Pittsburgh – Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll today recognized 30 PennDOT employees for their outstanding performance with the Star of Excellence Award, PennDOT’s highest recognition. Two employees from PennDOT’s District 11, which represents Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties were among the honorees.
“Every day, I am reminded of our employees’ dedication, their excellent customer service, and in many cases, their sacrifices,” said Carroll. “The accomplishments of our Stars of Excellence exemplify PennDOT’s mission to provide the very best transportation services to Pennsylvanians every day.”
Local winners Zac Kamnikar and Don Blankwere honored this afternoon at an awards luncheon at the AACA Museum in Hershey.
“Zac and Don are exemplary employees who personify the hard work and dedication that is required to be a public servant,” said Jason Zang, District 11 Executive. “I am proud that we are honoring their exceptional contributions toward the enhancement of our region’s infrastructure.”
District 11 Star of Excellence – Zachary Kamnikar
Zac Kamnikar is the Contract and Consultant Agreement Engineer for District 11, responsible for ensuring district committed projects are advertised on time to meet the annual lettings goals. With over 17 years of experience in Project Delivery, Zac is a true professional who always leads by example through advancing the Department’s core values and is an integral part of the management team. Although he juggles a complex workload, Zac is known as the go-to expert when it comes to processing Emergency Procurement Contracts and has been instrumental in expediting many for emergency projects including the Beaver Grade Road landslide remediation and the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse. Last year alone, Zac and his team reviewed 47 Plan, Specification and Estimate packages in-house with a construction cost of $277 million providing a tremendous savings to the Department. His experience and commitment to the Department has earned Zac a great deal of respect both internally and externally in the industry.
District 11 Star of Excellence – Don Blank
Don Blank is a Transportation Construction Manager in District 11, responsible for managing multiple Geotechnical Maintenance contracts and overseeing both Department and consultant inspection teams. Leading by example, he ensures safety is the top priority on his projects, and takes every safety measure possible, constantly reviewing his worksites for improvements. His ability to balance the needs of impacted residents, the contractor performing work, as well as the Department staff involved, helps in his successful approach to producing quality work on Geotech projects. Don’s strategic planning, project management, and budgeting skills have also allowed him to save the Department in consultant inspection costs by more than $180,000 per year. His experience, partnered with his strong work ethic, not only makes him a “go-to” person, but also has led to his being recognized by his peers for District 11’s “Going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty" award.
The Star of Excellence Awards are presented annually to employees who represent the department’s values of service, performance and integrity. The recipients represent a variety of organizational positions, spanning from highway maintenance and driver and vehicle services workers, to traffic control specialists, communications staff and design and engineering specialists.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Haney, 412-429-5011
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