Seattle Genetics, T-Mobile among Winners

A vanpool veteran, a bike enthusiast, as well as worksite program experts from Seattle Genetics and T-Mobile were among the winners at the 18th Annual Choice Connections Awards. The Community Transit-sponsored event celebrates the champions of smart transportation choices and employer transportation programs throughout Snohomish County and the City of Bothell.
Community Transit receives funding to promote smart transportation options through innovative programs. The Choice Connections program helps employers reduce single-occupant vehicle trips to their worksites. The Curb the Congestion program promotes transportation options to residents and employees on six of Snohomish County’s most congested corridors. In 2014, these programs combined to remove 290,603 drive-alone trips and 2.7 million pounds of CO2.
For their smart transportation choices, Community Transit honored a Smart Commuter of the Year, Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year, Employer of the Year and a Curb the Congestion Champion of the Year for 2014.
This year’s winners are:
• Smart Commuter of the Year – Joyce Nelson, AT&T Bothell
• Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year – Kelly Davis, Seattle Genetics
• Employer of the Year – T-Mobile, Bothell
• Curb the Congestion Champion of the Year – Robert Stiles
Smart Commuter of the Year, Joyce Nelson, AT&T Bothell
Joyce Nelson is a project manager for technology security at AT&T. She is very adept at managing her carbon footprint using smart transportation options to commute from Federal Way to Bothell by vanpooling and telecommuting. Trav
Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) of the Year, Kelly Davis, Seattle Geneticseling 84 miles daily, four days a week, she and her vanpool partners are helping to take vehicles off the road and save time every day by sharing the commute.
Kelly Davis from Seattle Genetics in Bothellused her passion as a cyclist to take her worksite program to the next level. Kelly led Seattle Genetics to receive the Cascade Bicycle Club Silver-level BizCycle Certification denoting Seattle Genetics as an outstanding employer for commuters. Kelly organized her worksite’s Bike to Work Month campaign and tied it to a fundraiser for Gilda’s Club, raising $6,000 for cancer support. The Seattle Genetics team biked more than 6,000 miles last May.
Employer of the Year, T-Mobile, Bothell
T-Mobile in Bothell developed a major campaign to encourage its employees to register and log their trips on RideshareOnline.com, a commute tracking program. The company campaign included a generous number of gift cards as an incentive for new users. During the campaign, T-Mobile went from 18 employees logging non drive-alone trips on Rideshareonline.com to 106 employees logging trips, surpassing the company’s baseline goal by 133 percent.
Curb the Congestion Champion of the Year, Robert Stiles
For more than 20 years, Robert has been dedicated to using alternatives to driving alone for work and personal trips. He commutes by bicycle and bus from Edmonds to the U.S. Coast Guard in Seattle year round, five days a week, rain or shine. Last May, Robert led a bike team at his worksite and encouraged his friends and coworkers to sign up for the Bike Month challenge. During 2014, his trips logged in the Curb the Congestion program saved an impressive 244 gallons of gasoline, 1,213 drive-alone trips and $1,797.
To learn more about the Choice Connections programs, including Smart Commuter Rewards and Curb the Congestion, please visit www.communitytransit.org/choiceconnections.