LaredoBuzz.Com

Courtesy Miriam Castillo,

Laredo, TX – The Laredo Chamber of Commerce Customer Service Committee hosted the Annual Five Star Service Awards on Thursday, July 19, 2012 at the Laredo Country Club.  The Customer Service Committee recognized those local businesses that have gone that extra mile to provide outstanding customer service.

 The Chairperson of the Customer Service Committee, Cassandra Wheeler, began the ceremony with an invocation followed by welcoming remarks from the Laredo Chamber of Commerce Chairperson, Wilfredo Martinez, Jr.  In his welcoming remarks, Martinez not only recognizes the nominees for excellence in customer service, he commends the nominees for helping to create a service oriented culture in our city as well.

 The winners of the Five Star Service Awards were presented with a plaque in recognition of exemplary customer service in the category in which they were nominated.  The winners in each category are as follows:

 Educational Services – Texas A&M International University

Texas A&M International University provides a learning environment built on a solid academic foundation in the arts and sciences. Winning the Five Star Service Award for the second consecutive year, TAMIU is dedicated to preparing students for a leadership role in an increasingly complex, culturally diverse state, national, and global society.

 Financial Services – Laredo Federal Credit Union

Serving the community for over 50 years, the Laredo Federal Credit Union has grown to over 18,600 members. They are guided by moral and ethical principles of honesty and responsibility to provide its members efficient, courteous, caring and professional financial services.

 Government Support Services – U.S. Border Patrol

The U.S. Border Patrol has served the Southwest border and Laredo since 1924.  This is their second consecutive year winning the Five Star Service Award.  Their mission is to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States, as well as continuing its traditional mission of preventing illegal aliens, smugglers, narcotics, and other contraband from entering the country. 

 Health & Medical Services – Laredo Specialty Hospital

Specializing in caring for medically complex patients that require extended care due to critical illness or injuries, Laredo Specialty Hospital has been recognized for their Patient Advocacy Program that has been instrumental in maintaining a customer satisfaction score of 100%.  They are dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals suffering from catastrophic injury or chronic illness.

 Hospitality Services – Spring Hill Suites by Marriot

Winning the Five Star Service Award for the second consecutive year, Spring Hill Suites offers the space and service to their guest’s that allows them to get things done or simply unwind and be comfortable.  While offering a variety of services and amenities to further enhance their guest’s stay, they continue to demonstrate a strong commitment to improving their services to both local and out of town guests.

 Non-Profit Community Services – Children’s Advocacy Center

The Children’s Advocacy Center has served the most vulnerable children; victims of neglect and sexual abuse.   The Children’s Advocacy Center, along with a multi-disciplinary team of several agency representatives, have come together to raise awareness of the responsibilities our community has to protect our children.  Their mission is to break the cycle of child abuse through community education, training and prevention; and to allow the child opportunities for healing through intervention in a child sensitive environment.

 Professional Services – Manpower

For more than 60 years, Manpower has been at the forefront of the world of work, giving our community unparalleled expertise in leveraging human potential and an in-depth knowledge of business evolution.  They apply their insight to create a continuum of staffing solutions designed to enhance business agility, productivity and competitiveness, with extraordinary results.

 Restaurant Services – Chick-fil-A North Laredo

Only being open for less than two years, this particular Chick-fil-A restaurant has demonstrated outstanding customer service. They have received the “Rookie of the Year” Award and the “$3 Million” Award for 2011.  Their mission is to “Be America’s Best Quick Service Restaurant” and their goal is to continue to excel in customer service.

 Small Retail Services – Edible Arrangements

With over 1,128 locations in 14 countries throughout the world, Edible Arrangements has grown into a fresh fruit phenomenon.  They provide a friendly atmosphere for customers to walk in to sample their chocolate dipped fruit or just to get the juiciest fruit news from their fruit experts.  Their mission is to simply WOW you by offering a one-of-a-kind experience when preparing for that special moment.

 Large Retail Services – H-E-B Grocery

Proud to support initiatives like the Food Bank Assistance Program and their Annual Feast of Sharing holiday dinners, H-E-B’s commitment and involvement in the community has been an important part of the way they do business.  Their commitment to excellence has made them one of the nation’s largest independently owned food retailers. Yet, their success hasn’t changed their commitment to exceptional service, low prices, and friendly shopping.

 Hall of Fame Awarded to IBOC

The Hall of Fame Service Award is given to a business that has been presented the Five Star Service Award in their category for two or more consecutive years.  Before announcing the winners in each category, Cassandra Wheeler welcomed International Bank of Commerce into the Five Star Customer Service Hall of Fame in recognition of the enthusiasm and continued commitment to excellence in providing extraordinary customer service.  International Bank of Commerce was recently ranked by the Hispanic Business Magazine as the number one Hispanic-owned financial institution in the nation. The bank was also the number one Hispanic-owned business in Texas and fourth nationally. They were also recognized by Bank Director Magazine as one of the nation’s largest banks and thrifts with the most assets and highest five-year return on equity. Furthermore, National Banker’s Association has awarded them their coveted High Performance Bank Award many times in recognition of leadership qualities and excellence in overall performance and service. 

 In preparing for the Five Star Service Awards, the Customer Service Committee nominated several different local businesses to participate in an online survey based on specific criteria, concentrating mainly in the area of customer service. Among the winners, the following attended a series of eight customer service seminars given by the Laredo Chamber of Commerce Customer Service Committee; Laredo Specialty Hospital, Laredo Federal Credit Union, Children’s Advocacy Center, and International Bank of Commerce.  The online survey, comprised of the ten different services with more than 30 nominees overall, was open to the public to determine the winners of the awards.