Written by: riggin
5/12/2011 11:00 AM 

  2010 Employee of the Year

  Mark Kunie

The Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland’s (TCC) Employee of the Year for 2010 is Mark Kunie, a Bus Operator with Shore Transit’s Origin to Destination (OTD) service.  The award, which recognizes an employee for outstanding performance above and beyond his job description and noteworthy contribution to the public image and reputation of TCC, was presented at the Annual Employee Meeting on Sunday, April 10, 2011.  

Mark is active in the community, with a special emphasis on helping the disabled and the elderly.  At one point in his life, he was confined to a wheel chair as he healed from a badly broken leg.  He acknowledges this experience as a life-changing event.  When he was again able to walk, he searched for a job where he could help people in need.  He has been a Shore Transit OTD driver for four  years, has worked for Delmarva Community Transportation in Cambridge and drove a school bus in New Jersey.  He often says the best part of his day is spending a few minutes listening to his passengers, hearing their stories and seeing the smiles on their face.  He believes his job with Shore Transit allows him to make a positive difference in someone’s life, every day

Over the years, he has volunteered at senior centers, teaching basic computer skills to residents.  He also puts on shows, singing and playing his guitar each month at Pine Bluff Village, a residential and assisted living facility here in Salisbury.  He is not a stranger at other community centers, either.  In 2010 he put on Christmas shows at Deer’s Head, Wicomico Mac Center, Friendship Network, and John B. Parsons Home, in addition to his regular gig at Pine Bluff Village.  He never charges a dime for his services; all his shows are free of charge.  He gets a kick out of having his passengers recognize him as the “Man that plays the guitar.”

Mark is known to co-workers by voice as much as by face.  He has served on the TCC Events Committee and for the last two years has provided the entertainment at TCC’s Family Fun Day and Road-E-O.  He starts early and stays late, bringing and setting up all the equipment he needs by himself, carefully tuning his beloved guitar, singing and playing for the crowd and helping with clean-up when the event is over.  His performance is high-energy and always very personal.  He puts his own lyrics to familiar melodies, converting them to humorous songs about his work as an OTD driver, even including recordings of dispatch communications in the routine.  He keeps up an interesting patter on door prize drawings, cake walks, Road-E-O awards, and the other components that make the event successful. 

Mark was presented with an elegant trophy and a Certificate of Appreciation at the conclusion of the meeting; he received a prolonged and well-deserved standing ovation from his co-workers.

                                                This article contributed by Tri-County Council HR Director, P. Tiger.

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