdeer Wetlands and brochures for the Greenbelt Task Force Committee.

Mead said he is flattered to receive the award and didn't know about his nomination until a few days before the award was handed out. Mead also said he didn't feel worthy of the award after hearing about the other nominees under consideration.

"I'm just doing my job," he concluded.