58 employees honored for 740 years of service

Fifty-eight Tribal employees with a combined 740 years of service were honored during the third-quarter Employee Recognition breakfast held Thursday, Dec. 11, in the Tribal gym.

The event featured a continental breakfast for employees and door prizes.

Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno, Vice Chair Jack Giffen Jr., Secretary Toby McClary and Tribal Council members Tonya Gleason-Shepek, Ed Pearsall, Jon A. George and Denise Harvey attended and shook hands with the employees honored. George gave the invocation.

Leno said Tribal Council respects its employees who have, for budget reasons, been asked to do more with less over the last couple of years.

“You’re part of our family,” Leno said. “We thank you for all of the hard work you do.”

Among those honored were three employees reaching the quarter-century mark in service – Human Resources Department Manager Connie Holmes, Timber and Roads Program Manager Jeff Kuust and Silviculture and Fire Protection Program Manager Jeff Nepstad. All three were hired by the Tribe in the summer of 1989.

In addition, employees recognized were:

24 years: Barbara Steere, Melanie Ebensteiner and Kelly Herber.

23 years: Bryan Langley.

22 years: Michael Wilson and Chris Leno.

20 years: Rob Greene.

18 years: Kimberly D’Aquila, Sharon Wattier II and Pearl Rife.

17 years: Bobby Mercier.

16 years: Toni Lockwood, Elaine Lane Raven and Sheila Blacketer.

15 years: Jeff Valentine and Kevin Mueller.

14 years: Matt Bucknell, Jack Dobiash, Julie Boekhoff and Egypt Leno.

13 years: Deborah Bachman.

12 years: John Harp, Trudi Yoshikawa, Tom Brown, Mark Mercier and Rick Andersen.

11 years: Kristy DeLoe, Peggy Carpenter and Brandy Humphreys.

10 years: Jolanda Catabay, Stephanie Simmons, Shannon Simi and Ken Trevino.

9 years: Deborah Kroeker, Erica Mercier and Siobhan Taylor.

8 years: George Valdez, Martin Gall, Louis King and Melody Wright.

7 years: Nicole Bishop, Scarlett Holtz, Alec Palanuk-Mercier, Volker Mell, Charles Neujahr, Dean Rhodes, Hal Mitchell, Kelly Mercier and Misty Carl.

6 years: Linda Hanna, Matt Zimbrick and Kandee Little.

5 years: Kevin Ruggles, Kayla Leno and Terri Andries.

Employees received a bonus check and certificate, and those reaching the 10-year mark also received a Pendleton blanket.

After the service awards were handed out, Holmes raffled off a variety of prizes, including Holiday Express trains, bowls, a coffeemaker, movie theater tickets, an emergency preparedness bag and two shop vacuums.