Congratulations to Alicia Pederson, Norbert Laramie Award of Excellence Winner 2023!

 

Alicia Pederson has been a valuable member of Veterans Care Coordination (VCC) since March 2020. Despite joining during a challenging time with few people in the office, Alicia seamlessly and instantly connected with clients. Over her four years of service, Alicia has consistently embodied VCC’s core values of accountability, continuous improvement, and serving one another. Client testimonials attest to her exceptional work ethic. Her dedication and hard work not only led to a well-deserved promotion but also earned her the prestigious Norbert Laramie Award for Employee of the Year.

The Norbert Laramie Award holds great significance for VCC. It’s named after the grandfather of the company’s founder and CEO, Kyle Laramie, who bravely served in World War II. The award represents the core values that Norbert Laramie stood for and is a way for the company to honor his legacy. This award recognizes a team member’s exceptional contributions in the areas of innovation, leadership, production, and community service. Three nominees are selected each quarter and then narrowed down to the final three at the end of the year. The winner receives an all-expense paid trip for two as part of the prize. The 2023 nominees were Alicia Pederson, Jodi Suddarth, and Alanie Ellison.

Alicia began as a Client Care representative before eventually transitioning to Client Development and earned a promotion to Client Care Manager in June of this year. Throughout her four years at VCC, a company that receives numerous testimonials from appreciative Veterans and their families, Alicia has amassed an impressive number of testimonials through cards, emails, and online reviews. She blushed humbly when asked about her testimonials and said, “That is the one thing I miss in my new role. I just love connecting with the people, and I really just want to help them, which I know is what we all want to do at the end of the day, but I feel so appreciated by the clients.”

Sharing what the award means to her, Alicia stated, “Being nominated for the award means that I am representing the company and our values in the way that Kyle expects us to, and even going above and beyond a little bit. But to win when everybody here is great, and we really just have a lot of talent, is an honor. But to be nominated with Alainie and Jodi, and to even be up there with them, is a great honor and accomplishment.”

 

Regarding the travel destination, Alicia and her husband are still deciding but are looking forward to some time away for just the two of them since they haven’t taken a trip without their children in six years. Alicia only confirmed, “I still don’t know where we want to go, but as long as it’s not too cold, I’m alright.”

 

Jodi Suddarth and Alanie Ellison, the two runners-up for the award, also deserve recognition for their outstanding contributions. Both women have embodied VCC’s core values and contributed significantly to the company through their unwavering dedication and commitment. Alanie Ellison expressed her gratitude, stating, “It is a great honor to be recognized for continuous improvement and being nominated for the Norbert Laramie Award. Gail Sheehy once said, ‘If we don’t change, we don’t grow. if we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.’ Thank you to Veterans Care Coordination for allowing me to grow.” Jodi Suddarth, nominated for serving others, shared, “It was such an honor to be chosen as a finalist. Serving our clients and helping them improve their quality of life by having home care in place is truly the most rewarding career one can have. Serving the team and doing what is needed to make that happen never gets old!”

 

The Norbert Laramie Award of Excellence was established in 2017 to recognize and honor exceptional team members at VCC. Three individuals are nominated each quarter for their outstanding work, and the winner is announced after the year’s end. The award serves as a reminder to everyone at VCC of the values that drive their work and the legacy of Norbert Laramie.