RICHMOND, Va –
Defense Supply Center Richmond was named a recipient of the 2021 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence. It was one of five recipients of the highly competitive Department of Defense award recognizing the outstanding and innovative efforts of the people who operate and maintain U.S. military installations.
Installations competed on how well they achieve the department’s objectives in several areas of installation management, including mission support, energy conservation, quality of life and unit morale, environmental stewardship, real property management, safety, health and security, communications, and public relations.
A virtual award ceremony was broadcast from the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Aug 11. Defense Logistics Agency Aviation and DSCR Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. David Sanford accepted the award via video teleconferencing from DLA Aviation at Oklahoma City on Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. DLA Installation Management Richmond Site Director David Gibson and members of his staff, as well as representatives from the Virginia National Guard Headquarters and DLA Contracting Services Office Richmond, both DSCR tenants, all attended via VTC from the DLA Aviation Operations Center on DSCR.
Sanford said this award is representative of all the hard work, dedication and foresight, in spite of the pandemic, of the people from the many organizations on DSCR.
“They are the foundation of the installation and it’s an honor to see their efforts highlighted,” he said.
Some of the accomplishments submitted as part of the award write up included:
- DLA Installation Management Richmond employees awarded a $98 million DLA Aviation Operations Center Phase 2 military construction project that will replace World War II era warehouses with a modernized mission facility.
- Installation personnel aggressively worked to transform and maintain an 80-year-old installation into a state-of-the-art facility capable of supporting the mission needs of the modern warfighter.
- DLA Aviation Safety and Occupational Health Office professionals created a website that provides up-to-date safety information to maintain a well-informed workforce.
- Installation management leadership drafted and executed a comprehensive COVID-19 plan to provide signage, cleaning supplies and protective employee sanitation material across the installation. Employees’ implementation of the plan has kept the number of positive cases to a minimum.
- The installation’s Environmental Management System was re-certified in 2020 for the 16th consecutive year and is the only Defense Department site to consistently maintain its certification for this length of time.
- The ongoing focus on excellence by the installation’s workforce has garnered numerous awards and accreditations to include the Chesterfield County Environmental Compliance Platinum Award, DLA Richmond Fire & Emergency Services accreditation through the Center for Public Safety Excellence, the Child Development Center accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Recognition as an Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise.
Gibson said it’s an honor to be recognized in this way and the timing is particularly special given the past year with the pandemic and balancing demanding workloads, while keeping everyone safe.
“I’m proud of my team and all of our partners who have helped us be good stewards of the Installation and to excel at supporting the mission,” he said.
Each winning installation receives a commemorative trophy, flag and a congratulatory letter from President Joseph Biden.