2017 Individual Wall of Fame Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Nathan Vass, Transit Operator

Nominated by Michael Thornton, Bus Operations

Nathan has been an operator since June 2007, and has received 206 customer commendations (the average is 1.1 commendations per operator, per year). Metro has twice recognized Nathan as Operator of the Month, and his exceptional customer and community service has caught the attention of others. Nathan was featured in a front-page article in the Seattle Times and has been recognized by numerous other local publications. Nathan stands out as an inspirational leader to his co-workers and everyone he encounters. In his blog, “The view from Nathan’s bus,” he writes simply about nice things that happen on the bus. Nathan drives mainly in the Rainier Valley, and his ability to focus on the positive touches everyone he meets. He truly is among Metro’s best.

2017 Individual Wall of Fame Award Recipient

John Rochford, Administrator of Access Operations

Nominated by the Access Team, Paratransit & Rideshare Operations

John exemplifies Metro’s commitment to providing great, safe service for thousands of community members. A King County employee since 2001, John manages all service operations of the Access paratransit program, which provided nearly one million trips to people with disabilities in 2016.

John pioneered transportation services for people with disabilities in Seattle. He came to the city in 1980 as a Jesuit volunteer, and launched a small paratransit service called Seattle Personal Transit (SPT). This was before the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 required equal access to public transportation for people with disabilities. John did this because it was the right thing to do.

John successfully lobbied to get Metro funding for SPT, which later became part of the Fremont Public Association and was renamed Solid Ground Transportation in 2013. Today Solid Ground is the only nonprofit service provider of Metro’s Access transportation.

John strives to assure quality service in a way that is fair and supportive both to customers and service providers. He cares deeply about each customer, putting in extra hours to patiently work with riders to address any challenges they might have. John’s calm, caring and respectful presence benefits customers and Metro overall.

John and his colleagues are now leading a major effort to improve Access services for the future. He continually finds creative ways to improve services in a cost-effective manner, and willingly contributes his expertise and knowledge. He is caring, encouraging and supportive—a leader in the Access team.

2017 Team Wall of Fame Honorable Mention Award recipients

Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel Maintenance Team

Team members: Marion Asirot, Emilio Briones, Lewis Capers, Edgardo Fabia, Walter Green, Rick Greenquist, Joe Haigh, Juan Hood III, Troy Jaeger, Abdul Malik, Joe McDaniel, Greg McNair, David Munson, Vijay Nair, Nick Nash, Carlo Natividad, Brad Newman, Tsegay Negash, Abdi Samatar, Jeff Steuby, Nouane Thepvongsa, Don Tucker, and Berhanu Wakene

Nominated by Jose Reyna, Power & Facilities

The Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel serves thousands of bus and train riders every day. It is the busiest section of Link light rail. The tunnel has five stations, and numerous elevators and escalators.

The 20 members of the Tunnel Maintenance Team—one of Metro’s most diverse work groups—maintain this critical facility. They scrub floors, empty trash cans, remove graffiti, sanitize public areas—the list could go on and on. This group operates 24/7, every day, often going above and beyond their standard duties for the sake of our customers.

Recent increases in ridership, in special events, and in the number of homeless people in Seattle have stressed tunnel facilities. During events like the Torchlight Parade, hundreds of thousands of people may pass through the tunnel in a weekend. This greatly increases the workload, but the team meets this challenge head-on, knowing that our customers expect a safe and clean facility come Monday morning.

The team provides great customer service with courtesy and a smile. They are always willing to give directions to a lost tourist or help people with disabilities. They are usually the first to arrive an emergency, calling for assistance, directing first responders to the exact location or rendering first aid. They exemplify our core values of safety, diversity, inclusion, teamwork, and great customer service.

2017 Team Wall of Fame Award recipients

Component Supply Center Transmission Rebuild Shop

Team members: Tiberiu Dirdala, Ted Herron, David Jones, John Nesbitt, Anthony Reynolds, Greg Springer, and Jong Yim

Nominated by Don Goodwin, Vehicle Maintenance

The Component Supply Center Transmission Rebuild Shop team earned recognition for their knowledge, the quality of their product, the pride they take in their work, and their status as an industry leader. This team initiated the use of Lean Process tools several years before Lean was introduced at Metro. The crew continues looking for ways to improve their rebuild process and product. The group has racial, ethnic and age diversity, and works as a team, learning from and relying on one another.

The Transmission Rebuild Shop collaborates with other maintenance bases, transit agencies and companies to help them improve. They are dedicated to building trust with customers.

Renowned as technical experts in rebuilding transmissions—including hybrid transmissions—they also are very aware of necessary safety practices. The team takes pride in being good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars. The Transmission Rebuild Crew is definitely a model for all of us.