The City of Destin recently awarded Henry Portorreal the 2014 Employee of the Year Award. This is the 24th year of the award and the city’s most prestigious of all staff recognitions. Portorreal is a maintenance technician in the Public Services Department.
Mayor Pro Tem Sandy Trammell and the Destin City Council publicly recognized Portorreal at the Jan. 5 city council meeting for his achievement. A plaque from Sen. Jeff Miller’s office was also presented to Portorreal praising his work and dedication to the city.
“Henry is an excellent choice for this award, and I am proud to have him on our team,” said City Manager Greg Kisela. “His contributions to the city are greatly appreciated, and it is nice to see him recognized.”
This year, the selection committee reviewed nominations made by staff. The committee then interviewed the nominators to find out how their nominees represent the city’s core values and mission: “…to provide quality service to our community through professionalism, communication and teamwork.” Portorreal stood out among the 13 nominees.
“I am very honored and surprised to receive this award,” said Portorreal. “I love working for the city, we are like a family, and it means a lot that my co-workers think enough of me to recognize me this way.”
Portorreal began working for the city in the Recreation Department in 2012. In March of this year, he moved to the Public Services Department where he now serves as a maintenance technician.
His nomination included the following remarks:
• His personality makes everyone around him better.
• He is always in good spirits.
• Henry has the utmost respect for people.
• He finds the best quality for the lowest price.
• He never loses sight of the big picture.
• He follows up to ensure citizen concerns are addressed.
• His moral standards are high.
• When it comes to trust, honesty and integrity, it doesn’t get better than Henry.
The following core values were also associated with Portorreal’s work with the city:
• Fiscal discipline/responsibility
• Respectful working relationships among city council, staff and citizens
• Lawful, ethical, moral standards and actions
• Commitment to stated values and goals
• Open and sensitive to citizens’ concerns
• Commitment to public safety
• Trust/honesty/integrity