Horry County Employee of the Year Announced

CONWAY – Horry County has announced the winner and two runner-ups for the Randy Faulk Employee of the Year Award, which is in memory of Mr. Randy Faulk who received the very first Employee of the Year award in 2006 and who sadly was taken from our world less than three years later after a brave battle with cancer. Mr. Faulk worked in the Horry County Maintenance Department and was truly a role model for all county employees, demonstrating that every employee can make a difference.

Horry County awarded Donald Black, with the Randy Faulk Employee of the Year Award. Mr. Black has been with the county for 15 years and is a South Strand District Supervisor for Horry County Public Works. In his present position, he has lessened the amount of service requests that come in and that are active in the system by restructuring the crews so that their work is more efficient.  Mr. Black is married and has two children.

Donald was nominated for his attitude, flexibility, and leadership.  His work over the last year has made enormous improvements to the image of Horry County, specifically in his district.  As the Employee of the Year, Black received a check for $1,000.

Two runner-ups were also honored for their contributions and were previously Employee of the Quarter winners. They each received a check for $500. They were: 

Elizabeth Harris, Claims Coordinator in the Horry County Veteran’s Affairs Office, won for her efforts in the completion of over 242 special inquires including education and training requests, for counseling over 2000 veterans, for her diligence and her unending  “going above and beyond” attitude.  Her expert knowledge of VA laws and regulations contributes to an outstanding record of receiving an average of$900 per month for new claims she files.  Ms. Harris hand carried a surviving spouse’s denied claim to the regional office in Columbia so that it could be re-opened.  Her efforts resulted in a retroactive award of over $95,536.  Her greatest accomplishment, however, was a retroactive award of over $217,000 for a Vietnam War Veteran.

Benjamin Wells, Technical Support Specialist for the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, won for his efforts in enhancing security at the Detention Center and throughout the county as inmates no longer need to be transported to municipalities for their bond hearings.  His accomplishments have enabled the county to save thousands of dollars in transportation costs alone.  Mr. Wells looks out for the best interest of the county through his interactions with contractors constructing the Detention Center addition by identifying critical corrections, which have saved countless delays.

The Employee Award Program focuses on an act or performance accomplished by an employee that is significant or of great value to the department or county organization as awhole and is beyond normal expectations of the employee. Considerations arealso given to customer service, cost/time savings, recognized increased efficiency, and/or effectiveness, or revenue generated funds.