Mr. George Gold Coin Award: Emily Harless

One of my favorite things about writing the Mr. George Gold Coin Award blog series is being able to witness all the good deeds Publix associates do for others. They truly live Mr. George’s legacy and put our customers’ needs before their own. The stories customers submit are inspiring and make me proud to work for a company with such associates. You may find it helpful to read about what the Gold Coin Award is and where it all began, as well as check out other stories. The Mr. George Gold Coin Award is given to associates who exceed their normal duties for our customers and fellow associates.

This month we’re featuring a story about an event planner at Store 1632 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Emily, who’s been with Publix since 2018, is the latest associate to receive a Mr. George Gold Coin Award. Emily’s favorite thing about Publix is the encouragement she receives from managers and associates to grow and work her way up in the company. Emily takes pride in being an owner of Publix.

Since beginning her career with Publix, Emily has followed the ideals of our founder, George Jenkins. She loves working in customer service and engaging with customers. She’s an event planner, which allows her to help customers with their parties and events. We spoke with Emily and she told us, “At Publix, I’m given the opportunity to brighten people’s lives every day. From associates to customers, Publix employs me to spread enthusiasm and continue to build my family.”

When she’s not working, Emily enjoys spending what little free time she has with friends. She loves to kayak, hike, watch movies and read, however, most of her free time is spent studying, since she’s currently a full-time student in college.

The Story

Last fall, Emily met a customer named Sandra, who is blind. Sandra has a young niece she adopted and a husband, who’s also blind. Emily began shopping with Sandra every Friday and helping her with her groceries. When we asked Emily about Sandra, she told us, “Sandra is very sweet. We’ve built a relationship and Sandra trusts me with her grocery needs, as well as other personal errands.” Emily has helped Sandra with her niece at a parent-teacher conference and has helped her overcome other personal matters. Emily received the Mr. George Gold Coin Award for helping Sandra in a touching moment that was caught outside of Store 1632 by another customer. Emily met Sandra at Publix on her day off to help her around the store, so she could do her grocery shopping. Emily was helping her put lipstick on outside of Publix. “I was showing her a type of lipstick that she could easily apply and would be a complementary choice for an upcoming wedding,” Emily told us.

Wow! Talk about going above and beyond. Check out some images below of Emily receiving her Mr. George Gold Coin Award.

Have you ever witnessed an associate truly going above and beyond at your local Publix? Share your story with us on Facebook or Twitter, via our Contact Us page or give our customer care team a call at (800) 242-1227.