Dana Verdick took the photograph.
Morrison Chamber of Commerce honored Nashion (pronounced nuh-SHAWN) Smith with a Because Nice Matters! Award, on Thursday, September 9, 2021. At 12:15 p.m., Chamber members and Board members gathered for the presentation at Dollar General, 633 E. Lincolnway, Morrison IL.
Chamber Board Member Dana Verdick read the certificate. It stated, “Presented to Nashion Smith…in appreciation for your efforts in creating the best experience for our community, the Morrison Chamber of Commerce proudly recognizes and congratulates you as the recipient of the Because Nice Matter Award. We certainly appreciate your outstanding commitment to our community!”
Smith was selected for her excellent customer service. Her nominator wrote, “Since Nashion has come to the Morrison store, we are welcomed as soon as we walk through the door. The store is much cleaner, [with fewer] items sitting in the aisles. Nashion is always checking to see if you find what you are looking for. She has become a great asset to the Morrison Dollar General.”
She was Dollar General Assistant Manager in Prophetstown, IL, for 1.5 years. Smith began work at Morrison Dollar General on September 25, 2020. She had been asked to fill the Manager position, because the previous Manager and Assistant Manager left for other jobs. Some might recognize Smith as “the lunch lady” at Morrison High School–a position she held for nine years.
The customer service initiatives praised in her award were hers. They are her “work style/ethic,” and they also had been applied in Prophetstown.
Six staff members are her responsibility, and she has hired “quite a few. I’ve been fortunate” even when having to replace workers. “One went college. A girl who worked one night a week had a better job opportunity. My Assistant Manager is training to be a Manager and will [leave to] move up.”
“I have lived in Morrison all my life,” she stated, and was graduated in 1993.
Windsor Manor Assisted Living Community sponsored the personalized drink container.
Sharing the tribute, left-to-right, are City Public Services Director Lori Matlack; Odell Public Library Director Meridith Layne; Country Companies Owner/Agent Mark Musselman; Nashion Smith; thecity1.com Owner/Publisher Stephanie Vavra; Extreme Image Salon Cosmetologist Callie Hamstra.
