RICHMOND, Va. –
Employee spotlight regularly features outstanding non-supervisory personnel from throughout the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation and other DLA employees on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. Organizational directors may submit names of employees they wish to feature in this column to DLA Aviation Public Affairs. For more information, call (804) 279-3139.
Name: Nicholas Meads
Organization: DLA Aviation at Richmond
Years of Service: Two years
What is your job title, and what do you do, specifically? As a contract specialist, I resolve any contractual issues that are submitted via the Post-Award Request System. Essentially, I monitor contracts after the awarding of a contract until delivery of the material.
What do you like most about your job? What I like most about my job is the purpose that comes with working at DLA, which is serving the warfighter. I come from a military family, so being able to serve in this capacity is very fulfilling for me. Also, I love the environment of my team/branch/division. It just feels like one big family and that is not an easy thing to find in the workplace.
What kind(s) of training and education helps your work performance in your current role? I would say the master in Supply Chain Management I received from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia has helped me tremendously. I get to apply a lot of my learning to my everyday tasks.
If you could speak directly to the warfighters you support, what would you tell them? I would just want them to know that I have the upmost respect for them and the sacrifices they make. I would also let them know that I come to work every day with the mindset that I will do whatever I can to make their lives easier.
What was your first job? My first job was working at a big named pharmacy store where I I worked all through-out college.
What advice would you have given yourself 10 years ago? It’s simple. Go straight into graduate school and then get a job a DLA.
Where do you see yourself five years from now? Five years from now I see myself in a leadership position, leading a team of any number of people. Leading a team is something I am very passionate about.
What is the most surprising/unexpected thing others don’t know about you? The thing that people would be surprised to know about me is that I’m a beekeeper.
What’s your biggest pet peeve? I actually have two. People not responding to an email I sent them and people misspelling my name.
What are some of your passions outside of work? Some of my passions outside of work are working on my friend’s farm, hiking/camping on the Appalachian trail and enjoying the restaurants in Richmond.
What’s the most thrilling/adventurous thing you have ever done? I camped on the Appalachian Trail for three days in December. Needless-to-say, it was very cold.
If you could pick a personal motto, what would it be? It is a quote by Winston Churchill that I have written on my whiteboard at my desk “To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often.”
What is your favorite military aircraft? Why? My favorite military aircraft is the Air Force A-10 Warthog. I have done a lot of work in the past on this weapons system, so it is near and dear to my heart.
If you could start your life over again, what would you do differently? I would go to law school.
What is/are your favorite book(s), television show(s) or movie(s)? I am a huge WWII buff, so any book, TV show or movie pertaining to that subject.