Fifteen new SAMs (Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance employees) were added to the DowntownDC BID staff this month following a spirited graduation ceremony held at Microsoft’s Innovation & Policy Center located at 901 K Street NW in Downtown.
Fourteen Maintenance SAMs and one supervisor, Navy Veteran Jorge Rochac, were hired this month and graduated from the BID’s comprehensive training program, which focuses on Downtown maintenance, emergency preparedness, technology, beautification, customer service, history and other areas of education.
The 2014 SAM class is the very first group of Maintenance SAMs to be placed on a new evening shift, which will run Wednesday through Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. This evening Maintenance shift was added in 2014 to directly accommodate Downtown’s growing nightlife.
SAMs, who are outfitted in red uniforms, remain the most-recognizable faces of the DowntownDC BID, serving the residents, workers and visitors in the DowntownDC BID area and acting as caretakers for the community. The BID employs over 80 SAMs, who have helped revitalize Downtown and make Downtown the remarkable urban experience we all know today. Their presence and work is known by many in Downtown, which Microsoft’s Government Affairs Manager Todd Payne confirmed in his introduction to the SAMs ahead of their graduation event.
Payne said that in advance of the graduation ceremony, he spoke with his staff and found that nearly everyone at Microsoft were aware of the SAMs in Downtown and many offered anecdotes regarding their direct interaction with SAMs. “We admire you. We appreciate the good work you do… and we are honored to have you here today,” Payne told the SAM staff.
Microsoft moved to their current location three years ago (from another BID location) to create a space where individuals would not only have an office, but could offer a place where people could learn about Microsoft and have hands-on experience with Microsoft products and technologies.
Technology remains an important part of SAM data-collection and operations. In recognition of his technological support, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) work, and “outstanding support” overall for the BID’s SAM program, the SAMs at their graduation presented an award to the BID’s GIS Analyst Brian Gober naming him their 2013 supporter of the year.
BID Executive Director Richard Bradley at the SAM graduation, made a presentation which illustrated the evolution of Downtown from a “dull, dirty and dangerous” place in 1997, when the BID was created, to the thriving community it is today. Bradley’s presentation highlighted significant developments in the near future for Downtown including CityCenterDC, Franklin Park‘s revitalization and the Franklin School redevelopment as well as projects stretching to the year 2020.
Veteran NBC4 reporter Tom Sherwood, co-author of “Dream City: Race, Power and the Decline of Washington, D.C.” served as a guest speaker. He said that the BID’s SAMs hold a vital role in helping to change the nation’s capital overall and in making a difference for the city. “Every step you take means something to somebody,” Sherwood told the SAMs. “Every movement counts.” Sherwood recounted stories from the 1990s and early 2000s reminding all how much the Downtown has changed over the years. He then read two recent unsolicited letters of appreciation from members of the public who expressed their gratitude for individual SAMs who enhanced their experiences in Downtown.
The graduating Maintenance SAMs then treated those gathered for the graduation event to a traditional skit. This year’s performance was entitled “SAMs Come Out at Night,” and referenced the important duties SAMs will have on their new evening schedule.
The new SAMs were then each presented with their graduation certificates. A majority of this year’s SAM class resides in Washington, D.C. and one SAM, Derrick Jones, is a former student hire from the D.C. Department of Employment Services’ (DOES) Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), in which the BID has participated for the past 10 years.
At the end of the graduation event, the BID announced two SAMs of the Year. Two SAMs are honored annually for their outstanding performance in the year prior. Selections are based on logsheets, letters of appreciation, spot checks, reports, appearance and other factors, including that eligible SAMs must have won a SAM of the Month designation in the previous year.
Congratulations to the two 2013 SAMs of the Year: Safety/Hospitality SAM Sandra Tapscott and Maintenance SAM Rosa Lydia Rosales.
Sandra Tapscott has been a SAM team member for three years. She previously worked in customer service, most recently at the Newseum (555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). “This job continued that layer of service” in my career, Tapscott said. She describes herself as a “giver,” which serves her well in her job. When asked to describe how she occupies her free time, Tapscott, who has three grandchildren, is quick to respond. “I’m a crafter!” she said. Dolls, flowers, making clothes, Tapscott enjoys it all. Tapscott is “Washington born-and-raised” and and said she witnessed first-hand the evolution of Downtown. “I’m so, so glad to be a part of the new D.C.,” she said.
Rosa Lydia Rosales has worked as a SAM since 2008. Originally from El Salvador, Rosales came to the United States in 1993. She enjoys the variety of her work which includes talking with visitors, cleaning the streets and helping people. “I like when somebody says ‘thank you, I appreciate you.'” Rosales said that approval is important for her, her job and for the BID. “I like it,” she said of her job, and highlighted improving the appearance of Downtown streets as the most satisfying part. Rosales lives with her husband and has two sons and two grandchildren.