Sposato account manager Matt Snyder thought something was odd when people were overly interested in his jacket size. He knew something was up when he entered the awards ceremony and saw all his fellow Sposato account managers in attendance, along with Sposato president and founder Tony Sposato.
Snyder was about to win the 2015 Bill "Hammer" Hamilton Service Award for his exceptional service, spirit and passion for the Bayside community in Selbyville Delaware--where he manages an 11-man crew that maintains the landscapes for over 700 homes.
"I was not expecting it," said Snyder of the award given twice a year to a person connected to the Carl M. Freeman Company, that owns Bayside, as well as many other residential communities and golf courses on Delmarva.
The award is named for Bill "Hammer" Hamilton, who worked at Freeman from 1999 to his death in 2012. He worked with Jack Nicklaus and his team of architects to make Bayside Americana the jewel of golf courses in the area. He is also remembered for his inspiration, customer service excellence and fun-loving nature. The Carl M. Freeman companies began recognizing associates who share his service excellence. A new addition in 2015 was the presentation of the "red jacket" as a tribute to Hamilton's love of the Master's Golf Tournament and his beloved alma mater, N.C. State University, where he was a four- year letterman in golf and a lifelong Wolfpack fan.
"I never had the pleasure to meet Mr. Hamilton, but I hear he was a kind and generous man and was well-liked by all who knew him," said Snyder, who seems to have a lot of the same qualities as Mr. Hamilton.
Snyder says he learned his management style from his parents, who taught him the importance of hard work and respect for others. "I come from a hard-working family," he said. He also learned the value of putting the customer first from years of working in the ski industry.
"Matt and his crew exemplify the values of service, quality and professionalism that our company was built on," said Tony Sposato. "I'm very proud of them".
"Bill `Hammer' Hamilton award" recipient Matt Snyder (red jacket) with his award winning crew. They are (L.-r.) Claudio Moreno, Martin Conley, Antonio Morris, Gaspar Mendoza, Nilton Tema- Pablo, Oscar Ramirez, Sender Tema -Lopez, Marcus Feddiman and Rafael Rodriguez- Vargas.