Port Authority of NY & NJ Recognizes Hudson Group Associate

Rupdeep Parhar

"Whenever we think of outstanding customer service at the airports, Hudson Group's Rupdeep Parhar immediately comes to mind," says Margherite LaMorte of New York's LaGuardia Airport Market Place business development team. (PANYNJ administers three area airports - JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia.)

In her seven years with Hudson News, Rupdeep has developed such strong service skills that she now trains new associates in the art and science of great customer care. She has won several service awards in the airport's "We Care" program, and was recently featured in PANYNJ's publication Airport Press, under the headline "Focus on the Customer - Above and Beyond." In addition, Rupdeep is very active in Hudson Group's own internal "Passport to Success" program.

Rupdeep is widely recognized in LaGuardia for her pleasant, efficient and calm manner.Her commitment to her customers and her willingness to assume added responsibility makes her invaluable to the company and to the airport.

In addition to providing top-notch customer service, Rupdeep excels in merchandising. Many of the displays at Hudson News, Discovery Channel Airport Store and Discover New York bear her unmistakable stamp and lovely touch.

The Angel of O'Hare

When Kathy Messenger of St. Petersburg, Florida, lost her purse at busy Chicago-O'Hare Airport earlier this year, she couldn't spend much time looking for it, as she needed to catch her flight back home to Florida. She thought she would never see the purse again…nor the cell phone, check book, bank cards, cash and sunglasses it contained.

So imagine her surprise when she received a phone call at 1:00 a.m., from Latitia Bray, merchandising manager of Hudson Group at Chicago-O'Hare, who had found the purse in a Hudson News store on one of the concourses.

When Mrs. Messenger inquired how Latitia had obtained her home phone number, Latitia explained that she had scrolled through the numbers on Mrs. Messenger's cell phone, looking for a listing for "home," and had come up with the right number.

Latitia overnighted the bag to Mrs. Messenger (at her own expense.) When the purse was delivered, the delighted passenger found the contents of the purse, including cash and credit cards, intact - just as it had been when she last saw it.

Said Mrs. Messenger: "It was truly a miracle. Latitia went WAY over and above the call of duty in locating me and returning my purse and all its contents. I truly thought I would never see it again. I can't tell you how grateful I am to her for her HUGE act of kindness….She is an angel in my book."

The grateful Mrs. Messenger paid for the shipping and also sent Latitia a reward.

For Latitia, it was just another day as a veteran Hudson Group manager. She began with the company almost 11 years ago as a service associate, working her way up to store manager, and in May, she was promoted to merchandising manager at Chicago-O'Hare, making sure that stock is reordered and overseeing beautiful product display designed to attract customers. Over the years, Latitia has brought many service associates into the company. Many of these associates are now store managers at O'Hare. They probably learned a lot by observing the Angel of O'Hare in action!

Giving 100% in Anchorage

It's a long way from the Philippines to Anchorage, Alaska, but Dolores Nate, who arrived in the U.S. four years ago, has made the transition beautifully. After just two years on the job at Hudson News in Ted Stevens International Airport, sales associate Dolores has won recognition in the airport's Mystery Shopper program.

Specifically, she received a perfect score - 100 percent - in a "Mystery Shopper" visit conducted by the airport earlier this year, receiving a citation and a cash prize for her efforts.

As a mentor in Hudson Group's internal "Passport to Success" program, Dolores shares her natural talent for pleasing customers with her coworkers and enthusiastically passes along to them some of the finer points of service that she has internalized.

Dolores and her husband live in Anchorage. She enjoys spending all her free time with him and their three children.

The Picture of Politeness in Portland

Hudson News sales associate Jennifer Laboranti was recently named Retail Customer Service Associate of the Month by Portland International Airport. She achieved this honor by scoring highly in the airport's "Secret Shopper" survey earlier this year.

Specifically, the airport noted, "Jennifer was very outgoing, friendly, conversational and professional. She seemed very comfortable with customers and was able to be efficient while seeming genuinely interested in the person she was talking to, who left the store feeling valued."

Jennifer is a native of Lincoln, Nebraska and a graduate of Boston University, with a degree in International Relations. She has been with Hudson since June 2005, working as a full-time employee in the Hudson News store on Concourse C - West. She is currently in Portland exploring the landscape through her avocation, photography. Her goal is to one day visit all seven continents, presumably taking pictures all the way!