Congrats to the first “G” Thanks! winner, Chris Herkimer!

Each month, the GREAT at U of G Consultative Committee is randomly selecting a winner for the “G” Thanks! award. In the first month of the program, 28 nominations were received from various individuals and teams across U of G.

Chris Herkimer, Department Head of Hospitality, received several nominations from the University community and has been selected as the January “G” Thanks winner!

Chef Vijay Nair said, “Chris takes ownership to the next level and deserves a lot more appreciation for all the work he is continuously engaged in to keep our operations running smooth. Much of his efforts are behind the scenes and go unnoticed.”

An anonymous colleague posted, “Since COVID started, Chris has remained involved with all stages and communicated with staff and the management team keeping everyone aware of where we are at and the constant changes. Chris has gone far beyond a “G” Thanks! He keeps his staff motivated and is constantly checking to see how everyone is doing. He creates an atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable and excited to come to work. I for one, appreciate everything he does for all of his team!”

Barb Robbins shared, “I'd like to echo the nominations for Chris Herkimer in Hospitality. Chris has gone way above and beyond with his support for our Family Housing communities. Our Community Life Team along with some amazing volunteers have reaped the rewards of Chris' generosity and compassion by delivering baked goods and fresh soup to each and every resident in Family Housing.”

Mark Colvin said, “I want to give great thanks to Hospitality, especially Chris Herkimer for getting us through our Residence Outbreak. We were adding people to quarantine and isolation all times of the day, and Chris and his team where able to organize food and deliver it to them all. It’s certainly great to have wonderful colleagues who step up when needed!”

When notified that he was the first recipient of the “G” Thanks! award, Chris was slightly uncomfortable and replied modestly, “Thank you, but I want to share the award with the team.  We put our heads down and make things happen for our students and the university community. I am proud to work with such talented, committed, hard-working people.”

“G” Thanks! is a program within the GREAT at U of G initiative, focused on building a culture of gratitude, recognition, and appreciation at U of G. Each month, a new Kudoboard is open for nominations from the University community for faculty and staff who you want to appreciate, recognize, or show gratitude for.

Learn more by visiting the GREAT at U of G website: https://www.uoguelph.ca/hr/appreciation-recognition-home.