Department of Aviation Sign Fabricator Group Leader Timothy Garside recently received the “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” award from Philadelphia International Airport’s (PHL) Employee Recognition Program. This distinction acknowledges employees who create a positive guest experience through service and delivery while collaborating with other organizations.
Garside holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute and had five years of sign industry experience before joining PHL. This August will mark his 20th anniversary at the airport. Garside manages employees and designs, fabricates, and installs signage within his job role. He also maintains inventory, research, new products, technology, and equipment.
At PHL, Garside is known for his teamwork, effectiveness, and transcending expectations.
“Working with others to find creative solutions to the diverse wayfinding and signage needs of the airport is the most meaningful part of my job,” said Garside.
Garside’s dedication and performance on a recent project for two kiosks at the exit of a security checkpoint led to this award. In her nomination of Garside, Department of Aviation Marketing Strategist Adriana Palombit stated, “I reached out to Tim about the kiosks to see if his team could help and was immediately met with a can-do attitude. I had worked with Tim on signage before but did not know if the shop could execute what we sought. He actively brainstormed with me, heard my needs, provided ideas of his own, and sprang right into action. Not only did Tim and his team execute this request in under a week, but he exceeded my expectations. Tim went above and beyond, adding vinyl finishes to the replica to portray the kiosks. It can be challenging to collaborate with various stakeholders, but Tim made the entire process from start to finish easy. He communicated effectively to coordinate details and delivery of the replicas and did it all with a positive attitude. I greatly appreciate his efforts, which greatly moved our project to the next phase.”
The design skills and spirit of collaboration that Garside learned at the Pratt Institute continue to serve him well. He believes in consistently producing work to the highest standard of one’s abilities. Despite a mild fear of flying, Garside finds airplanes fascinating.
“The airport presents a wide variety of challenges and requirements for a sign shop,” said Garside. “We have a wonderful and diverse group of amazing folks who truly want to do their best to make the airport a world-class hub and a great place to work.”
As a Guest Experience (GX) Employee Engagement Committee member, Garside has enjoyed meeting other employees with whom he’s previously communicated over email. “We collaborate to find ways to bring together employees from the various departments and organizations throughout the airport to create a more positive and unified experience of what it means to be a PHL employee,” he said.
Garside is passionate about working with the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). He enjoys finding new homes for abandoned cats. Garside loves Philadelphia and everything the city has to offer. “I have an amazing group of friends in the city,” he said. “Philly has an amazing grassroots music, art, and food scene with more grit than bigger cities and more diversity than smaller ones. It's also one of the most bikeable and walkable cities I've seen in the States.”
With almost two decades under his belt at PHL, Garside has had his fair share of memories. “There have been so many memories, from driving snowplows on the runways during whiteout conditions to going up 50 feet in the high ranger to change the signs over highway offramps, to just the general good vibes you get when you work with folks from every conceivable department to get a job done, I can't pick just one favorite memory,” he said.
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.
