Durango, CO: The City of Durango was recognized on Friday,  May 29, by the Florida Sterling Council with a Sterling Best Practices Award for “Visionary Leadership Drives Customer Excellence.

Durango, CO: The City of Durango was recognized on Friday,  May 29, by the Florida Sterling Council with a Sterling Best Practices Award for “Visionary Leadership Drives Customer Excellence.”The Florida Sterling Council was formed in 1992 with its core business focused on the management of the Sterling/Baldridge National Criteria for Performance Excellence. By conducting organizational assessments, the council helps local governments become high-performing organizations. Ultimately, this improves the city’s customer relations and in the process, saves taxpayer dollars. As part of this commitment to continuous improvement, the city has implemented internally its Trail to Excellence program, which commits to national best practices, ongoing evaluation of processes, outstanding service quality, and meaningful community engagement.“This recognition belongs to each and every one of our employees,” said City Manager Jose Madrigal. “While the award highlights leadership, what the examiners truly recognized was the culture, systems, and commitment that exist throughout our organization. They saw employees who care about one another, work collaboratively across departments, embrace continuous improvement, and remain focused on delivering exceptional service to our community.”A team of trained examiners from across the country and multiple industries reviewed the city’s application, conducted interviews, evaluated its practices, and validated what it does through a comprehensive site visit. During their visit, they met with employees from all levels of the organization and observed firsthand how our values, strategic priorities, and commitment to excellence are put into action every day.Following the examiners’ site visit this spring, they commended the progress our organization has made in creating a culture of excellence and identified several best practices worthy of recognition.City councilors recognized the award within the context of the city’s leadership and customer service from staff.‘This is an amazing achievement to be honored with a Sterling Council Award,” said councilor Gilda Yazzie. “This is an excellent reflection of our leadership and teamwork throughout the City of Durango. Congratulations!”Councilor Kip Koso touted how the city employees turn values into actions that improve our community. “I recently drove past two staff members of our parks crew clearing weeds out from the medians on Florida, Camino del Rio and Wilson Gulch over the course of several days with traffic going by all day long,” he said. “This is just one small example of hard work and outstanding service that is often overlooked but that makes a real impact in how residents view and appreciate our city.”WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Do you have a comment, question, or suggestion? Check out our Engage Durango page for the latest updates on current projects. Let us know through our “Contact Us” form. Want to receive releases on city news? Sign up for Notify Me and select "City of Durango News Flash."_____________________________________________________________________________Media ContactTom SluisPublic Information Officer Phone: (970) 375-5090Email: Tom Sluis###