# Distribution employees honored at annual DLA award ceremony

/ Published Jan. 10, 2017
FORT BELVOIR, Virginia, 
DLA director Air Force Lt. Gen. Andy Busch, along with Distribution’s deputy commander Twila Gonzales, Senior Executive Service, presented six Distribution employees with awards at the DLA 49th Annual Employee Recognition Program ceremony Dec 15.  The program seeks to recognize outstanding performers in all segments of the DLA workforce.
Kevin Henderson, materiel handler at DLA Distribution Puget Sound, Wash., was honored as one of the Top 10 Employees of the year for his work in support of the distribution center’s Mission Support Material Shop Store warehouse.  He expedited requisitions of 12,000 gallons of propane valued in excess of $300,000, and maintained Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, DLA Distribution and Naval Base Kitsap Material Handling Equipment mission readiness.  He also redesigned the material staging area, and implemented a new and robust receiving procedure that reduced lost material by 20 percent.  He applied a “first in, first out” concept, managed shelf-life material and reduced expired material disposal that increased warehouse efficiency.   

DLA Distribution Anniston, Ala., supply technician Sandra Stephens was also honored as one of the Top 10 Employees of the year for her contributions to the distribution center’s Inventory Action Team.  With her support, the team completed all inventories on schedule.  She exceeded the standards and benchmark for inventory research, recovering over $2 million dollars in materiel.  In total, she performed over 5,000 inventories, comprise of more than 14,000 National Stock Numbers worth $187,224,000.  She performed Floor to File inspections and checks associated with over 2,000 locations across 10 separate storage areas.  She assisted in maintaining and inspecting all pieces of Inventory Action Team's Material Handling Equipment with 100 percent accuracy.

The third Distribution employee honored as a Top 10 Employee of the Year, Jose Acosta, distribution facilities supervisor at DLA Distribution Puget Sound, Wash., oversaw Navy-owned material consisting of more than 60,000 line items with a value of $250 million and over 5,000 line items of shipyard material.  He ensured on-time materiel delivery to the warfighter, going above goal with a refusal rate of .01 percent, and exceeding the location accuracy goal of 95 percent with zero impact to customer orders.  Additionally, he executed solutions that resolved warehousing challenges for a $16 million end of fiscal year acquisition, and realigned storage capacity and socialized material movement that supported Puget Sound Naval Shipyard availability requirements. 

Rowena Gadin, materiel handler at DLA Distribution Europe, was honored as a winner in the Employee of Quarter category for her performance over the past quarter.  In this time, she processed more than 12,300 supply transactions (comprised of 1,952 picks, 8,069 packs, 1,517 stows and 763 map issues), more than double that of the division’s second highest performing employee.  Additionally, she performed the work with zero inventory discrepancies.

DLA Distribution’s Organizational Management and Expeditionary Logistics directorate FEPAAS program administrator/mobilization specialist Barbara Eberly received the Achievement in EEO by an Employee award for consistently displaying exceptional character distinguishing herself as an outstanding leader and role model who actively supports EEO-sponsored initiatives and activities.

Cathy Hampton, procurement analyst at DLA Distribution’s Office of Small Business Programs, was honored in the Outstanding Small Business Professional of the Year category.  As DLA Distribution’s Small Business director, Hampton single-handedly provides all Small Business guidance needed by contracting personnel in day-to-day operations.  She coordinated a Procurement Technical Assistance Center training shop which provided DLA Distribution’s acquisition workforce a better understanding of the Small Business program and working with commercial small business firms.  The FY15/16 assigned small business goal for Distribution is the highest within DLA.  During FY16, Distribution surpassed its small business goal by eight percent and substantially exceeded goals for three out of the four socioeconomic reporting categories.   

Other winners not present at the ceremony included:

Dina Edwards, supply clerk at DLA Distribution Red River, Texas, was selected as one of DLA’s 10 Outstanding Personnel of the Year for her performance supporting the distribution center’s Kitting & Disassembly Preservation, Packaging, Packing and Marking division.  Supporting central packaging/marking functions in sustaining Stock Readiness, she tracked 261 Basic Issue Item Kits for the Logistics Modernization Program, which aided the accurate kit ratio rate.  She also screened assembly of more than 2,000 MRAP - All Terrain Vehicle BII kits and delivered accurate accountable records.  She ensured special over pack boxes were ordered and constructed, which aided cost-effective packaging and saved DLA more than $12,000.  

Navy Lt. Brian Pietranderea, executive officer at DLA Distribution DOT, Susquehanna, Pa., was selected as the winner in the DLA Junior Reserve Officer of the Year category.  Pietrandrea provided a steady stream of qualified volunteers to serve on DLA Distribution's most critical missions. Working in concert with the DLA Distribution operational support officer, his efforts to promote and recruit for the DLA Distribution Susquehanna, Pa.’s FSG 80 mission and the wall-to-wall inventory in Anniston, Ala., directly resulted in seven DLA Distribution Susquehanna, Pa., sailors providing over 6,700 man hours of support and decreasing DLA operating costs by over $145,000 through active duty for special work assignments.

Navy Petty Officer First Class Luis Sebastian, training leading petty officer at DLA Distribution DOT San Joaquin, Calif., was the winner in the DLA Junior Reserve NCO of the Year category.  In his role as unit training leading petty officer, he led the unit training team in the analysis and adjustment of training plans to match the DLA mission. He scheduled and conducted training for 38 individuals encompassing a total of 1,082 hours of course time. His efforts directly contributed to the unit’s 100 percent completion in both General Military Training, in-rate training, and DLA’s Individual Training Program resulting in the promotion of five unit members from the Cycle 1 of the 2016 Navy-wide Advancement Exam.