Sigonella Navy Lodge Employee Antonio Motta Wins Worldwide Associate of the Year Award

By Megan Mills , NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

Antonio Motta, maintenance associate at Navy Lodge Sigonella, has been named the Navy Exchange Service Command’s (NEXCOM) Navy Lodge Associate of the Year for 2019.

“Antonio has one of the best attitudes throughout the Navy Lodge because he always comes in motivated and will take on any issue or project,” said Rory Chatman, General Manager, Navy Lodge Sigonella. “Daily, he goes beyond his duties to ensure the operation continues to flow without hiccups.”

This annual award is given to one associate from one of the 39 Navy Lodge locations worldwide.

In his 18 years at the Navy Lodge, Motta has become known as a jack-of-all-trades. In addition to handling maintenance calls, managing contractors, landscaping, organizing inventory, and maintaining records, he also routinely goes above and beyond for guests, helping with luggage, restaurant recommendations, and even minor car troubles.

When a scheduled water outage led to several pipe leaks in the Navy Lodge, repairs were estimated to take two days. Instead, Motta stayed behind and ensured that the repairs were completed in one day.

“Antonio ensured that families had water to shower within a 24 hour period. This is the type of stellar associate he is,” said Chatman.

Recently, Motta helped save the Navy Lodge Program $12,000 during the procurements process for replacing washers and dryers, revamping end stairwells, and revamping landscaping. When a major roof repair project arose eight years ago, Motta provided in-house expertise to overcome the issue and save the Navy Lodge over $5,000.

In addition to always striving to ensure that guests have a wonderful experience, Motta is also highly valued by his fellow staff. “Antonio will cover undesired shifts to keep our guests satisfied, and also maintains a great rapport with all his coworkers, third parties, and leadership,” said Chatman. Furthermore, though he never studied English in school, he learned it on his own and is now able to have helpful conversations with staff and guests. “This highlights his dedication and humility to want to learn and use his skills to expand the hospitality of Navy Lodge,” Chatman added.

Sigonella has been a part of Motta’s life since childhood. A native of the nearby town of Motta Sant’Anastasia, Motta grew up with children of American service members on his street. “I could only say hello and goodbye, but we could still play,” he recalls. His aunt even married an American.

Working on base is also a family affair for Motta. “My father worked here, and my brother works for NGIS (Navy Gateway Inns and Suites),” he said.

In his nearly two decades working at Navy Lodge, Motta has not only seen a great deal of change on base, but has also earned many awards and letters of appreciation.

Motta finds working at Navy Lodge Sigonella very rewarding. “When you do the same thing all the time, it can become boring. What I like about this job is it’s always a little bit different. Here, you never know what will happen. It’s always a new day.”

“The main thing for us is to take care of the guests. If the guest is not satisfied, you are not doing a good job,” Motta said.

In years past, the Associate of the Year award was presented at the annual conference held in different locations around the world and involves a presentation by the winner. Although this year’s event was canceled, Motta is proud of the honor and hopes to participate in the future.