June Employee of the Month: Schmid offers a friendly smile and much more

Thursday afternoon was a good day for Tim Schmid. It was payday at the Bakers Dozen where he works part-time, and it was his last day of work before he leaves for camp. Both of these things Tim knew, but what he didn't know was that there was a surprise in store. When Amy Wobbema of the New Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce came to inform him that he had been nominated for and awarded the Employee of the Month honor, Tim was all smiles to say the least.

The nomination came from Colleen Dockter, a regular at the Bakers Dozen who recently suffered a stroke and continues to struggle with the loss of strength and movement on the right side of her body. Always ready to greet the customers who come into the bakery, Tim has since made it his job to not only open the door for her when she arrives, but to also help her with her drink- whether it is a cold pop from the cooler a hot cappuccino from the machine.

Tim first came to the 4th Corp in June of 1997. He works for the Bakers Dozen through an individual employment program at 4th Corp and also dedicates time to work at Central Pharmacy and the Hideaway Salon. He has been working at the Bakers Dozen for about 10 years.

According to owner Kelly McKnight, he has his tasks down to a tee. He began with simple jobs like filling the beverage cooler and wiping down tables. Over time, he mastered new tasks that came his way including folding boxes, filling napkins, and other things that need to be done. For much of this time, he has worked closely with his job coach, Sharon Burgard, who has also become a good friend.

As I visited with Tim, he pointed to the Chamber Bucks that were awarded along with his certificate and explained that he would spend the five dollar chamber bucks on grape pop that day. The twenty he would save for another day. The next time you see Tim and he says hello, be sure to congratulate him and on a job well done.

Editor's Note: The print version of this article had Tim's last name misspelled. His last name is Schmid, not Schmidt. We apologize for the error and have corrected it in this version.