National Harbor will Honor 14 Harbor Heroes on July 13

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., July 9, 2021—On Tuesday, July 13 at 11 a.m., National Harbor will honor 14 local employees at the Waterfront Plaza. Each person has been identified by employers, residents and co-workers as someone who went above and beyond during the pandemic. In addition to being officially recognized, each of the 14 will receive a special gift from National Harbor.

“There are so many people who are responsible for keeping National Harbor running during the pandemic,” said Kent Digby, executive vice president of operations at National Harbor. “The many essential workers who showed up when there was so much uncertainty. These dedicated people made sure that the businesses they work for would survive.”

Honorees include Will Mock of Succotash who stepped in for three months and handled carryout, fed families in need and did a lot of dishes. Without Will, the restaurant predicts it would have failed during the pandemic. Cleotilde Reyes cleans both public and private restrooms at National Harbor. When the pandemic hit, she still came to work and helped keep the public areas clean. Everyone who knows her speaks to her ongoing, consistent positive attitude.

Jadranka Belajic and Jose Pabon work for the Westin National Harbor. Jadranka is general manager and Jose works in housekeeping; however, during the pandemic, they both worked wherever needed. Jadranka cleaned rooms when needed and Jose helped guests in the lobby. They worked overtime to keep the hotel running.

Tracy Whittiker works for Bobby McKey’s. She wore many hats during Covid from grocery shopping for the restaurant’s kitchen (food orders were too low to get deliveries,) to cooking to moving seating outdoors to the rooftop. She cooked for and fed performers who were there for virtual shows.

Jenny Centano is the day porter for the Medical Pavilion at National Harbor. She came to work every day during Covid, even when tenants’ offices were closed to ensure the interior and exterior of the building were cared for. She picked up trash outside and made sure everything was clean and orderly—even on adjacent properties.

Lilly Pierce is a resident at National Harbor who was concerned for the retailers during the tough time. She would stop by outside various retailers and just make sure they were okay. She checked regularly on the manager at Comfort One Shoes who was very touched by Lilly’s thoughtfulness and concern.

“In tough times, you find out who the heroes are,” added Digby. “There are so many who stepped up at National Harbor, worked overtime and didn’t care about their job description. They just jumped in.”

For more information on National Harbor, visit www.NationalHarbor.com.

About National Harbor

Situated on the banks of the historic Potomac River and just minutes from the nation’s capital, National Harbor is a waterfront resort destination unlike any other. National Harbor is home to eight hotels including two of Maryland’s Four Diamond rated hotels—Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center and MGM National Harbor. Also within National Harbor is Tanger Outlets’ 85 designer brands. The vibrant Waterfront District at National Harbor features boutique shops, restaurants and entertainment options along picturesque promenades as well as the iconic Capital Wheel, a 180-ft observation wheel and the Guide by Cell outdoor art gallery tour. National Harbor welcomes more than 28 million visitors a year. For more information, visit www.NationalHarbor.com.

Contact: Vicki Bendure
202-374-9259 cell/text
Vicki@Bendurepr.com