City, Chamber Pay Tribute to Extraordinary Service

The of Palm Desert and the paid tribute today to residents who go above and beyond serving their neighbors at the 12th Annual Make Someone A Star awards breakfast held at the .

“This is our most important breakfast of the year,” said Jay Chesterton, the chamber's chair and vice president of operations at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. “It’s our way of honoring service by individuals in our community … people who go out of their way for the customers they serve in the course of doing their day-to-day jobs or running their business.”

The program encourages higher levels of service by giving residents and guests an opportunity to recognize retail and service professionals in Palm Desert.

This year, 10 finalists were selected from a field of 200 entries nominated by customers and clients.

The 2011 Make Someone A Star honorees were:                             

• Larry Dorn,
• Mike Nance,
• Diana White,
• Lynne Sherry-Ryan,
• Luis Beltran,
• Stephen Repp,
• Robert Lopez,
• Haili Ruckdaschel,
• Michael Smith,
• Engin Onural,

Ruth Ann Moore, Palm Desert's economic development manager, served as emcee during the award presentations, each of which was accompanied by videos in which honorees discussed their thoughts on customer service.

Following each video, Mayor Spiegel and Chesterton presented trophies to the honorees.

Speaking to the crowd of 80-90 city officials, chamber members and guests, Palm Desert Mayor Pro Tem Bob Spiegel pointed out that quality of service is critical to business success.

“If you go to a restaurant and the food is great but the service is terrible, chances are pretty good you won’t be eating there again,” he said. “Now if the food is only mediocre but the service is great, you’ll probably be back. It’s the same thing when you buy a suit or a dress – service makes all the difference.”

Chesterton echoed the mayor’s sentiment.

“This city is all about service,” he said. “That’s why Palm Desert is so special.”