Public affairs coordinator has made significant contributions in his five years at agency
It is not just a job for Eric Florip, the public affairs coordinator at C-TRAN.
It is a mission … to provide for others.
“I love the work that I do because I feel transit is really important,” Florip said. “We are a lifeline for the people who have no other option to get around, and I think that was underscored when the pandemic started and we were among the folks out there still running, still operating and taking other essential workers where they needed to go.”
In his nearly five years at C-TRAN, he has come to have an even deeper appreciation for mass transit.
“I can see what it means to the folks who depend on the service,” he said.
That passion has not gone unnoticed.
Mass Transit Magazine recently named Florip to its annual list of 40 professionals under the age of 40 who have made significant contributions to the public transit industry.
As the public affairs coordinator, he deals with communication, is in charge of in-house videos, runs the social media accounts, and, pre-pandemic, helped coordinate all of the public events.
“Different things on different days,” he said.
Internally, Florip led the charge to organize C-TRAN’’s Green Team in 2017, an employee initiative to take measures to be more sustainable. That team then helped C-TRAN through the process of becoming a certified green business in Clark County.
“I’m certainly proud of that,” Florip said.
Still, he never figured on receiving national attention for his work.
“It was exciting, and it was a surprise and an honor,” Florip said. “When I found out I had been selected as one of the 40 under 40, I didn’t even know I was nominated. Good company to be in. There are a lot of really impressive folks that are a part of that. I was honored and surprised. It reflects well on C-TRAN and the team we work with.”
Florip has been key in promoting transparency with his social media skills and video production, C-TRAN announced in its press release honoring Florip.
“Through social media, training, and educational videos, and building our brand to what it is today, Eric’s work can be seen across our organization and our community,” said Shawn M. Donaghy, the CEO of C-TRAN. “It is quite an accomplishment to be recognized nationally among this group as it represents outstanding leadership from all levels of public transit as well as future leaders.”
In 2019, Florip won an AdWheel Award from the American Public Transportation Association for his storytelling video project. He also was selected to present at APTA’s Marketing and Communications Workshop.
Florip said those meetings are beneficial.
“It’s good to learn from other agencies,” he said. “We share ideas. We learn from what they do, and they learn from what we do.”
Florip lives in Vancouver with his wife Rachel and their 7-year-old daughter Charlotte.
He not only works at C-TRAN, he commutes with C-TRAN. Well, he used to be a daily rider, anyway. With the limited capacity on buses due to the pandemic, Florip said he does not want to take a valued seat away from another who might need it. So for now, he rides his bicycle to work on most days.
“I feel really fortunate to work with C-TRAN and the phenomenal people I get to work with,” Florip said. “The job is really fun, and I think it’s important.”
To see Florip’s feature for the 40 under 40, go to: https://www.masstransitmag.com/40-under-40
