PENN TWP — It was all about service Thursday evening at the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau's annual Butler County Tourism Service Excellence Awards dinner at the Conley Resort and Golf Club.

Toys “R” Us employee George Wallace of Cranberry Township was the winner and received $1,000.

Pittsburgh Marriott North employee Janice Hogan of Evans City was the second finalist and received $500 and Thoma Meat market employee Anne Ambrose of Fenelton was the third finalist and received $250.

All 30 award nominees received $25 gift certificates.

“I was shocked to get nominated in the first place,” Wallace said after the awards ceremony. “First place is just unbelievable.”

He said a lot of the employees at the Toys “R” Us store in Cranberry Township, which is closing in May or June, have worked there a long time and also deserve the award.

“It's a shame the store is closing. Many of us have been there a long time. A lot of us deserve this,” Wallace said.

The manager teaches all employees to take ownership of the store.

“The manager teaches us that it's your store. You represent the store,” Wallace said.

Some customers know what toy they are shopping for, but others who don't (know) need good customer service to buy the right gift, he said.

Asking the age and gender of the child receiving the gift and a couple of other questions helps Wallace help the customer select the gift.

“Within four or five questions you have it down to three or four aisles in the store. Ninety-five percent of the time it's a gift, so it has to be the right gift,” Wallace said to the audience before the winners were announced.

He said he plans to take the rest of the summer off after the store closes and then begin looking for another job.

Before coming to the toy store, Wallace had worked for H.J. Heinz in a number of positions.

Hogan, a lobby attendant, said tending to customer needs is vital.

“It's all about the guests. If it weren't for them I wouldn't have a job,” Hogan said.

Tourism bureau President Jack Cohen said he nominated Hogan after seeing her on a cold, rainy day sweeping in front of the hotel to make sure guests' first impression of the venue was a good one.

“She greets people, She cleans up. It's her Marriott,” Cohen said.

Ambrose believes she was nominated because she is nice to customers and likes explaining the different cuts of meat to people who aren't sure about what they want to take home for dinner.

“I'd like to think it's because I'm nice. I like to explain things because it helps,” Ambrose said.

Cohen commended all the nominees.

“You all have certain abilities you use every time you come in contact with people. We want people to come into our businesses and our lives because it's special. That's the service industry we live in every day,” he said.

The bureau's service awards recognizes that excellence in customer services stems from employees who believe in it, said Debbie Crum, bureau outreach director.

“The program recognizes those who provide excellence in service not because it's their job. It's a reflection of who they are,” Crum said.

She thanked the nominees “for inspiring us to go the extra step to make someone else's day.”