Howdy! Awards honor 10 for hospitality excellence

Jul 22, 2023

SPRINGFIELD — The Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau honored 10 frontline hospitality workers at its 26th Annual Howdy! Awards for Hospitality Excellence on May 15.

Industry leaders from outside western Massachusetts selected winners in each category. They chose ten recipients from among 58 finalists. The finalists were selected by the Howdy Awards Committee from more than 400 nominations among nine categories.

The committee honored The Bean Restaurant Group to receive the Spotlight Award recognizing – in this case – the Yee family for their dedication and outstanding contribution to the region's hospitality industry.

The People's Choice Award, chosen on social media was also presented to January Russell, insurance agent with Horace Mann Insurance.

"We’re proud and happy to present the Howdy Awards to honor just some of the most important people in the hospitality industry, the frontline workers," said GSCVB President Mary Kay Wydra in a news release. "They are usually the first person a visitor encounters, and if they’re especially nice and go above and beyond, that visitor is likely to return to that — and other — tourism locations."

Each Howdy award winner received a decorative glass Hospitality Excellence Award, a framed certificate of achievement, a Howdy Winner lapel pin, a custom Yankee Candle gift basket and a gift bag filled with gift certificates and other items from the region's top tourism establishments.

The judges for this year's event included Nancy Gardella from the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, Brendan Flaherty from Anheuser-Busch and Dagny Ashley from the city of Quincy.

James Watts, of Baystate Medical Center; Michael Knapik, vice president of government & community relations at Baystate Health; and Annamarie Golden, of Baystate Medical Center; at the 26th annual Howdy Awards for Hospitality Excellence held at the MassMutual Center Monday evening, May 15, 2023. (Hoang ‘Leon’ Nguyen / The Republican)

Sponsors for the 2023 Howdy Awards for Hospitality Excellence include MGM Springfield, MassMutual Center, Yankee Candle Village, Aladco Linen Services., WWLP TV-22, Eastern States Exposition, Freedom Credit Union, Baystate Health, M&T Bank, MassLive.com, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Performance Foodservice, The Republican, IHeart Media and Quality Beverage/NUTRL.

The winners are:

Accommodations:

Charlene Golden, front desk agent

Residence Inn, Chicopee

Attractions:

Cindy Burke, event usher

MassMutual Center, Springfield

Banquet & Meetings:

Julio Pagan, event manager

MassMutual Center, Springfield

Beverage:

Aechmia Cote, Bartender Irish Ale House, Springfield

Food — Casual:

Christina Raschi, owner/operator

413 Café, Springfield

Food — Tableside

Jill Sherman, server

The Grapevine Restaurant, Longmeadow

Public Service:

Caroline Robinson, concierge

Baystate Health, Springfield

Retail:

Cindy Browning, sales associate

Yankee Candle Village, South Deerfield

Transportation

Madeline Rivera, school bus driver

First Student, Springfield

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