February 2013 Employee of the Month

Always there to help.

That's the phrase often used to describe Scott St. Clair, a business consultant and our February Employee of the Month. Lorrie Goodnight, Scott's nominator and a fellow business consultant, lauds his supportive and cooperative work ethic. "I can always ask Scott for help on a project or issue," said Lorrie. "He is a very honest, hard working and dedicated employee."

With nearly 20 years at BWC, Lorrie said Scott works hard to assist in any way he can with his co-workers, fellow business consultants and all other departments. But Scott was modest about his win and deflected the praise to his co-workers. "I was surprised by the nomination and was quite humbled and honored when I received the email I had won," he said. "Truthfully, this is a large agency with a lot of great, hard-working and talented employees who also deserve employee of the month."

Scott has helped take the lead on oil and gas outreach for BWC, and — right now — such outreach is crucial. Ohio's oil and gas industry has flourished in recent years, bringing a large number of out-of-state employers to the Buckeye State, many of whom are unfamiliar with Ohio's workers' compensation system. So, Scott has helped forge relationships with oil and gas associations, employers and their representatives with face-to-face meetings, data searches, outreach letters and the distribution of informational articles.

But oil and gas outreach aren't Scott's only responsibilities. Day to day, he's involved in a great deal of areas, and says this unpredictability is one of the things he especially enjoys about his position. "You never know what to expect or what the day will bring," said Scott. "I don’t think I have two days that are ever the same. I could be assisting IM or EM, vetting a legislative inquiry, or dealing with a special request from administration."

Lorrie praised his diligence and dedication to customer service in all areas, internal and external. "I have had several managed care representatives, third-party administrators and employers recognize his professionalism, dedication and hard work for Ohio employers," she said. "At times, I cover his area. I have received nothing but positive comments and accolades regarding Scott."

Although his new supervisor, business development manager Jim Blazer, has only worked with Scott for a matter of weeks, he's already impressed with the business consultant's dedication. "Scott has been a valuable resource for a very long time around BWC, and it is a pleasure to work with him," said Jim. "His enthusiasm is contagious, and he is one of those people that you can count on each and every time he is called upon. I am proud to work with Scott as part of the new Department of Strategic Direction. During the short time I have been his supervisor I can already see the impact his positive attitude has with our customers."

It's just all in a day's work for Scott, who said he sees BWC employees' tasks as "incredible and amazing" opportunities to help those who've been hurt at work. His favorite part of the job is helping our customers, both internal and external, and he shared his philosophy on customer service.

"There are two rules to customer service: one, the customer is always right; two, if the customer is wrong, see rule number one. Unfortunately, the ORC and OAC kind of trump that philosophy," said Scott. "But years ago I read 'The Purpose Driven Life' by Rick Warren. In that was a motto by John Wesley that I believe epitomizes how we should approach customer service: ‘Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.'"