City of Rochester names Marsh 2016 Employee of Year

Jennifer Marsh, Rochester Employee of Year for 2016. (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - City worker Jennifer Marsh has been named Rochester's 2016 Employee of the Year.

Marsh, an Economic Development Specialist within the City's Economic Development Department, has worked for the City of Rochester since 2014. In her role, Marsh provides technical assistance to small businesses and supports ongoing efforts in business retention and expansion.

Additionally, Marsh leads the department's Business Roundtables and the Quarterly Manufacturers Exchanges, and serves on the Government Affairs team within the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Economic Restructuring team with the Rochester Main Street Organization.

Nominated by Karen Pollard, who heads up the Economic Development Department, Marsh was chosen for taking the lead on multiple projects in the past year, including the Farmers Market at the Rochester Commons, the Seacoast Manufacturing Exchange and the Job Opportunity Benefit (JOB) Loan Program, according to a press release sent today by city officials.

"Jenn consistently puts Rochester in a positive light through her daily interactions with people inside and outside of City Hall," City Manager Dan Fitzpatrick said. "I thank Karen for recognizing what a valuable employee she has in Jenn, and am pleased to honor someone who has done so much for Rochester in a short time."

Marsh's relationship-building and sales skills, honed from years of working as a real estate agent, benefit not only her team, but also local small businesses. She is the chair of the Technical Review Group, where multiple departments interact to ensure the city is providing the best customer service to each applicant as they prepare to go before the Planning Board.

Rochester's Employee of the Year award is a fairly new designation. The award, an extension of the longstanding Employee of the Month program, was created by Fitzpatrick and the Employee Recognition and Achievement Team in 2012. The team, which is made up of eight permanent members and two rotating members from different departments, accepts nominations for the Employee of the Year and also uses the nominations of the Employee of the Month to select the recipient each year.

"I'd like to thank City Manager Fitzpatrick, the Achievement Team and Karen for honoring me with this prestigious award," Marsh said. "I look forward to continuing to form positive relationships with local businesses and encourage all community members to look into the economic development resources the City of Rochester has to offer. I work in an amazing community and am blessed to have such great co-workers and a business community that really cares about the City they live and work in."