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By Suzi Nelson         

WAHOO – Christmas came a few months early for Becky Lacey this year.

The  Wahoo woman received a prestigious national honor for her work as the  restaurant general manager at Pizza Hut in Wahoo for over 40 years.

On  Sept. 21, Lacey was awarded the Folino Life Unboxed Award from Pizza  Hut, which is given to one restaurant general manager per year by the  company.

The award is granted  to someone who is a true leader in their community and their restaurant  and is making an impact on their customers and employees as well as the  community where the restaurant is located.

With  over 6,000 Pizza Hut restaurants in the United States, it is a major  achievement to receive this award, according to Dave Staab, who owns 68  restaurants in five states including the Wahoo store.

“This  is about culture and their involvement in the community and what  they’ve done in the community,” he said during the presentation  ceremony.

Staub applauded Lacey’s involvement with diners and staff as well as the time she has spent working at community events.

“She’s just so connected with her team and just all around a great individual,” he said.

Because  of the COVID-19 pandemic, the award ceremony was low key. But a few  individuals were there to cheer Lacey on, including her daughter, Jay  Woita, and son, Kreig Lacey. Both worked for their mother as they were  growing up. here.

“I was fired six times,” Kreig Lacey said with a laugh.

Working for her mother was always fun, but there was also a serious side when it came to taking care of customers, Woita said.

“She’s a great example of what a boss should be,” she added.

Woita now uses what she learned from her mother in her own business, DJ’s Hair Design in Wahoo.

“As the owner of a salon, everything that I learned, I learned from her,” she said.

Mary Taylor was also on hand to witness Lacey’s achievement. Taylor had been on the first crew Lacey oversaw as manager.

“She never asked us to do anything she wouldn’t do herself,” Taylor said. “To me, that says a lot about being a boss.”

Taylor also used her experience working with Lacey later in her career.

“Whenever  I worked in a managerial position I would draw upon what I learned from  her and what it was like to work for her as a manager,” she said.

Taylor  moved back to Wahoo about five years ago and started looking for a job  right away. When she was not successful, she turned to her old friend  and boss, who hired her back as a cook. She has since moved on to  another job, but she continues to work at the Wahoo store on a part-time  basis.

Taylor said Lacey’s involvement in the community really stands out from her time as a Pizza Hut employee.

“What she does for the community is just amazing,” she said.

Theresa  Klein, executive director for the Wahoo Chamber of Commerce and the  Greater Wahoo Development Foundation, said every community should have  someone like Lacey, who takes care of their customers and serves the  community at the same time.

“Becky is that rock that every community needs,” she said.

Lacey’s  impact is felt in small, but important ways, Klein added. Like when she  hands out coupons to local kids for helping others.

“It’s just those little things that have big ripples in our community,” she said.

Helping others comes naturally to Lacey.

“I just love to help people,” she said.

She  came to Wahoo in the early 1970s to attend John F. Kennedy College on a  track scholarship. She is on the record books there as a member of the  fastest 4x100 relay team in school history.

Lacey started working at Pizza Hut in 1973 as a part-time job to help pay for college.

“I came from a big family so I had to work,” she said.

When  the college closed in 1975, Lacey stayed in Wahoo and continued to work  at Pizza Hut. She was offered a position as assistant manager and she  took it, making a decision that would impact the rest of her life.

“I’m so happy I did it,” she said. “It’s just been a rewarding job for me.”

Lacey  had been studying physical education and psychology in college. She  never dreamed of a career in business. But fate had intervened and in  1979, she was promoted to restaurant general manager and has carried  that title ever since.

“That’s how I ended up carrying on the Pizza Hut tradition,” she said.

Lacey  forged her own path when it came to how she ran the restaurant. She was  the first in Wahoo to hire intellectually challenged people from Region  V in Wahoo, starting the program in the 1980s. Since then, several  other area businesses have followed suit.

“Back then, that was a big thing,” she said.

Lacey sees the program as a learning opportunity for both the Region V clients and the rest of her staff.

“It’s good for them to experience working side by side,” she said.

Klein said early on Lacey recognized the benefits of having people of all abilities working together.

“She’s teaching the kids in the community how to work,” Klein added.

Lacey  is also teaching that doing good things for others does not always  require recognition. There are days when Lacey will pay for a family’s  meal for no reason other than she wants to. Their protests always fall  on deaf ears.

“I tell them, ‘You can’t argue with me, I’m the boss,’” she said with a laugh.

Lacey would rather do good deeds like this without people knowing. She just likes to make people feel good.

“If I can have a reason to surprise somebody to make their day a little better, I’ll do it,” she said.

As a Pizza Hut restaurant general manager, Lacey has never turned down a request to donate to the community.

“People in Wahoo are just the greatest people,” she said.

After  nearly five decades working at Pizza Hut, Lacey doesn’t plan to retire  soon. She said she envisions herself rolling through the store on a  motorized scooter, much like Mrs. B did at Nebraska Furniture Mart.

“When I don’t love my job, I’ll retire,” she added.

That probably won’t be any time soon.