MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Two City employees were honored by Mayor Shane McFarland, Thursday, March 17, for representing the City in a positive light, exhibiting the core values, and creating a better quality of life for citizens. Maria Routon and Crystal Ellis McFerrin are the newest STARS Award recipients.  

Maria Routon, Building & Codes Department Permit Technician, joined the City team as a Permits Technician in the Building & Codes Department on August 5, 2019.

“Maria came to Building & Codes from State Farm. She is very energetic and hard working,” said Building & Codes Department Director Robert Holtz. “She has great customer service skills and quickly learned how to issue every permit. Maria is a big asset to the department and the City.” 

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The following STARS award nomination was submitted by a City employee:

“I am nominating Mrs. Maria Routon for this award because she is always willing to help coworkers and customers anytime with a good attitude and smiling face.  You can tell she genuinely cares for people.  I love how she is always patient when someone comes in and needs help with language translation.  She goes above and beyond to help others out and makes sure you are okay even when she has a load of work herself.  She is much-deserving of this award.” 

Crystal Ellis McFerrin serves as a Parks & Recreation Department Program Coordinator at Patterson Park Community Center. She joined the department in 2017 and has a passion for youth development and community outreach.

“During the after-school snack time, Crystal noticed a 9-year-old child was choking and could not breathe. She quickly reacted and administered the Heimlich maneuver to save the child from choking. Her supervisor, Derek Blake, said, ‘Crystal should be commended for her life-saving response. Crystal is a real hero.’” 

The grandmother of the 9-year-old girl expressed a deep sense of gratitude for Crystal’s quick action in performing the maneuver to save her granddaughter’s life.  

STARS stands for “Succeeding Through Attitudes Reflecting Service Excellence.” They’re examples of representing the City in a positive light, exhibiting the core values, and creating a better quality of life for citizens. 

The STARS Service Excellence program is intended to recognize outstanding employees who embody the city’s standards for service excellence and exemplify the city’s core service values. The purpose of the STARS award is to recognize and reward those employees who go above and beyond their normal job duties in providing outstanding customer service to internal and external customers.

Congratulations to Maria Routon and Crystal Ellis McFerrin for being named STARS recipients.