A Week In Business – September 2, 2016

Freedom Award Presented

SALISBURYDelmarva Veteran Builders, the region’s only commercial construction firm dedicated to bringing employment to U.S. Armed Forces Veterans, announced it received the 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest honor the Department of Defense gives to employers for support of National Guard and Reserve employees.

DVB was one of 15 employers selected from 2,424 nominated, and honored at an annual ceremony at the Pentagon with awards presented by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.

Pictured, from left, at last week’s banquet when The Freedom Award was presented to Delmarva Veteran Builders are Dnaiel Mills of DVB, Delegate Mary Beth Carozza, Chris Eccleston and Lee Beauchamp of DVB and Salisbury Mayor Jake Day. Submitted Photo

Pictured, from left, at last week’s banquet when The Freedom Award was presented to Delmarva Veteran Builders are Dnaiel Mills of DVB, Delegate Mary Beth Carozza, Chris Eccleston and Lee Beauchamp of DVB and Salisbury Mayor Jake Day. Submitted Photo

“These 15 employers have distinguished themselves through their outstanding support of our Guard and Reserve members and their families,” said Defense Secretary Ash Carter. “Without the unfaltering support of employers like them, the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve would not be able to fulfill their vital roles in our National Security Strategy. It is a great honor for me to recognize these employers, and I congratulate them on their receipt of the Employer Support Freedom Award.”

“This is exciting news for Salisbury and the Eastern Shore of Maryland,” said Chris Eccleston, president of Delmarva Veteran Builders. “We are honored and humbled to be one of the 2016 recipients of this highly esteemed award. Our community greatly values the sacrifices of our Guard and Reserve members. As a veteran employer it is Delmarva Veteran Builders’ duty to not only provide job opportunities for our Guardsmen but also build a support system for them that enables them to thrive in our community. We don’t differentiate between the Guard, Reserves or Veterans. There is no difference to us whether they are currently serving or served in the past. We treat every member of our team the same.”

Delmarva Veteran Builders’ Daniel Mills added, “I actually filled out the application for the award before I accepted the job and moved to Maryland. I met Chris and Lee and saw the vision immediately, went back to Kansas, where I was living at the time and started filling out the application. The reason for the nomination was because I witnessed from the top to the bottom, the company has served and every single employee knows what it’s like to strap on their boots and be a part of the less than 1% of individuals who serve our country. Delmarva Veteran Builders was founded on this understanding and makes every effort to take care of our warriors and veterans.”

Salisbury Mayor Jake Day was on hand at the awards banquet.

“I am proud to see a local colleague and friend of mine come back to Salisbury, become an entrepreneur and start a local business dedicated to giving veterans jobs,” said Day. “Chris Eccleston brought our community an unbelievable trifecta of services and an exceptional story you don’t hear of often. This award validates DVB’s success and just how amazing the team’s mission is.”

Performance Recognized

SALISBURY — Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC) and its Guerrieri Heart & Vascular Institute team have received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2016. PRMC is one of only 36 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes Peninsula Regional’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that PRMC has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

To receive the ACTION Registry–GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award, Peninsula Regional consistently followed the treatment guidelines in the ACTION Registry–GWTG for eight consecutive quarters and has performed at the top level of standards for specific performance measures. Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement process using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients.

Peninsula Regional Medical Center’s award-winning heart and vascular program has become one of the busiest heart hospitals in Maryland. Its Guerrieri Heart & Vascular Institute offers patients a level of care that parallels what is provided at other facilities serving major metropolitan areas.

“As a Gold Performance Award recipient, Peninsula Regional Medical Center has shown it is a leader in implementing standards of care and protocols for its patients,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, ACTION Registry-GWTG Chair; Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center; and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. “By meeting the requirements set forth in the registry and establishing a culture of providing guideline-recommended therapy, Peninsula Regional is saving lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients on the Delmarva Peninsula.”

Employees Honored

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — Scott Kammerer, president of Rehoboth Beach-based SoDel Concepts, recently announced the recipients of the company’s Shining Star awards for the third quarter of 2016.

The employees, who are selected from each restaurant, help foster a positive work environment. They’re also committed to giving guests a memorable dining experience.

One of the youngest employees, Troy Draine, is “awesome,” said Meghan King, the general manager of Lupo Italian Kitchen, where Draine works. “We are so thankful to have him on our team. He is hardworking, dedicated and willing to help out in any way possible. He’s a rock star! That’s why he deserves to be a Shining Star.”

The other Shining Stars include Anthony Leonardi from Fish On in Lewes; Azucena Hernandez Solis from Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria in Rehoboth Beach; Ashlan Poniatowski from Matt’s Fish Camp in Bethany Beach; Brain Fritzinger and Kirsten Goodman from Bluecoast Seafood Grill in Bethany Beach; Nolbia Hernandez from NorthEast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View; Jaime Rubio from Catch 54 in Fenwick Island; Efrain Martinez from Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria in Fenwick Island; and Jayson Saldana from Matt’s Fish Camp in Lewes.

The restaurant managers and the directors of operations selected the employees.

“As a criteria, we ask the managers to look for employees who represent our company culture and our mission,” Kammerer said.

Each employee received a certificate and a $250 bonus. The awards are given out four times a year.

Daisy Award Presented

BERLIN Atlantic General Hospital awarded the Daisy Award for excellence in nursing to Mary Wilgus at a recent presentation.

Atlantic General Hospital fourth quarter Daisy Award recipient Mary Wilgus is pictured with fellow registered nurse Kelly Fox and Cheryl Nottingham, vice president of finance. Submitted Photo

Atlantic General Hospital fourth quarter Daisy Award recipient Mary Wilgus is pictured with fellow registered nurse Kelly Fox and Cheryl Nottingham, vice president of finance. Submitted Photo

Wilgus has worked with Atlantic General Hospital for over nine years. She supports the hospital in caring for the community and its visitors as a staff and charge nurse as well as patient care supervisor. Of her nomination, Wilgus says, “There is no greater compliment than the kind words of the people we care for.”

One nomination Wilgus received stated, “She tries her hardest to meet the needs of the patients and staff … making every patient feel safe and well informed. Mary is a blessing to everyone she comes in contact with!”

The award was created by The DAISY Foundation in Memory of J. Patrick Barnes, honors the extraordinary work nurses do for patients and families each day. Hospital leadership brought the awards program to Atlantic General to recognize the compassion and high level of care its nurses provide to residents and visitors of the community.

Patients and visitors can nominate an Atlantic General Hospital and Health System nurse for the DAISY Award at any time. Nomination forms are available in every hospital department and health system physician office. Awards are bestowed quarterly.

Charity Board Announced

SALISBURY — The United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore recently welcome new members to their Board of Directors. With 35 active members from organizations across the Lower Shore Counties, United Way is poised to begin the 2016 campaign season with both tenured and new leadership.

Rick Nelson

Rick Nelson

Along with new board members, United Way has elected new board President Rick Nelson. A life-long Somerset County resident, he is active in his church and has served for several years on the board.

“I believe in the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore because it is the one local organization you know and trust will make a difference right here in the community that we live in,” said Nelson.

United Way Executive Director Kathleen Mommé added, “Our United Way is proud to have a dedicated and very active Board of Directors representing Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset and Dorchester Counties. We welcome Rick Nelson’s new leadership and look forward to another great year of making a difference in our community.”

The United Board consists of Greg Bassett, Salisbury Independent; Bruce Bright, Ayres, Jenkins, Gordy & Almand; Pete Bugas, Interstate Container; Kim Conway-Dumpson, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Memo Diriker, Salisbury University; Jeff Eichelberger, Sherwin Williams; Steven Farrow, Piedmont Airlines; Roy Geiser, TGM Group, LLC; Jim Hartstein, The Insurance Market; Amy Hasson, Salisbury University; Ron Hickman, TGM Group, LLC; Bryan Hurst, Perdue Farms; Michael James, The Carousel Hotel’ Davis Jean-Louis, Interstate Container; Jennifer Layton, Layton’s Chance Winery; Gus Lebois, Civic Leader; Mary Mengason, Avery Hall Insurance Group; Cortney Monar, Princess Anne Elementary School; Allen Nelson, civic leader; Rick Nelson, Nelson’s Nationwide; Bryan Newton, Wor-Wic Community College; Susan Parker, Delmarva Media Group; Jan Perdue, Civic Leader; Scott Phillips, Peninsula Regional Medical Center; Beth Reid, Healogics at PRMC; Jesse Reid, Wicomico County Board of Education; Ginny Reid-Matern, Civic Leader; Laura Rodriguez, PNC Bank; Dana Seiler, Vantage Point Solutions Group; Joy Strand, McCready Health; Connie Strott, Law Firm of George G. Strott, Jr.; Cole Taustin, Embers & Blu Crabhouse; Cathie Thomas, Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce; Sandra Tripp-Jones, City of Cambridge; and Annette Wallace, Pocomoke High School.