BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
The Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Southeast region is home to one of the more unique field sites in the entire agency. That site is located at Anniston, Alabama, and the uniqueness is derived from not only its size and operational tempo, but also from the highly specialized demilitarization mission it supports as the local team faces a steady stream of incoming and outgoing property.
“When you turn property in, the field site’s goal is to reutilize it or dispose of it as scrap or be demilitarized or mutilated,” said Artie Jenkins, an Anniston-based property disposal specialist. “We make sure that the property is what they say it is, and that it goes on record for a chance to be reutilized or it gets a chance to be downgraded and sold as scrap.”
The site’s staff are split into DEMIL and reutilization functions, and while the roles have some overlapping duties, the two sections are very different. Blake Singleton, an area manager, discussed not only the different roles within the site but also the changes in leadership Anniston has experienced.
“There are a lot of different avenues that the material can go, and if you aren’t spun up on the different requirements it may be hard to grasp because everyone is not interchangeable,” said Singleton.
He went on to discuss some of the challenges Anniston has recently overcome and one of the biggest was continuity. Singleton mentioned the many new roles the site had in the supervisory ranks as he is eager to see the group growing and learning together.
“I’m looking forward to some continuity in 2025,” said Singleton. “While some of us have been supervisors before, every supervisor on the site here are all in new seats within the last year. So, this is a new year for everybody in a lot of ways.”
While there have been a lot of changes in personnel over the last year, the same can also be said for the physical buildings located on the site as one of the agency’s more significant military construction projects is currently taking place in Anniston.
“I’m very proud of [the Anniston team] for being so resilient,” said Southeast Region Director Becky Watson. “They have had a $65 million MILCON project going on for the last year, with another three or four years to go.”
Once construction is complete, Anniston will resume its unique DEMIL mission in one singular location – where previously that function was accomplished offsite.
“The biggest benefit of completing this MILCON is that I will have all my personnel back on one site,” said Singleton. “Right now, it’s a three-and-a-half-mile trip to go see my folks at the DEMIL site. In the future, everyone will be inside one footprint, and you will have a true secure facility with restricted area storage.”
Having all personnel in one location will only help to strengthen the site’s already positive camaraderie and morale. Val Christopher, who has worked as a materials examiner and identifier since 2018, talked about how much she enjoys her job and her teammates.
“As transportation customer support, I’m the first person they see when they come to Anniston,” said Christopher. “I make sure to greet them with a smile and brighten their day up. I love coming to work here for Disposition Services. Everybody gets along really well and we know what to expect from each other.”
Jenny McDonald, also a materials examiner and identifier, echoed the positive feelings towards the work environment Anniston provides and discussed how, despite a high operations tempo, she enjoys the daily workload.
“This is my home away from home,” said McDonald. “I used to work in DEMIL but now I’m on the reutilization side. It’s busy over here and we get a lot of property, and I really like it. It helps the day go by faster.”
When discussing this positive culture surrounding the site, Watson talked about how much work goes into making an enjoyable and still productive culture for those to thrive in.
“One of our big focuses is on culture,” said Watson. “If a site doesn’t have a good culture, it’s hard to have a high-producing site. Culture often trumps strategy, and poor culture can cause a lot of problems. So, we focus hard on that with our leaders – that culture starts with you at the top.”
The staff at Anniston have demonstrated the ability to overcome challenges while still maintaining the highest level of commitment to its customers each day – helping to ensure DLA Disposition Services continues to support the warfighter and remain the nation’s center of reverse logistics and printing solutions excellence.