Carroll Hy-Vee Employee Earns Company's Highest Honor
August 30, 2018 | News & Press Releases
CARROLL, Iowa (Aug. 30, 2018) — For one customer in Carroll, a Hy-Vee helpful smile became a trusted friend who visited every week – and who would only take a “thank you” in return.
Katie Dozler, a cashier at the Carroll Hy-Vee store, noticed back in October 2016 that one of her regular customers had not visited the store in several weeks. She found out that the customer had broken her hip, so Dozler took her some fruits and vegetables she knew were her favorites based on previous shopping trips, plus several Hy-Vee Market Grille entrees.
“Katie’s love for her customers is evident,” Carroll store director Brad Auge said. “The customers are more than people who come through her line; they are people that she’s gotten to know over her 35-year Hy-Vee career. They are her family – so much so that she knows when they haven’t been to the store lately.”
“She asked what she could do to help me, and since we have no family in the area at the top of my list was changing our bed linens,” customer Darlene Donovan wrote. “Katie came every week and put fresh sheets on the bed. When I was able to do it myself, I insisted on paying her and she refused any compensation. Thanking her was inadequate, but she would accept nothing else. She truly lives the ‘golden rule’ and Hy-Vee can be proud to have her as an employee.”
Dozler’s dedication to caring for her customers is why this morning, fellow employees, family members, customers and Hy-Vee executives gathered at the Hy-Vee in Carroll to surprise Dozler with the Legendary Customer Service Award. The award recognizes exemplary achievement in providing service that exceeds customers’ expectations. Only nine winners are selected each year from among more than 80,000 Hy-Vee employees across eight states.
Candidates are nominated for the Legendary Customer Service Award by their co-workers, and winners are selected by a panel of Hy-Vee’s top officers. Nominations are evaluated on the employee’s overall contributions to the company in nine areas: passion for customer service, attitude, initiative, teamwork, problem-solving skills, dedication to Hy-Vee fundamentals, communication skills, professional image and self-confidence.
“Katie is the friendliest, happiest, most empathetic and sympathetic person I have ever met,” customer Amy Hoogestraat-Melone wrote. “She never takes the smile off of her face. I will continue to shop at Hy-Vee and I will continue to wait in line just to talk to Katie.”
Hy-Vee’s Chairman, CEO and President Randy Edeker said Dozler demonstrates exactly the type of commitment to customers that Hy-Vee leaders had in mind when the Legendary Customer Service Award was established in 2006.
“Katie lives out the things Hy-Vee stands for in everything she does — helpful, honest and respectful service to our customers. Over and over, nominators called out her dedication to the community and the people who live in it and how it shows in her hard work,” Edeker said. “This award honors the best of the best from among our Hy-Vee family, and Katie is most deserving of this recognition.”
Dozler and the other 2018 recipients of the Legendary Customer Service Award will be inducted into
Hy-Vee’s Customer Service Hall of Fame and receive a coveted Legendary Customer Service name badge and a custom-designed ring to commemorate the honor. They will be guests of honor at the Hy-Vee service award dinner in October, which honors employees for longevity of service. They will also be recognized at Hy-Vee’s annual stockholders’ meeting in December. And finally, their photos will be prominently featured on the side of Hy-Vee trucks, showcasing their helpful smiles to millions of travelers across the Midwest.
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About Hy-Vee, Inc.
Hy-Vee Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 245 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $10 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 10 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America’s Top 5 favorite grocery stores. The company’s more than 80,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.