EPA Names Genie to its Best Workplace for Commuters 2006 List

Equipment manufacturer met the EPA's National Standard of Excellence in Commuter Benefits to get on the list of Best Workplaces for Commuters.

REDMOND, WASH. (October 25, 2006) – Genie Industries today announced that the company has been named to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2006 list of Best Workplaces for CommutersSM.

To be eligible for this distinction, Genie completed an online application with the EPA and DOT outlining its Commute Trip Reduction Program, which encourages its employees to take advantage of city transit systems, rideshare opportunities and telecommuting. Genie also provides a free Emergency Ride Home program for participating employees.

In an effort to meet with regulations set by the Washington State Commute Trip Reduction Law, Genie provides monthly subsidies through its Commute Trip Reduction Program. Employees who ride in a carpool or utilize park-and-ride services receive $30 per month through the program, and employees who ride in a vanpool or take the bus receive $50 per month. Also, Genie offers a free, all-day shuttle service between campuses for its employees to utilize. All Genie employees, including approximately 415 Aerotek temporary employees, are eligible for these subsidies and services.

“The goal of Genie’s Commute Trip Reduction Program is to encourage employees to change the way they get to and from work,” said Kristen LaBarge, Genie’s commute trip reduction coordinator. “Genie goes above and beyond what the State of Washington requires, offering our employees the most advanced options to utilize. Genie has been recognized because we are constantly looking for ways to better the quality of life for our employees and the communities in which they live.”

Genie’s Commute Trip Reduction Program has been in place since 1997, and in 2005, Genie employees utilizing the different options available to them through this program saved 112,960 gallons of gasoline and prevented 2.2 million pounds of CO2 emissions.

Best Workplaces for Commuters is an innovative, voluntary business-government program that distinguishes and provides national recognition to employers offering outstanding commuter benefits such as free or low-cost bus passes, strong telework programs, carpool matching and vanpool subsidies. Employers that meet the EPA's National Standard of Excellence in Commuter Benefits get on the list of Best Workplaces for Commuters — a fast-growing mark of excellence in environmental leadership.

Through partnerships with public and private sector employers, Best Workplaces for Commuters is demonstrating that alternatives to drive-alone commuting such as transit, carpools and teleworking are economically beneficial, yielding value to workers, employers, and the environment.

Genie’s Commute Trip Reduction Program also received 2005 Pacesetter honors in King County’s 12th Annual Commuter Challenge Diamond Award program for outstanding efforts in reducing employee commute trips. The overall goal of the Commuter Challenge Diamond Awards is to publicly recognize those local businesses and employee transportation coordinators that regularly go "above and beyond" when it comes to providing commute trip reduction programs to employees.