Business, Employment | Written By Northwest Center Staff
“sweeping Up The Stigma”
Seattle’s swaths of downtown real estate are looked after by Debbie, who manages the janitorial teams responsible for the upkeep of government institutions housed in historic office buildings and modern skyscrapers.
Debbie is a highly capable leader by any measure. She demonstrates the most amazing qualities of no-nonsense wisdom and common sense, delivered in a straightforward manner without pretense. While her managerial skills are on par with the best in the business, Debbie and her team’s efforts are a tribute to the power of diverse workplaces that incorporate people of all abilities.
And what do Debbie and her crew of janitors accomplish every night? They keep over 50 floors of critical government office space spotless. They handle all snow removal and de-icing of sidewalks. They clean the elevators, stairwells, restrooms, offices, lunchrooms and ornamental architecture. They manage dumpsters, recycling and waste disposal. They constantly receive “outstanding” performance ratings in quarterly tenant meetings. They are embraced as an integral part of the community of government employees in a major American city, without whom the most powerful nation on earth could not do its work every day.
