Building Strong Relationships

But though Morton is quick to praise his staff, much of the credit clearly belongs to him. He spearheaded the department's strong customer service focus soon after becoming director in 1998, turning what had been a low-morale department with a mediocre reputation into a model of quality and efficiency that has received accolades from the governor. Under his direction, quality improvement programs have saved the state $441,000 and generated $212,000 in revenue.