Tony, have you been doing any courses or training of your own during your employment? It might pay to enrol in a course to keep updating your skills in some way, either in the tech field or in managment principles. Your current employer may look on you favourably then as you are trying to be better for them in the future.

Aside from my master's program, I don't really have time for classes outside of work. At work, I've kept up with training, I've taken various software development methodology classes, as well as classes on a few tools we use at work (Rational suite, etc.) Not that I actually liked any of these, they were kinda forced on me by the company. As for "management principles" I'm not planning on going into a management track. My group is already way too top-heavy. Too many chiefs, not enough warriors. Training is definitely not the limiting factor in me getting a promotion.