1. “There is no higher honor than to be nominated by your peers for achieving outstanding
performance. The Pyramid of Excellence is the highest honor for administrative people at 3M.
The program recognizes outstanding individual and team performance through contributions
that are aligned with 3M’s corporate goals and customer service objectives. This program
depends on peer nominations and is possible only through the efforts of fellow employees,
supervisors and managers who identify and nominate deserving candidates.”
Kim Price
Vice President, 3Mgives
Senior VP, Corporate Communications and Enterprise Services
Executive Sponsor, Pyramid of Excellence Award Program
Congratulations on being nominated for the Pyramid of Excellence! This is a tremendous honor
and speaks highly of your contributions to 3M. Your nomination will be reviewed for the next
Business Unit/Area level award. Thank you for all you have done!
INDIVIDUAL NOMINATION INFORMATION
Nominated by: MP, Site IT Supervisor
1. Benefits to 3M for the accomplishments of the nominee: $10,001 - $50,000
2. OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Tony led the project to replace all of the output
express printers for Cottage Grove. Tony displayed resourcefulness, creativity and innovation
that led to a above and beyond contribution to 3M. Tony performed a in depth analysis that
enabled him to reduce the total number of printers that were needed for Cottage Grove as well
as implement configuration changes - both of which have led to significant IT cost savings. The
estimated IT cost savings for Cottage Grove is about $2500.00 per month. ($30,000 annually)
3. CUSTOMER AND CLIENT FOCUS (External and Internal): 3M Cottage Grove is a site that
has many different businesses with diverse IT needs. I have had several clients from various
businesses send me emails or pull me aside to let me know how happy they are with Tony's
support and what an asset he is to our site. The comments seem to all have the underlying
theme that Tony is very courteous, thorough, educational and ensures that all IT needs have
been met. Given the amount of IT requests Tony actions in a month (~55) to only have good
comments such as these, it speaks volumes on his work.
FEEDBACK: Cottage Grove Site Lean Implementation Manager - I am writing to give you some
very positive feedback on my experience. Anthony Sauer was the technician I was working with
and I was a little concerned as I had no instruction on what to do to prepare. My prior
experiences required I copy my key items, desktop, printers, programs, favorites…. the list goes
on. When I had no prep. Sheet I was a little worried. When Tony arrived, he said, he would
move everything for me, wait for me to see that everything was working. He not only did this, but
he gave me some tips on Sleep Vs Hibernate along the way. It took about 40 minutes to get it
done. I am a happy customer; this took all the pain out of the transition to a new laptop.
FEEDBACK: Cottage Grove EHS Manager - Tony is a tremendous resource at Cottage Grove.

2. The site is large and complex with many competing demands. I have a team that consists of 3M
personnel, contingent staff, and interns as well as hosting visitors from 3M Center. Tony is
essential for ensuring that my team has the computer access and equipment needed in a timely
manner. Tony responds quickly to inquiries and shows up when he says he will. He is
accessible and always answers his phone even when addressing another task. He makes sure
that he understands 3Ms request system so that when I need a service that he doesn’t provide,
he is able to tell me how to use ITHelp or phone support to resolve my issue. Tony makes it his
mission to provide excellent customer service with a great attitude.
FEEDBACK: Site MRD Quality Manager - I wanted to send you a note in support of submitting
Tony for the Pyramid of Excellence award. I have worked with Tony on a number of projects
and appreciate not only his service but his input. The recent renewal of the printers in the
output express program is a good example. Tony took the initiative to not just replace what we
had with newer models but to recommend and work with us on consolidating some of the
printers that we had. The result was less hardware to maintain, less supplies, and lower cost;
but more capability. In addition, Tony has been a great partner in maintaining our access
control to export controlled information. He has done a good job of guarding the door but also
being helpful to the users who are needing access to information.
4. LEADERSHIP: Tony exhibits a quiet leadership of leading by example. Tony does a great
job of bringing fourth recommendations for improvement based on his observations from
support and site operations. Tony does not hesitate to share with the entire Cottage Grove IT
team what he thinks, which is something that every team needs.
Supervisor Comments: Tony was the main point of contact at the Cottage Grove site for the
Output Express printer project. Tony displayed resourcefulness, creativity and innovation that
led to above and beyond contribution to 3M. Tony provided analysis that enabled the site to
reduce the total number of printers that were needed in Cottage Grove as well as implement
configuration changes - both of which have led to significant IT cost savings. The estimated IT
cost savings for Cottage Grove is about $2500.00 per month. ($30,000 annually). Tony
managed the deployment of these devices will maintaining on-going support at the Cottage
Grove, Eagan, and Mendota Heights sites.