BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
Day two of the annual Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Strategic Leadership Summit took place in the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center. Disposition Services leaders from stateside and overseas locations continued dialogue of multiple issues affecting the agency. Among the topics discussed on this second day of briefings were regional successes and challenges, budget execution, and facility status updates.
Each region has its own specific set of circumstances and goals but one consistent theme throughout the day was “safety first”. This sentiment was echoed by each speaker regarding their respective region as safety of the workforce is the utmost priority for everyone within Disposition Services.
“We prioritize safety,” said Jessie Parisano, the director of DLA Disposition Services Europe & Africa. “We decreased our material handling equipment mishaps by 50% from the previous year and we are going to continue to focus on having zero preventable mishaps.”
Also mentioned was the modernization of facilities across the agency. While improvements such as updating fire suppression systems help to increase the safety of personnel, other updates are made in order to increase productivity and quality of life. Leadership throughout Disposition Services are looking forward to continuing these types of updates for the work force.
“Those kinds of improvements are huge for our employees,” said DLA Disposition Services Director Mike Cannon. “Those are the kind of things we need to do for our employees, because they deserve a better place to work. We’re seldom going to get a beautiful warehouse to start with, but we can take the money that we do have and put it on the right projects to improve that warehouse.”
Army Lt. Col. Juan Talamantes, director of DLA Disposition Services Central, also shared some personal lessons learned as well, saying “I needed to recognize that we were one team and one fight, there to do the job together. And I think we now truly operate in a joint environment, and we are able to rely on each other.”
The Leadership Summit continues for the remainder of the week with DSDs and staff to cover budget implementation and site standardization. The event culminates on Friday, with the awarding of best sites.