The clock is ticking and we are less than 2 weeks out from the Champions Recognition Breakfast! Arlington Transportation Partners (ATP) wanted to give a quick shout out to one of our earliest Champions, the Industrial Research Institute (IRI)!
IRI Is located in Courthouse Plaza - practically on top of the Courthouse Metro station and right next to the Wilson and Clarendon Blvd bike lanes. This prime location makes it very easy for IRI’s office manager, Ludita Vallarta, to pitch car-alternative modes of commuting to the staff. Armed with a wealth of transit information provided by ATP, Ludita makes transit option awareness a key part of onboarding new employees. However, the cultural shift starts at the top with IRI’s president, Edward Bernstein, who bike commutes to the office regularly. When executive staff members walk the walk, staff members take note and it becomes much easier for employees to seriously consider commute alternatives.
IRI really goes above and beyond with their transit benefits as well. The company offers $70 a month for transit use through Metro’s SmartBenefits program and employees who need more than $70 a month for their transit expenses are able to put pre-tax salary onto their SmarTrip cards to save even more money!
2014 Champions and transit benefits:
- 58 Champions offer some form of financial transit benefit
- IRI is 1 of 9 Champions that offer a transit subsidy and allow employees to supplement the benefit with pre-tax salary dollars
There are a number of employees who commute from far away in Maryland so IRI established a formal teleworking policy so that they only need to commute into the office a few times a month. The showers, locker room, and compressed work week schedule are just added perks to IRI’s robust transit benefit and amenities.
Stay tuned for more upcoming posts about the 2014 Champions and we look forward to recognizing all of them on January 28th!
Champions 2015
Even though Champions 2014 has come to a close, ATP is already looking to honor even more Champions in 2015! Champions is a 1-year program with an informal re-enrollment process. Simply put, your rep will contact you to confirm you’d like to participate again. Gold Level companies like IRI will simply continue to receive their earned recognition and invitations to special Champion events as we move into 2015.
For new businesses, residential communities and commercial properties interested in joining Champions, just email solutions@transpartners.com.
For more information about Champions, read our FAQ.
