Georgia Commute Options Announces Inaugural Changemaker Award Winners

Organizations lead the way in offering commuter programs to employees

Atlanta, GA (January 26, 2022) – Three metro Atlanta organizations are starting the year off with high accolades. Georgia Commute Options (GCO) is awarding the City of Powder Springs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) the 2022 Changemaker Award. The Changemaker Award is a regional recognition that honors employers from around the region who demonstrate excellence in developing commuting programs that help enhance mobility and improve air quality.

“While many metro area employers faced unique challenges at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we commend the CDC, HPE and the City of Powder Springs for their resilience and their continued partnership with Georgia Commute Options,” says Roz Tucker, Managing Director of Georgia Commute Options. “These organizations went the extra mile to invest in commuting and flexible work programs that met their employees’ needs.”

Georgia Commute Options (GCO) offers employers consulting services and free resources that help organizations implement commuter programs for their employees to have better, cleaner options for commuting to work, such as carpools, vanpools, transit, flexwork and bicycling. 

Helping employees work from home and commute safely is no small task, especially during a pandemic. Yet our three Changemaker Award winners navigated the uncertainty of the moment with determination that set a foundation for success.

From the onset of the pandemic, the City of Powder Springs kept its 70 employees safe and accessible to more than 15,000 citizens and 650 businesses by working closely with GCO to build a telework framework based on direct input from their employees.

“This experience during the pandemic has shown us that our telework program in the future can expand to more employees than I would have ever anticipated,” says City Manager Pam Conner. “This required us to build a good policy. And with help from Georgia Commute Options, we were able to create one that addresses not just where and when our people are working, but also their needs for equipment and safety.”

While the CDC’s main responsibility was to guide the country through the pandemic, it also had to prioritize the health and safety of its own employees—including, among other things, helping employees work from home and commute safely. Fortunately, the CDC was on the forefront of developing a robust commuter benefits program pre-COVID.  Therefore, the CDC was flexible and quickly responsive to the needs of its more than 12,000 employees during the pandemic.

HPE’s Alpharetta campus has spent years investing in their employees through a thoughtful wellness benefits program. This investment paid off during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company experienced real-time benefits of working from home during the pandemic, including high productivity and a boost in employee morale.

“We are proud to be a part of the first class of Changemakers,” says Scott Webb, Senior Director, North America/Latin America Global Remote Services at HPE. “We appreciate the partnership of Georgia Commute Options and look forward to continued collaboration that supports the goal of reducing congestion and improving air quality in metro Atlanta.”

Georgia Commute Options works with more than 450 employers and property managers across the metro region to implement thoughtful and sustainable commuter programs that help move the needle on improving the region’s mobility and air quality. GCO’s free employer services and resources are made possible by the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Atlanta Regional Commission. To learn more about these services visit: https://gacommuteoptions.com/employers/employer-services/ 

For media questions/bookings, contact Joel Wascher, JWascher@AtlantaRegional.org, 470-698-6106.

About Georgia Commute Options

Georgia Commute Options, a program managed by the Atlanta Regional Commission and funded through the Georgia Department of Transportation, works with employers, commuters and schools to encourage drivers who ride alone to make the switch to a commute alternative such as riding transit, teleworking, carpooling, vanpooling, walking and/or biking, with the ultimate goal of reducing congestion and the emissions that contribute to smog pollution. For more information, visit www.GaCommuteOptions.com and follow Georgia Commute Options on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Get access to cash incentives by logging your clean commute on our website or through the Georgia Commute App, which is available for download via the App Store or Google Play.