Hospitality Giveaway Nominees

Shane Krueger
"Shane has been a staple in Door County for years now! He is always friendly, kind and welcoming to all. Shane has made Door County is home and makes everyone feel like home."  – Nominated by Dana M.

Ismayil TofigAde
"Ismayil is the most hardworking employee that have been with us for last 3 years. He works everyday to provide greatest service to our clients. He is very trustworthy and will work long ours. We are so happy to have him with us and we are planning to keep him around as long as we can. We think he deserves this prize as much as other employees that work for community. Since we are closing for season in January, this prize would give him opportunity to travel and explore new places and expand his hospitality skills." – Nominated by Joseph K.

Charlie from Husby's
"Charlie is our favorite bartender period. He makes every patron feel welcome whether it is their first or 100th time at Husby's. Plus he looks good in a tutu and tights." – Nominated by Kelly B.

Lana Hall
"Lana has been working at Ephraim shores for many many years. Steps up to the plate were it is needed. Very hard, loyal, personal, pleasant employee, she deserves a vacation get away!!" – Nominated by Mary N.

Ann LaPlant
"She has outstanding customer service and can solve any problem that arises. Her coworkers even call her mom! After 22 years of dedication to the resort she knows every owner and return guests by name. She surely takes hospitality to a whole new level!" – Nominated by Mike P.

Amy Soquet
"Amy is the queen of customer service, always an astoundingly positive attitude despite the line going out the door!" – Nominated by Tim & Lorie M.

Andy from Journey's End
"Simply the best in DC" – Nominated by Randy H.

Roman Collack
"Roman is the hardest working person...24/7 making sure everything is perfect for customers and owners. He works tirelessly putting his work a priority. He deserves to get away and relax with his family. He is extremely dedicated, hard working, kind and a thoughtful person in the world." – Nominated by Sherrie G.

Al Kwaterski
"Worked tirelessly all season. Did not miss a beat during even the busiest of event weekends." – Nominated by Paul H.

Scotty Mikes
"Scotty was new this year. I honestly didn’t think he would make it. We met him during his first week on new years weekend. High spirits and always welcoming throughout the whole season. Another thing. Mikes has become quite the foodie place. Every week John has something new on the menu. Best kept secret needs to be shouted from the hills."– Nominated by Paul H.

Sarah Brandt
"Sarah, like a lot of servers, works three jobs and is always pleasant. She is also reliable and helpful to others in the industry." – Nominated by Mickie R.

Deb at AC Tap & Cornerstone
"Always friendly and efficient, shows compassion and support to everyone she served." – Nominated by Paul C.

Lorraine Laboy-Roman
"Lorraine is the epitome of a tourism ambassador for Door County and the museum. She responds to the daily questions and inquiries from museum guests and callers with a calm demeanor, often providing them with more information than they perhaps bargained for. I have listened to phone calls when Lorraine spends 15 minutes or more with potential visitors, practically helping to plan out their entire Door County vacation – restaurants, hotels, additional attractions and other activities. During the two very busy Door County Lighthouse Festival weekends, Lorraine is in the office for the entire time, seamlessly making sure thousands of guests are properly registered for their tours. She efficiently processes hundreds of museum memberships each year, smoothing the way for guests to visit all three museum locations and other businesses in our communities. Her museum colleagues affectionately call her “Boss Lady”; she is the glue that holds us all together." – Nominated by Sam P.

Ron Lawreance
"Ron has been my cousin's and mine go to driver for us to get home in Jacksonport as we venture around the peninsula late into the evening hours. Once, he even had a client and changed routes with them in the car just so he could come get us." – Nominated by Paul H.

Amanda Mittermann
"Amanda is an extremely dependable and knowledgeable team member who goes above and beyond to ensure that guests are satisfied. She shares her intimate knowledge of Door County and hospitality with visitors, extending the warm family Coachlite welcome to all." – Nominated by Richard H.

Shannon Vertz
"Shannon is one of the nicest, most professional hospitality managers that I know. She always has a cheery disposition and is a true problem solver. Anyone I know who has worked with Shannon has always had only very good things to say about her. She has patience with beginners and makes the work environment fun. It would give me so much pleasure for your nomination of Shannon for this award." – Nominated by Cathy B.

Shannon Vertz
"She is a wonderful manager and tries to go above and beyond for her employees and clients." – Nominated by Anthony V,

Ann Williams
"Ann works at Westwood shores AND at Bliss. She is responsible for making our visitors have a good experience all year long." – Nominated by Susan L.

Amanda Bass
"Amanda stepped into an entirely new role here at Pheasant Park Resort. She immediately took the wheel and began working closely with the front desk staff focusing on taking great care of our guests. She has steered that team to always put the guest experience first with all interactions and created an incredibly welcoming environment. During the height of the season, Amanda was the first to step in and help housekeeping at whatever capacity they needed - from just making beds to working right alongside the housekeepers scrubbing tubs and toilets! What an amazing addition Amanda is to Pheasant Park Resort - I look forward to watching her and the entire resort team grow under her leadership." – Nominated by Joan H.

Beverly Bootz
"Bev has been with us for 6 years and is retirement age but continues to go above and beyond to be here, give good service, always ready with a joke. At times she has been the only employee on a Saturday night both bar tending and waitressing. She is a true committed service industry person and has been in the industry since she was a teen." – Nominated by Abby & Rick H.

Jesse Sanchez
"Jesse is a warm welcoming face at the front desk of the service department at Jim Olson motors when you go on vacation or come home from vacation the last thing you want to deal with is car issues and repairs working with Jesse makes it hassle free and as smooth as possible!" – Nominated by Kerrianne K.

Kim Steger
"As receptionist and bookstore manager, Kim is the gracious ambassador for The Clearing Folk School, greeting people in person, on the phone, and via email with a helpful spirit and a cheerful sense of humor. She creates a welcoming environment at the Visitor Center, taken ownership of rearranging the bookstore and gift shop (displaying the merchandise in creative ways), and has been responsible for finally getting The Clearing’s store online for the world, really, to discover - especially the locally handmade items  like the knitted hats, scarves, and woolen mittens!" – Nominated by Paula K.

Rosella Trotter
"No matter how busy she is, Rosella always has a smile on her face when she greets visitors at Destination Sturgeon Bay and helps them make their visit to Door County special when she finds out what they enjoy doing and point them in the right direction - sometimes literally! She also helps the many Sturgeon Bay businesses with anything they ask her. She is a gem! – Nominated by Claudette V.

Andrei Vrabie
"Andrei was originally a J-1 VISA employee from about 8 years ago and in the last few years he has transitioned to Maintenance, stepping in for our Maintenance Lead who was struck with a stroke and unavailable for all of 2022.  He utilized some of the cross-training he had been through and with his can-do spirit, he took on repairs and projects and ensured our guests had the comfortable and relaxing time that we always strive to provide.  He also still steps in to help our housekeepers with room preparation and anything else that he sees needs to be done to help keep the Edgewater Resort running well.  Andrei is the essence of Hospitality, willing to help his fellow team members, taking on new projects, always a big smile for our guests and always willing to assist our guests with their hotel needs or questions. – Nominated by Patrick P.

Alysha Burczyk
"Coming off of Covid and shortfalls of workforce that all of our businesses had, Alysha was an exemplary employee who went above and beyond what was required of her.  Even during family health issues and staffing shortages, she was someone that I could always count on that would be at work and do the work knowing that guests and visitors of Door County have expectations when visiting and she always met those expectations.  She was willing to lead by example to other staff members and was willing to train in multiple rolls at the resort to help out wherever she may be required.  With every person she met, who stayed with us would always comment on how friendly and helpful she was.  To me, hearing those comments and acknowledgments about her is the very definition of how hospitality workers leave a lasting impact to our visitors that want them to keep coming back for more." – Nominated by Josh C.

Tanya Schaut
"We really enjoying eating at Cornerstone Pub. One reason is that Tanya is a server there and she is great. She is friendly, efficient, and seems to anticipate the needs of her customers. It is a pleasure to nominate her." – Nominated by Janis M.

Jonny Walker
"Great guy! Love him!" – Nominated by Nancy H.

Mark Walker
"I am nominating Mark Walker as he is one of the hardest workers I know and he is genuinely a good guy that will help you out when needed." – Nominated by Adam H.

Lana Hall
"All of the customers just love her including her employees. She has been with Ephraim Shores since 1969, true devotion!!" – Nominated by Dawn A.

Hunter Bjarnarson
"Hunter provides consistently fantastic service. He knows his clients well and makes them feel at home and well taken care of. He is personable and kind." – Nominated by Sarah D.

Dale Kiehnau
"A very friendly face that everyone likes to see. Great bartender!!!" – Nominated by Miriam D.

Grant from Barringers
"Always provides kind and top notch service."– Nominated by Sharon H.

Joni Witalison
"Joni ALWAYS goes above and beyond for not only her clients and customers, but also her community. She supports every business as best as she can by showing up, helping to promote, volunteering, and is the first to seek solutions to any challenges ANYONE may face! She is an incredible human and has a heart of gold! Even if Joni is not chosen - A tremendous amount of gratitude to her for the devoted and unwavering support for this community!!" – Nominated by Janet D.

Dori Arbter
"Dori is Door County friendliness personified whilst slinging superb cocktails and helping "newbies" to the door in selecting where to go, what to see, and what delicious meals to choose!!!! Not saying this just cause she's my daughter; many many people have complemented me for having such a great kid!!!" – Nominated by William A.

Erica Walker
"Erica is amazing and truly one of the most hardworking people ever! Erica graduated lasted week with her accounting degree. She has worked so hard at it along with moving her aunt, moving herself, renovating a house while living it, working full time WITH a having a high risk pregnancy! Erica truly is a master of all handling the back end bookkeeping of multiple businesses. We are SO thankful for her!" – Nominated by Andrea B.

Sarah DeNamur
"The beautiful things that Sarah creates bring so much joy to people lucky enough to share them. It is clear that everything she does is with her love for baking and her love for making people happy. Whether it is your wedding day and you are sharing your special day with your family and friends or you are treating your coworkers to cupcakes, everyone will have a smile on their face as they enjoy the product of her love." – Nominated by Brian F.

Lindsay Wintermute
"Lindsay was new to our team this last season. After leaving a career in education, she pushed herself to try a whole new venture as one of our managers. She was always eager to learn and caught on quickly. She had a positive attitude day in and day out. The staff enjoyed working with her and we received many compliments from customers that she interacted with throughout the season. Not every day was easy but accepted all of the challenges that come with working with the public in a seasonal business. She's well deserving of a hospitality award and we'd love for her to get a little R&R before next season!" – Nominated by Sarah M.

Paige Sullivan
"Paige works tirelessly to schedule Segway tours 7 days of the week. She greets customers and is always willing to answer questions. She’s kind and welcoming and works harder than any other hospitality worker I’ve met!" – Nominated by Genna A.

Elizabeth McBride
"My Aunt Liz is the hardest working woman I know, is amazing at her job, and has the best hospitality in Door County. She runs the Harbor Guest House around the clock through every season and even through medical complications, but she still loves it after twenty years and is still amazing at what she does. She never takes a vacation because someone always has to the available to help the guests. Please choose her, she is so deserving and would cry like a baby! Our family loves her so much and her dedication. She is exceptional!" – Nominated by Corrin W.

Mary from Bay Shore Inn
"Mary is one of the front desk workers at Bay Shore Inn. Her job is to be a hospitable greeter and keep thongs running smoothly. But she is so much more than the job description. She is so kind and thoughtful and despite losing her husband of "Bills pancakes" and more she continues to be of service to others. In the five years I have known her we have spent hours of pleasant conversations. She recently was diagnosed with cancer and my thoughts have been with her. When I saw this post for Door County hospitality worker of the year, I could think of no one more deserving." – Nominated by Dave M.

Laura Bradley
"Laura is wonderful! She always greets us with a smile, has a wealth of information and has ALWAYS steered us in the right direction! I’m always hoping she’s working on the day I stop in 😊. Thanks Laura for everything!!" – Nominated by Susie P.