Bellevue, King County telecommute program wins national award

A Seattle area program that helps employers create flexible commuting and telework options that increase employee productivity and decrease regional traffic congestion won the top award from the Association for Commuter Transportation’s international conference in Portland today.

King County’s WorkSmart program, which offers companies workplace strategies that boost employee morale, improve business continuity and contribute to environmental sustainability, won the Cathy Cole Memorial Award. The honor is ACT’s highest program award and goes to the program that best demonstrates leadership and achievement in advancing strategies to enable and encourage more employers to adopt telework arrangements for employees.

King County Metro transportation supervisor Syd Pawlowski also received the Bob Owens Champion Award for his many years of supporting transportation demand management and influencing change in this arena. The award is considered among the highest individual honors at ACT and goes to one person who has done the most in the last year to promote transportation options.

“Every organization that utilizes the WorkSmart program is helping to take cars off the road,” said ACT President Robert Henry. “We applaud WorkSmart for encouraging Seattle area employers to think smart about their workers and their environmental impact and look forward to others following their lead in offering similar sustainable solutions.”

ACT represents major employers, public transportation departments, and private sector transportation providers to improve communities’ transportation options, livability and economic competitiveness. Employers who offer telework options see a 10 to 20 percent increase in productivity and improved recruitment and retention as majority of employees cite telework as an important benefit to their jobs, according to WorkSmart.

The 2016 ACT National Awards acknowledge the extraordinary and innovative work of leading organizations and individuals in the transportation demand management industry. This year, 80 organizations were nominated for 18 various awards in categories ranging from transportation marketing and public outreach to flexible commuting options.

Henry hailed the award winners as model programs in the transportation demand management field.

“Every day, every commute and every carpool is a journey,” Henry said. “As mobility rapidly changes with advances in technology, it is wonderful to see so many leaders working to improve our journeys and our environment at the same time.”

The full list of 2016 award winners includes:

Marketing & Outreach Awards
Public Agency: Arlington Transportation Partners
University: Texas A&M Transportation Services
Public/Private Partnership: MassRides & MassCommute
TMA: North Natomas Transportation Management Association

Outstanding Transportation Management Association Award
GVF

Commuting Options Awards
Walking: Cherriots Rideshare
Carpool: Verizon and City of Redmond, Go Redmond
Vanpool: Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County and Valley Metro
Biking: Red Hat, Inc.

Excellence in Advocacy
Tysons Partnership

Excellence in Research
MassCommute

Employee Transportation Champion
Bridger McGaw, athenahealth

Bob Owens Champion Award
Syd Pawlowski, King County Metro

Cathy Cole Memorial Award
WorkSmart Program, King County Metro

The awards were presented on the final day of ACT’s 2016 International Convention. More than 450 transportation professionals from federal, state and local governments, universities, and major businesses met in Oregon for the conference that kicked off in Portland Sunday with an opening reception featuring U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), a leading voice in Congress for transportation options and livability communities.

About ACT:
The Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) is an international trade association and leading advocate for commuter transportation and transportation demand management. Commuting by bus, train, rideshare, bike, walking, or telework improves our world by contributing to energy independence, better air quality, sustainability, urban mobility, and reduced congestion.

Through our advocacy, education, and networking efforts, ACT strives to improve the lives of commuters, the livability of communities, and the economic combativeness of businesses.