Accolades

The Reflections of Excellence Award was the highest honour an employee could receive at General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada. In the summer of 2009, as part of the Internal Communications department, I received the award on the nomination of a long-time Production department employee.

In the nomination form, the employee stated that our department had “enhanced the quality of internal communications (at GDLS-C).”

“The professional they bring with their backgrounds in journalism is reflected in enhancements to Lines of Defense and the Electronic Communication Stations.”

“John and Sean (Irvine) are approachable and listen equally to coworkers in the plant and office, whether entry level or senior. They respond quickly to their customers…Their efforts help inform us and keep us connected. They present the organization as professional. Besides, they are nice guys and that invites others to come forward with their issues and stories – and that shows how we can all contribute and make a difference.”

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The Award of Appreciation London & District Crime Stoppers was presented to myself, on behalf of Your Village News, for “appreciation of your continued support to the Crime Stoppers Program” after continued coverage of Crime Stoppers events and initiatives.

Spontaneous Recognition Awards from General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada

• June 2011 – Recognition for work on video for Production & Delivery presentation
• March 2011 – Recognition of handling Internal Communication requirements for first two months of 2011
• November 2008 – Recognition of effort on Remembrance Day ceremony

Testimonials

“John was a very strong asset…He certainly showed that he has a strong skill set and aptitude that could be a valuable contribution to any company or organization in need of a capable communications or marketing person.”

“John developed creative promotional and educational print materials, media releases, social media posts and other engaging and useful communications. He also set up interviews with media, liaising to help our event attract attention. John is self-motivating, responsible and a team asset. l highly recommend him.”

“John employed an effective blend of traditional, digital and social media platforms to communicate the pertinent information to the community. Whether it was maintaining the social media presence for the Ingersoll District Nature Club, preparing media releases to promote events or assuming the role of layout artist and editor for the River Current (later Oxford People Against the Landfill) newsletter, John understood the task at hand and set out to ensure that everything was set in place from a communications and marketing standpoint.”

“It was very easy to work with John. He is a person who knew his position and vocation so well, he takes all the work out of trying to figure out how to best communicate information or a news story. I relied on John so many times to advise our division of the continuous improvement initiatives and success stories. When I initiated the call, John was always very accommodating, asked clever questions to get the most out of the occasion, showed up on time, and produced a professional, interesting and quality result in print. His photography is realistic and flattering, his articles compelling and interesting.”

“(John) has excellent organizational skills which he used to help make sure the store ran smoothly, current publications were displayed prominently and old stock was not cluttering shelves. John has always had an excellent sense of the publishing business from being a writer, reviewer and employee at Coles. He was great at staying on top of marketing trends in the publishing world; which translates to his excellent sense of marketing today. He is a very creative person with photography, writing, desktop publishing, and video skills.”

 “I very much enjoyed working with John both as a professional as well as on a personal basis.”

“We would be lost with you and your talents. Thanks again for your continued support.”

“Our sincere appreciation to John Milner for all the work he does in the social media area.”

“Your ongoing support of our activities through promotion on Facebook, Twitter and our website are second to none.”

“He was great at staying on top of marketing trends in the publishing world which translates to his excellent sense of marketing today. He is a very creative person with photography, writing, desktop publishing, and video skills.”

“(He) has a top-notch ability to respond to multiple communications needs.”