On November 9th, team members from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Fort Worth came together for the joyous Westland Gala. With our company reaching 500 employees this year, it was our largest Gala to date and required a spectacular venue. The event committee didn’t have to search too far for the perfect location thanks to Long Beach’s The Queen Mary — the world famous 1936 Oceanliner turned hotel. Our team members and their guests filled the Grand Salon, a beautiful art deco ballroom, for a celebratory evening of awards, food, drinks, and dancing.
The Grand Salon, The Queen Mary.
As is tradition, the bi-annual event celebrated the company’s amazing achievements and the many personal milestones of our wonderful team members. Many of our coworkers reached their 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 30th, and 35th work anniversaries. In total 52 people received an award for their years of dedicated service.
10 Year Award winners with Westland President Yanki Greenspan (center).
Westland Founder Allen Alevy took to the stage to share his appreciation for everyone and introduced the 30+ years service awards. Three devoted team members reached this momentous milestone and received a $10,000 bonus for their decades of hard work. Hilda Aguirre and Feleeh Tuazon reached 30 years and Daniel Gonzolas commemorated his 35th year at Westland.
Westland Founder Allen Alevy, 30th Anniversary Award Winner Feleeh Tuazon, Westland President Yanki Greenspan.
The night was an opportunity for team members across all departments — residential, retail, and mobile home communities — to recognize their colleagues with the Allen and Deanna Alevy Award of Excellence. In the month leading up to the Gala, team members were invited to nominate coworkers who demonstrated excellence in their work. We received nearly 100 submissions for 43 nominees, each filled with inspiring and touching testimonials, but there could only be three winners.
As the announcement approached the anticipation was palpable with nominees perched on the edge of their seats. Our Excellence Award winners were Project Administrative Assistant Elisa Avila, Area Manager Wendy Gutierrez, and Maintenance Supervisor Armando Rincon.
Excellence Award Winners: Elisa Avila, Wendy Gutierrez, and Armando Rincon.
Her colleagues selected Elisa because she shows up every day with a smile and takes tremendous pride in her work. She always knows the status of her projects, no matter how big her workload is.
Wendy is a truly inspirational figure at Westland. Initially starting as a Maintenance Clerk, Wendy worked her way up and is now the South Long Beach Area Manager. Her voters commended her for being reliable, trustworthy, and respectful. Wendy's residents regularly sing her praises because they know much she cares.
Speaking after the ceremony, Wendy said, "I had no idea I was nominated until someone at the table showed me the program. It was a total surprise. The award made me feel really special and appreciated. I feel like people see the work that I do."
Armando Rincon received many heartfelt nominations. He started at Westland 5 years ago as a porter. He immediately focused on learning and growing. No task was too small, and every challenge was accepted. He is now an AC certified Maintenance Supervisor. While giving out the award, Westland President Yanki Greenspan told Armando, "You are a shining example of what it means to be on the Westland team."
With magicians, photo booths, caricature artists, desserts, and an open bar — there was no shortage of entertainment options. The night was topped off with dancing as leasing agents, maintenance techs, department heads, contact center representatives, and community managers celebrated together.
Check out the full photo album on our Facebook page HERE.
