Lourdes Tapia Faria
Volaris Airlines

Nominated by PDX travelers

1. "Lourdes treated us with kindness and respect. She was patient that we did not know how to fill out an immigration form and she helped us fill it out. She brought my husband a wheelchair to the ticket counter and assured, an agent came and wheeled us through TSA. Overall, our experience in Portland was wonderful thanks to this kind young lady. Good job PDX."

2. "I have a broken leg and I couldn’t stand for long, let alone roll my luggage bags. This kind, and patient young lady seen me and came and asked if I needed help. She wasn’t concerned if I was on her airline or not, she just helped. She went on the hunt for a wheelchair for me, and helped me roll my bags. Turns out I was on the frontier flight she was working. She set me up with an agent to help me get to the gate, and she moved my seat so I was more comfortable on the plane. She was kind and patient and so sweet. We need more people like her. Thank you."

Ken Holland
SP + Corporation

Nominated by a PDX traveler

"I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Ken Holland of your airport parking services for his professionalism, patience, and ability to deescalate the anxiety I had over my inability to find my car.

To set the scene, my departure from Portland was early morning and it was pitch black before sunrise…and I was in a rush. Upon my return, I, of course, managed to forget the parking marker by my car, but had what I thought to be a vivid memory of the surroundings.

After going to where I was convinced my car was parked, that sinking feeling of uneasiness kicked in when I discovered my car was not there. After walking up and down the lot a few times, convinced that’s where I parked my car, I saw a white truck with a flashing yellow light. Ken pulled over, polite, calm, and professional, took me in, and we began the search for my car. I was convinced my car had been stolen, but Ken remained positive, stating that it was a very rare occurrence there. After calmly and persistently retracing my arrival to the lot, we eventually found my car. "

Katrina Matthews
Made in Oregon

Nominated by her manager at Made in Oregon

"A customer left their bag in the Made in Oregon store. Katrina called the number on the luggage tag and got ahold of the passenger's mother. She then asked which gate to find the passenger and kept the mother on the phone while she tried to return the bag to the traveler. However, the flight door was closed.

She let the mother know the bag had to be turned into the lost and found and that was where she would be able to collect it, and family was very grateful. The family even sent a thank you letter to the lost and found for Katrina."

Efrenia Pere
Relay Resources

Nominated by James, a PDX traveler

"I wanted to share a quick story of kindness at PDX airport this weekend:

My 3-year-old son, who is autistic, has a very strong attachment to his stuffed bear, aptly named “Bear.” While playing in the PDX play area near Tillamook, he accidentally tossed Bear over the back wall into a space about 10 feet down with no easy access, just a few minutes before we needed to board our flight.

That’s when Efrenia, an employee with Relay Resources at PDX, noticed what happened. She paused her regular work, rushed to a nearby office, found the right keys, and came back just in time to rescue Bear.

What could have been a heartbreaking moment for my son turned into one of relief and gratitude.

I want to publicly thank Efrenia for going above and beyond. People like her make a real difference and reflect so well on both Relay Resources and PDX as a whole ."

Jonnie Rodriguez
Port of Portland

Nominated by PDX travelers

1. "Jonnie! Thank you. You gave me great advice how to get transportation from PDX to the Amtrak station. She took the extra time to help this elderly grandmother traveling with a young girl. Thank you for making our travels a bit smoother."

2. "Jonnie was so receptive when I called trying to reclaim an heirloom from TSA. I’ve never met someone in customer service with such a big heart, patience, kindness and respect. She has a demeanor that is truly caring, and I just am so thankful for her."

3. "Jonnie helped me get in contact with my 78-year-old father who had left his phone on airplane mode. Thank you for your patience and understanding during a stressful time. I love PDX and can’t wait to travel there."

Ashley Sauer
All About Foods Group - The Country Cat

Nominated by a PDX traveler

"Ashley went above and beyond with positive energy and kindness to turn a rough morning (we missed our original flight by a minute) into an enjoyable one through her exceptional, efficient, and thoughtful customer service at the Country Cat. I have traveled all over the world and must rate Ashley’s professional and kind service at the very top. Ashley is a terrific ambassador for the Country Cat and PDX airport, providing world class service and hospitality. Thank you, Ashley!"

Justin Villegas
TSA

Nominated by a PDX traveler

"My wife was missing her phone and was traveling out of the country. She only realized her phone was missing after she had passed through TSA. She asked many people for assistance but was unable to get assistance until Justin showed up.

He stepped forward, took charge of the situation, and showed kindness and leadership by example. He let her make a call, informed me of the situation, told me where to park, who to talk to, and directed my wife where to wait during the retrieval of her property. All this while demonstrating competence, leadership, kindness, generosity, and situational awareness. Justin showed humility when we asked him to file a compliment on his behalf, saying it was unnecessary."

Garrin Black, Graham Ignoffo, Z'ev Jenerik
Marceline Murray, Scott Swingle, Robert Spruell 

Garrin Black
Graham Ignoffo
Z'ev Jenerik
Scott Swingle
Port of Portland

Marceline Murray
Portland Coffee Roasters

Robert Spruell
Bags, Inc.

Guadalupe Villeda
United Airlines

Nominated by PDX employees

"When a traveler with disabilities needed assistance at PDX, teams across departments and companies collaborated to ensure he was taken care of in the best way possible.

Officer Scott Swingle was called to check on a passenger and found that the traveler, who was using a wheelchair, was quite confused and distressed. His flight had been canceled, and he had been unattended and unassisted since the night before.

Officer Swingle contacted Airport Operations for support. Airport Duty Manager Garrin Black and Airport Operations Specialist Graham Ignoffo provided clean clothes, water, and snacks, and reached out to United Airlines to rebook the flight. Officer Swingle and Garrin also assisted the passenger in using the bathroom and cleaning up.

A significant challenge was that the passenger was deaf and primarily spoke Spanish, although he could sign in ASL. Graham located Marceline at Portland Coffee Roasters, who could sign and helped communicate with the passenger. With Marceline’s assistance, the team gathered more information and reassured the passenger of their support.

Lupe from United arrived, saw exactly what happened with his flight, and went right to work. While he had been auto rebooked for the next day, she did not think that would suffice and worked her magic to get him on an earlier flight. She provided a full meal and then arranged for Robert Spruell, with Bags, Inc., to stay with him until his flight boarded.

When Graham and Garrin's shifts ended, they asked Airport Operations Specialist Z’ev Jenerik, who could sign, to periodically check in with the passenger. Z’ev communicated with the now content traveler, who praised Robert’s assistance. While many things went wrong for this guest, the teamwork, creative thinking, and care are a testament to the community here at PDX "