Paradies Lagardére’s Assistant General Manager, Angela DeMarco recently received the “Impression Makers” award from Philadelphia International Airport’s (PHL) Employee Recognition Program. This award recognizes customer-facing employees who provide direct customer service to passengers.
As an AGM of Paradies Lagardére, a tenant of Marketplace PHL, DeMarco oversees 10 stores, including Pandora, Brighton, and CNBC News. She’s been at PHL for over two years and rotates between shifts. DeMarco brings over 30 years of retail experience to her job.
“I take a lot of pride in being a team player for anything that needs to be done,” said DeMarco. “Employees at other stores tease me and say I need roller skates because I’m always flying up and down the terminals.”
DeMarco starts her day by ensuring her stores have staff coverage as she interacts with everyone and states positive affirmations like "today will be a great day". She enjoys the energy, vibes, and fast-paced airport environment.
In his nomination of DeMarco, Paradies Lagardére’s General Manager Hamid Larbi stated, “While on the sales floor, Angela consistently delivers first class customer service, consistent with our Paradies mission statement, ‘exceeding the expectations of our customers and business partners we serve.’ Most recently, she scored 100 percent on a secret shop in our Pandora store. In addition, Angela always exemplifies a culture of excellence in service and a willingness to leave positive impressions on every passenger she interacts with.”
The work ethic DeMarco upholds includes customer-centrism and transcending expectations. Her dedication and commitment to serving guests caught one passenger’s attention.
Passenger Jean Harris also nominated DeMarco. Harris stated, "I wanted to take a moment to let you know that whoever does the hiring was absolutely brilliant to hire Angela as a manager of these stores! While my flight was delayed, she brightened my whole family's day! We ran into her in multiple stores where she went above and beyond to make us comfortable and secure while waiting for our departure flight. As Angela said, ‘Philadelphia isn't so bad. It just has an unfair reputation.’ Well, she was correct. Thanks to Angela, the highlight of our entire vacation was that experience in Philadelphia.”
DeMarco is an extrovert who enjoys meeting different people and establishing strong professional relationships. “I take pride in knowing that I am the first or last impression of our guests,” she said. “This is something that I teach all my employees. If you love Philadelphia, stand tall for it.”
DeMarco and her team have a strong line of communication and constantly update one another on anything that happens, big or small. “My favorite quality about my managers is their dedication and love of Philadelphia,” said DeMarco. “They understand that they are the face of Philadelphia.”
One of DeMarco’s most memorable moments at PHL was when she assisted a Spanish-speaking guest in finding her gate in Terminal C. The woman was confused, scared, and nervous she would miss her flight. Although DeMarco is not fluent in Spanish, she did her best to assist the woman make her flight. “I walked her over to her gate, and she gave me the warmest hug of appreciation and kept thanking me,” said DeMarco. “I felt great all day.”
“Retail is usually a starting point for people, and as someone in management, I get to give my associates hope,” said DeMarco. “I love being able to develop people. I want to help them grow and get to the next level in life. Sometimes people just need to hear and see that they can do it. Being in retail feeds my passion. Especially when a guest looks me in the eyes and tells me that I made their day.”
DeMarco genuinely cares about guests and always strives to lift their spirits and change their mindset positively.
“It’s incredible working for Paradies,” said DeMarco. “People matter to our company. We want to make the guests feel like they come first. That’s our Paradies priority. I naturally thrive here. I love it. It’s an easy match.”
Integrity is essential to DeMarco; coworkers describe her as loyal and honest.
“I feel like we should all realize that we all represent Philadelphia,” said DeMarco. “It does not matter who you work for at PHL. We are a family at PHL airport. We are one team, and we have one goal, to delight the guests that visit the city.”
The PHL Employee Recognition Program was established by the airport’s Guest Experience (GX) Department. Honorees are nominated by their peers and selected by the GX Council Steering Committee’s Employee Conduct and Recognition Committee. For more information about the program and to nominate an employee, click here.
