RICHMOND, Va. –
Name: Kevin Gutierrez
Organization: DLA Aviation at Ogden
How long have you worked for DLA: 7 years
What is your job title, and what do you do, specifically? I am a sustainment specialist. The main function of a sustainment specialist is to perform the creation and maintenance of the supportability action plan for all national item identification numbers we monitor. In a nutshell, an action plan lists the current supportability, or “health” of the NIIN and all the actions we are taking to make the NIIN supportable for the projected demand provided to us by the Air Force.
What do you like most about your job? The thing I like most about my job is the analytical work involved in bringing each individual NIIN healthy. Because no two NIINs are alike, we as sustainment specialists are forced to look at each action plan similar to how one might look at a puzzle. This allows me to constantly use all of the tools at my disposal while at the same time forcing me to grow as each new NIIN brings with it its own individual challenge. It also gives me the opportunity to reach out to other agencies, both internal and external, to work collaboratively in getting the parts the Air Force needs.
What aspect(s) of your current job gives you the most personal satisfaction and why? The most personal satisfaction I get from my job is the sense of accomplishment you get each time you can mark off a NIIN as healthy. It’s nice to be able to look over a completed action plan and see a chronological list of every action taken, every email sent and see that this item is good for the next 24 months. In a lot of positions, your day-to-day operations can become routine and mundane, but I don’t get that feeling in this position. Every NIIN I can manage to get supportable is one less thing the Air Force maintainers have to worry about.
If you could speak directly to the warfighters you support, what would you tell them? I would tell them to take care of your equipment because replacement parts can be hard to find.
What advice would you have given yourself 10 years ago? A decade ago, I would’ve told myself to buy Bitcoin and lay off the cheeseburgers.
Where do you see yourself five years from now? Still here with DLA. I have no intentions of leaving anytime soon.
What are some of your passions outside of work? I like playing board games. Every year my wife and I go to a convention where we get to play games with hundreds of other people for four days straight. I also play a lot of wargames and video games.
What is your favorite military aircraft and why? When I was a kid, I remember going to an air show and got a chance to see the Air Force SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance plane and I remember thinking that it was the coolest plane I had ever seen. So, I would have to say that is my favorite aircraft, even though it has been retired for decades.
What is your proudest accomplishment? My three awesome kids. I have two daughters, 13 and 11. My son is nine. They are amazing and I couldn’t be prouder of them.