News and resources for PDX employees.
News and resources for PDX employees.
Raina Babcock, ABM
Finding Smiles and Sweaters in the Lost and Found
A bad day turn can your whole mood sour and it can be tricky to prevent it from affecting interactions with your coworkers and customers. ABM's Raina Babcock makes it looks easy – she's perfected staying cheerful while navigating the challenges of lost and found, even when her day isn't going to plan. 
Raina's supervisor, Jill McPherson, commented, "Raina is friendly, knowledgeable and very respectful to all her customers. We have received several compliments for Raina due to her stellar customer service. Her positive attitude is a constant! Recently, she was in a car accident on her way to work. Thankfully uninjured, she made it in with a smile on her face. Her dedication to her team, the Port and our customers is simply a delight! We are lucky to have her."
Adding emphasis to Jill's observations, a happy customer wrote, "I want to commend Raina in Lost and Found. She was very understanding and took good care of my sweater until my friend could pick it up. All involved are to be lauded."
To recognize those airport employees that truly stand out as extraordinary, we host the PDX People customer service awards each quarter -- learn more about this quarter's event below. Want to nominate an employee who embodies the PDX People values and serves as a shining example of great customer service? Submit a nomination now.
PDX Quarterly Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 26  
Our next virtual awards ceremony to recognize outstanding customer service champions will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 26 from noon to 1 p.m. Add it to your Outlook calendar now!
This quarter's celebration will feature an update from Port of Portland Chief Operations Officer Dan Pippenger and a self-care segment from Briana Thornton of Aesthete Tea, a woman- and QBIPOC-owned organic loose leaf tea and herbal blend brand, based in Portland and sold at Tender Loving Empire. Briana will host a demonstration about using tea as a ritual to bring a sense of routine back into one’s life, especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic where nearly everyone has experienced disruption in their lives.
Every nominee receives special appreciation for their outstanding efforts and the PDX People working committee selects one employee from each of our airport industries to win the exceptional honor of a PDX Quarterly Award for customer service. Bookmark this link to watch the live event.
Missed the last virtual awards ceremony? View the recording of our previous awards ceremony or read about the winners on the PDX employee website.
PDX Oregon Market Store Closures
Two more Oregon Marketplace stores have closed their doors to make way for PDX Next construction: The Real Mother Goose and Pendleton.
The Real Mother Goose has been supporting American Craft for nearly 50 years. The central focus of owners, Stan and Judy Gillis, is their commitment to building relationships with customers and with the artists represented in the store. With the closure of the PDX store, they are now moving to an entirely online presence. You can find them online here.
While the storefront pre-security is closed, travelers can visit the Pendleton kiosk on the C Concourse near gate C12, or visitors and locals can shop at their other store locations in the Portland metro area.
Learn more about this change and other PDX Next impacts.
Dynamic Duo Take Home Top Dog Honors
Anyone who knows Port of Portland Police Officer Charlie Berry and Jacky, her German Shorthair Pointer K9, knows they’re a topnotch team…but now they have the award to prove it!
Last Friday, the pair graduated from TSA’s Explosives Detection Canine Handler Course where they also took home the prestigious “Top Dog” award, given to a team that represents the best work ethic, effort and commitment while attending the National Explosive Detection Canine Team Program. In fact, when new K9 handlers attend the school, one of the first things they see is the Top Dog names on a perpetual plaque, highlighting handlers that went above and beyond to keep the public safe through deterrence and detection work.
“The award was quite a surprise and will forever be one of my proudest moments in my career,” Charlie shared. “As a young female in law enforcement, the odds are often times stacked against me with cultural and social norms, but I feel like that encourages and motivates me to strive to be the best at any new challenge I take on.”
“But I have to admit, there is no way I would be Top Dog without Jacky on the end of the leash. Canine work is difficult and humbling, yet so rewarding. Luckily I got a dog that just fit with my personality, work ethic and energy level.”
So what’s next for the award-winning explosive detection duo? They’ll be focused on TriMet’s MAX Red Line – using their paw-some teamwork to keep employees safe!
PDX Economy Lot Hosts OHSU Drive-Up Vaccine Clinic
You might see a little extra traffic this week around the Red Economy Parking Lot near PDX. The Port of Portland loaned the space to OHSU for a drive-thru vaccination clinic, which will launch this Thursday, Jan. 21. The Port believes that vaccination is the best health and economic recovery tool for this region and were happy to lend their support to this effort. 
You're not alone if you think the vaccine rollout is a little confusing. The state is in charge of determining vaccine eligibility. Right now, OHSU will only vaccinate those in the Phase 1a vaccination group at the Red Economy Parking Lot. They hope to expand this to the next group of eligible populations when additional vaccines are available. Appointments will be required for the Red Lot vaccine clinic. OHSU will be launching a new page for appointments on their website today. Once it’s live, it can be accessed from the OHSU COVID-19 vaccine page.
What are the hours?
  • Hours will vary in the first few days.
  • The site should be open on Thursday, January 21, from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. and Friday January 22 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. 
  • If OHSU has sufficient vaccine supply the Red Economy Lot vaccine site will be open on Saturday, January 23 and Sunday, January 24 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m
  • The schedule for future dates is still TBD
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 18
Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorates the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., the recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize and an activist for nonviolent social change until his assassination in 1968.
While many of the gatherings to honor this day weren't possible in 2021, it was still a time for unity and celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You can watch recordings of Portland State University's MLK Tribute series of speakers or check out Solve Oregon's list of resources to learn more about the history of Martin Luther King Jr. day.
PDX Parking & Rental Car Facility Construction Project Hits Milestone
Last Friday, construction crews held a “topping out” ceremony, celebrating the placement of the highest beam on the PDX ground transportation projects and completion of the most complex and dangerous part of the work – steel erection – which took place under exceptionally challenging conditions in 2020.
Fun fact: The practice "topping out" can be traced to an ancient Scandinavian rite of placing a tree atop a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits displaced in its construction.
This new facility will improve the PDX travel experience with all rental cars on-site, an improved rideshare experience, reduced congestion on the roadway, and additional parking for when people are ready to travel again. It will also contain new seismically resilient spaces for the Comm Center, Port Police, TSA and other support services. Learn more about why it’s “way, way more than a parking garage” in this interview with Stacey Flint, project manager at JE Dunn.
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Shannon McArthur, PDX Customer Relations, 503.415.6859
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