Fisseha Bogale

Regional Manager
New Haven, CT

As I approach the entrance of the hospital at 6 AM, I finally see Fisseha at the main entrance. He is sitting on the ground with dress clothes on helping an elderly women change a tire. She is telling him all the issues that she has had with the hospital and all the surgeries she has gone through in the last few weeks, and he is listening with an attentive look on his face while at the same time trying to make sure that the spare tire is all lined up and fits correctly. Half an hour later I see him wave to the lady as she drives off heading home with a big smile on her face. Then ten minutes later I hear through the radio that a small pick up truck is stuck at the other entrance and needs a manager to help. I look at him, and he smiles and says my hands are already dirty, and I’ve got it. You get the staff organized as we will start to get hit in the next hour with Valet. We Valet over 4000 cars a week at the hospital with its 8 different entrances and exits so time is of the essence at this hospital. The next hour I finally catch up to him and he has a battery pack and is gently trying to convince the owner of this very old pick up truck that the red goes to red and black goes to black. The owner is convinced that he is wrong and wants him to do the exact opposite. It takes all his customer service skills for the owner
to let him do red to red and black to black with the battery pack and the cars battery. After a few moments you hear the roar of the engine and the black smoke coming out of the exhaust and a wonderous look appearing on the customer who swears that he thought that it was always the other way around. He too finally gets in his car and heads off into the distance waving at Fisseha as he heads home. It is now time to open the ramps and accept our customers, as they have started to line up around the corner all waiting to get in.

This is what he goes through every day, and still he manages to laugh and smile. When he is asked at the end of the day, which is usually around 5 PM, how the day went, he will look at you with this blank stare because, to be honest, he probably can’t remember what he did first thing in the morning, and I know for a fact when his wife asks him how the day went he always answers with a smile I helped a lot of people. Fisseha is a truly good person who comes to work every day and does everything that is expected of him and a hell of a lot that is not expected.

Nominated by: David Lew