Three hourly workers celebrated with a $1,000 gift card
ATLANTA, Dec. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Instant Financial, the fintech company modernizing payments for hourly workers and their employers, is announcing the three winners for its inaugural Workforce Warriors Awards, a first-of-its-kind recognition program celebrating the hourly workers who power America's service industries.
In its first year, the program received more than 140 nominations from across the country — spanning restaurant staff, office workers, warehouse associates, delivery drivers, and more. Each nomination demonstrated dedication, resilience, and a commitment to excellence in their workplaces and communities. The three winners for the 2025 Workforce Warriors will each receive a $1,000 Visa gift card just in time for the holidays.
The 2025 Workforce Warriors are:
Heather Breza, Buffalo Wild Wings: Heather began her career at Buffalo Wild Wings in 2016 and has exceeded expectations ever since. As the daytime bartender, she transformed the lunch daypart with her hospitality. Guests came in specifically to see her, and she knew each of them by name, food order, and drink. Her positivity has carried her through multiple leadership roles. She joined the training team, became a supervisor, and proudly helped lead her restaurant to a 3rd-place national finish in a companywide competition in 2023. In 2025, she reached another milestone, stepping up as bar supervisor and taking responsibility for ordering and managing inventory, tasks far beyond her job description. Heather's ambition, drive, and care for her restaurant and the guests make her a standout for this award.
Sayvar Lawson, Daimler Truck (via Randstad): Sayvar's nomination came unanimously from his supervisor and three team leaders, each of whom described him as the first person who comes to mind when defining a Workforce Warrior. He brings a consistently positive attitude, a strong sense of responsibility, and a willingness to take on anything the team needs, whether training new hires or adapting to new processes. During a recent staffing shortage on the heavy packaging line, Sayvar trained two new team members while maintaining production targets and even improving efficiency by more than 10 percent that week. His calm leadership, professionalism, and approachable nature set the tone for the entire department and create a supportive environment built on respect and teamwork. His reliability and work ethic reflect Daimler Truck's core values of dedication, teamwork, and continuous improvement, making him not only a top performer, but someone his entire team depends on.
Laura Bush, McDonald's: Laura is widely known throughout her organization for her exceptional hospitality, so much so that her name regularly appears in guest surveys praising her warmth, professionalism, and ability to make every interaction memorable. Her genuine care for guests has elevated team morale and strengthened her location's reputation for service excellence. She was personally recognized by the company consultant for standing out across the entire system, and during a recent owner-shop visit, Laura was named as having the best hospitality skills among 1,100 employees. Her consistency and positive energy make her a model employee and a natural mentor, and she is now being considered to help train others. Laura sets the bar for hospitality, not only in her restaurant but across every location in her organization.
Because of the exceptional quality of submissions, Instant Financial will also award each of the seven remaining finalists a $100 Visa gift card as a surprise acknowledgment of their impact. The 2025 Finalists include:
- Noah Allen, McDonald's
- Courtney Cooper, Sonic Drive-In
- Nicole Dotson, Hardee's
- James Duncan, Schenker (via Randstad)
- Tayler George, Papa Johns
- Kierstin Luker, Cotton Patch Cafe
- Destiny Schaefer, Glory Days Grill
Nominations for the Workforce Warriors were submitted through October and November. After 140+ nominations, an internal team selected the Top Ten Finalists and then a panel of judges evaluated anonymized submissions to rank and determine the three winners. Judges include:
- Tal Clark, CEO, Instant Financial
- Steve Price, Co-Founder, Lazy Dog Restaurants
- Callie Evergreen, Editor, FSR Magazine
- Ben Coley, Editor, QSR Magazine
- Kevin O'Bold, VP of Finance, Ultra Steak, Inc.
"The hourly workforce keeps our communities running: cooking our meals, stocking our shelves, transporting our goods, and doing countless jobs that often go unrecognized," said Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial. "We launched this program to shine a light on those everyday contributions that make a real difference. Every nominee deserves credit, and while we can't award everyone, we're proud to honor a group of workers who go above and beyond."
Visit instant.co/workforce-warrior to learn more.
About Instant Financial
Instant Financial is a fintech company modernizing payments and earned wage access for hourly workers and their employers. We provide earned wage access, digital tips, and instant payments via banks, mobile wallets, or paycards, along with financial wellness services—giving frontline workers control over how and when they get paid. As the first company to offer earned wage access through a paycard, Instant has helped workers in restaurants, retail, hospitality, and beyond access over $8 billion in earnings and $5 billion in tips at no or low cost. With 86% of employees wanting same-day pay, our award-winning solutions turn every workday into payday, helping employers improve recruitment and retention. Learn more at instant.co.
Instant is a single-source payment solution provider, distinct from a bank. The card (i.e. the Instant Visa Debit Card or the Instant Virtual Card) is issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa, U.S.A. Inc. All other trademarks and service marks belong to their respective owners.
Sutton Bank is not affiliated with the Workforce Warriors contest in any way.
Media Contact
Hela Sheth, Instant Financial, 1 6789381318, [email protected], instant.co
SOURCE Instant Financial
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