Champion Business Leader

Connie Lambert-Eckle - Lakeland Village

Connie is the Superintendent at Lakeland Village, which employs over 750 staff members and is located 20 miles from downtown Spokane, in a rural community, outside of Medical Lake, WA.

Connie supports the Commute Smart program by allowing their ETC, Margaret Terry, the time and resources to promote their program. As a 24/7 facility, communication is one of their biggest challenges. Connie will, on occasion, send out emails on Margaret’s behalf regarding their program. Getting employees to read emails is tough, so sometimes coming from her can help.

Connie feels her employees benefit from participating in their CTR program. They save money on their commuting costs, they’re safer carpooling, especially late at night or during the winter months and are also able to take advantage of their preferred parking, which is located closer to the buildings. Lakeland Village has also worked with Spokane Transit, when there have been schedule changes at their worksite, to ensure transit is still a viable option for their employees.

Connie has had 43 years of public service and feels that communicating with employees is a MUST. She feels it’s important to talk to staff and make them feel appreciated. She weaves her support of promoting commute options in her communication with her staff and makes sure they all have all the resources available to them to find the commute option that will work best for them to provide a good work/life balance.

Connie is very proud of her staff and incredibly grateful for their dedication to preserve our environment and reduce trips in our community.

Congratulation Connie!