The DowntownDC Business Improvement District’s (BID) ambassadors were greeted by all 44 U.S. Presidents at their February employee-of-the month meeting hosted by Madame Tussauds (1001 F St NW).
The Madame Tussauds museum was founded by talented French wax modeler Madame Marie Tussaud, formerly Marie Grosholtz, who opened her first museum in London in 1835 and has since become a household name.
The third Madame Tussauds in America opened in DowntownDC in 2007, and quickly became a must-see attraction for D.C. residents and tourists alike.
Unique to D.C., Madame Tussauds in DowntownDC hosts all 44 U.S. presidents in their President’s Gallery in addition to featuring favorite celebrities, entertainers, sporting greats, historical icons and more! At the museum, visitors are welcome to snap a perfect selfie with their local heroes or favorite actors as a keepsake of your time at the wax museum.
Madame Tussauds is a welcome venue for the BID’s red-uniformed DowntownDC ambassadors, who work 362 days a year to keep the streets of Downtown clean, safe and friendly and often direct visitors to Downtown entertainment venues such as Madame Tussauds.
During the ambassadors’ employee meeting, Ashley Robinson, Madame Tussauds’ marketing, promotions and social media specialist, expressed her appreciation and gratitude to the BID Ambassadors for their constant hard work, friendly hospitality and diligent service in DowntownDC.
BID Director of Operations Everett D.E. Scruggs and Quality Assurance Manager Blake Holub also spoke at the event and thanked the ambassadors for their high-level of service. Scruggs also shared testimonials from stakeholders and visitors in Downtown who have had memorable and positive encounters with the ambassadors and noted how many stakeholders are truly pleased with their service.
At the February meeting, attire and preparations for battling cold weather conditions were discussed.
As is customary at each monthly meeting, two BID ambassadors were chosen as employees-of-the-Month for their excellent service in Downtown DC. The winners for January were Safety/Hospitality Ambassador Shanita Cowling and Maintenance Ambassador Charles Stroud Jr.
Shanita Cowling, a native of Washington D.C., has worked for the DowntownDC BID since 2007, has been awarded employee of the month several times and said she enjoys every minute of her job. “I enjoy being an ambassador. My favorite thing to do is to meet new people and give them a great, welcoming experience, which is definitely a part of my job,” Cowling said. Cowling said she wanted to be an ambassador after seeing BID ambassadors on the streets greeting people and being helpful to those in need. Cowling said she loves the social events in Downtown and the great restaurants the area has to offer. She said her favorite destination is Brazilian steakhouse Fogo De Chao (1101 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). On her time off, Cowling loves spending time with her daughter and taking her to different attractions in Washington D.C., such as the U.S. Botanic Garden and the National Museum of Natural History.
Charles Stroud Jr., who has worked for the DowntownDC BID for five years, has also been recognized as employee of the month multiples times by the BID. Stroud is originally from Suitland, M.D. and is a musician. In his spare time, he likes to play the bass. Stroud said he used to be in a go-go band, but now plays gospel music at churches. Stroud said he enjoys the events and restaurants in DowntownDC and meeting new people, which is one reason why he loves being a BID ambassador. He said he enjoys the opportunity to meet new people and bring happiness to someone’s day.