SAMs Mingle With Celebrities, Ex-Presidents at Madame Tussauds

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The DowntownDC BID’s Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance (SAM) employees rubbed elbows with the likes of Oprah, Justin Bieber and Ronald Reagan Friday at their SAM employee of the month meeting, which was held at Madame Tussauds (1001 F Street NW).

The D.C. museum, which opened in 2007, features more than 100 lifelike wax figures of celebrities, athletes and famous figures from history including all 44 U.S. presidents. Special figures often grace the museum for a limited time, such as Albert Einstein, who is currently on display through May.

The museum boasts a highly interactive format that allows patrons to learn about famous figures through sound and video and allows guests to have fun snapping photos with the look-alikes. The museum’s Marketing, Promotions and Social Media Specialist Ashley Robinson addressed the SAMs Friday and thanked them for coming to the museum. “It’s always great to have you,” she said.

SAMs remain the most recognizable face of the DowntownDC BID, acting as the eyes, ears and caretakers of Downtown.  Daily, SAMs are on the streets, offering a welcoming and helpful presence to visitors, giving out maps and directions, assisting with safety, cleaning the streets and dispensing an array of services that help make Downtown the remarkable place it is today.

The SAMs at the top of their meeting reviewed upcoming events including Memorial Day festivities and discussed current goings-on to keep on their radar such as new Downtown farmers’ markets.

BID Director of Operations Everett Scruggs highlighted the SAMs’ new black and red uniforms and praised their new look. I receive “compliment after compliment” about your appearance, Scruggs said and congratulated all the SAMs for the team effort it took to make the new uniforms a reality.  

Scruggs noted the new SAM hires made last month, 14 Maintenance SAMs and one supervisor, and they were once again welcomed into the fold. The 2014 SAM Maintenance class is the first Maintenance team to work night and weekend hours in direct response to growing nightlife in Downtown. Scruggs said the SAMs can expect continued changes as the BID adapts to best serve DowntownDC.

Scruggs then recognized eight SAMs and one supervisor for reaching their five year employment milestone this year.

As is customary each month, two SAMs were awarded the title of “SAM of the Month” for their outstanding service. April’s winners were: Safety/Hospitality SAM Donna Riley and Maintenance SAM Charles Stroud.

Donna Riley is no stranger to SAM awards. Having been a SAM for 14 years, Riley has received numerous SAM of the Month awards and was recognized as the SAM of the Year in 2007. She joined the BID following security work in the area and said some of the same skills overlap. Riley said her favorite part of being a SAM is the variety, “different people, different areas, every day.” Riley said she is known for being punctual, something her team members appreciate. She also enjoys reporting on defects and keeping the streets maintained. Her favorite pastime is reading and she enjoys inspirational books, especially those by Joel Osteen. Riley is a D.C. resident whose daughter and grandson also live in the area.

Charles Stroud has been employed as a SAM for three years. He originally interviewed to be a Safety/Hospitality SAM but was called back when Maintenance was hiring. “You won’t be disappointed,” he said he told the management. Stroud enjoys being efficient in his job and also the “office” in which he gets to work. “I get plenty of exercise,” he said. In his spare time, the D.C. resident loves to play bass guitar and helping to keep the crowd enthused at his local church, where he performs. He listed Otto Price (a.k.a.. “Sugar Bear”) as a favorite bass player.