Crowley Maritime Corporation's highest honor

Suz Michel, director of people development and learning for Crowley in Seattle, and Bob Weist, vice president of sales and marketing for the logistics group were awarded 2008 Thomas Crowley trophies, the company's highest honor, at ceremonies at the company's Talleyrand terminal in Jacksonville, FL.

Created in 1985, only 50 of the company's 4,300-plus employees have been recognized with the limited edition, bronze sculpture depicting young Thomas Crowley as he ferried goods to and from ships on San Francisco Bay in the early 1890s. The trophy serves not only as a tribute to the founder of the company, but also to those honorees who have aligned themselves closely with the company's values and displayed outstanding performance along with dedication, leadership, initiative and productivity.

Tom Crowley, Jr., chairman, president and CEO, presented the awards during a company safety barbecue, which was attended by over 150 local employees. Also included in the group were previous Thomas Crowley Trophy recipients: Rob Clapp, vice president of pricing and yield management for the liner services group; Rinus Schepen, retired senior vice president and general manager; Todd Busch, senior vice president and general manager, technical services; Charlie Nalen, vice president, ESQA and Arthur LaMoureaux, director, internal audit.

Michel and Weist

"The ongoing training and professional development of our employees is critical to our company's success," said Crowley. "Suz has been instrumental in creating the foundation to make this happen. She had the vision for the people development and learning department, which is truly centered on the continued engagement and responsibility of our people for their own development process. Whether it be safety training for our operating personnel or enterprise-wide leadership training, Suz demonstrates an infectious attitude of optimism and has helped us position ourselves to be industry leaders for many years to come."

"I have been given unique opportunities during my time at Crowley and have had the rare privilege of seeing almost all of Crowley's operations," said Michel. "I love being a part of a company that believes in its people. I am eternally grateful for this recognition."

"Bob has been a determined and dedicated team player during his 22-year tenure with the company," said Crowley. "He has enthusiastically accepted every challenge that we've offered him and has moved to not only five different geographic locations, but has held positions of increasing responsibility within several of our business units. Before moving into his current position, he was charged with establishing and growing a truck brokerage department within the logistics group. He set goals, identified staffing needs and developed customer relationships that have put the department on a track for continued growth into the future under his leadership."

"I am fortunate to have the opportunity to be with a company like Crowley," said Weist. "We are made up of quality people and leaders and that's what makes Crowley unique.' It means so much to walk into a customer's office and talk about our core values, something that we live.' I am honored to be a part of it."

Michel joined Crowley in 2004, in the company's Environmental, Safety & Quality Assurance (ESQA) department where she was focused on regulatory safety training. In 2007, she was promoted to director of people development and learning, a new department created in response to employee survey results that indicated the need for accessible and coordinated learning opportunities in support of Crowley's operations and objectives. Michel has been instrumental in shaping the department and its reinforcement of Crowley's core value - Our People. She has helped develop learning programs for both shore side and vessel personnel, including Leadership, Supervision, Employ