Davison wins Petaluma Service Person of the Year award

Donna Davison, who runs the front desk at Petaluma Valley Athletic Club, was voted the 2017 Petaluma Service Person of the Year by members of the community.

“That’s so cool. I’m very excited,” Davison said. “We have great members. It’s quite an honor.”

Davison, who has worked at the gym for 11 years, is known for greeting members with a smile each day.

“Customer service is just not that common nowadays,” said Davison, 54. “I want to make everyone feel welcome.”

Whether it’s answering the phones, helping gym members with billing issues, or just folding towels, Davison handles every task with a positive attitude.

After a 20-year career in banking, the mother of two grown children got a job at the athletic club that she says is a great, family-friendly place to work. She also takes advantage of the workout equipment, joining spin classes, cross-training and even learning to play tennis.

“It’s a great place, very family-oriented,” said the Petaluma resident of 27 years. “The owners are just awesome.

In nominating her, gym member Kerry Katherine Enright said Davison brightens each day.

“Every morning, Donna Davison greets me with a lovely big smile, a lilting cadence in her voice, as if she is actually that happy to see each of us walk through the door,” she wrote in an email. “She truly is the first person we all see when we arrive, and she never ever misses a cheerful good bye as we leave the club to carry on with our day.”

Davison said the honor is more poignant given the uncertainty surrounding Petaluma Valley Athletic Club. Owners Rob and Martha Domont have expressed an interest in selling the 40-year-old gym, but have had trouble finding a buyer to keep it open as a health club. A plan to sell the facility to a local church was recently rejected by the city council, leaving the property in limbo.

Davison said she does not know what the future holds for her career, but said she would likely stay in customer service if PVAC closes.

“With everything happening at PVAC, I wanted to go out of there with a bang,” she said.

Davison was selected through an online poll from among four other nominees. The other nominees were Julie Simon, a bagger at Lucky’s; Katy Eldridge, who works the deli counter at Whole Foods; Heidi Mishler, a server at Flamez Grill; and Laura Nickel, a checker at Petaluma Market.

She will be honored at the 2017 Petaluma Community Awards of Excellence, co-sponsored by the Argus-Courier and the Petaluma Chamber of Commerce, on April 20 at the Petaluma Sheraton Hotel.

(Contact Matt Brown at matt.brown@arguscourier.com.)