# EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: John Torrence

/ Published July 27, 2016
RICHMOND, VA, 
**Organization:** DLA Aviation Business Process Support Directorate Order Fulfillment Division

**Years of service:** 29

**What is your job?** Business Process Analyst

**How does your work impact the overall mission of the DLA Aviation team?** As a business process analyst, I provide user support to customer account and support specialists, customer support technicians, resolution specialists and other business process analysts. My support includes, but is not limited to, analyzing and resolving Enterprise Business System computer-related order fulfillment problems and providing formal training. My ultimate goal is to provide our end users the knowledge, tools, and training they need to successfully support the warfighter.

**What knowledge, advice or suggestion can you offer to benefit those in your field, or even the entire workforce?** I perceive each workday as a new challenge. I like a challenge. In order to succeed in life, I look at each day as a new challenge, a new experience.  A new challenge also presents a new goal. My advice to individuals, whether you’re just starting your career or a current employee, is to always hold you head high, be proud to be a DLA employee knowing that your position, no matter what it may be, is essential to providing customer support to the warfighter.  Let’s wake up each morning and look forward to that new challenge, that new goal, and strive to be the best that we can be.

**What does the future hold for you as a DLA employee?** I am looking forward to retiring in 2017 after 30 rewarding years with DLA, but I feel I will always be a part of the DLA family, from Defense General Supply Center to Defense Supply Center Richmond and beyond.

**What do you like most about your job?** I get a great deal of satisfaction out of helping, assisting, and training individuals who need my assistance or request my advice/recommendation and wisdom that I have obtained throughout my years with DLA. 

**What is your favorite work activity?** My favorite work activity is team meeting. This is when all my co-workers all come together, brainstorm, share knowledge and talk about new or different ways of accomplishing our jobs.  

**What are you usually doing when not at work?** When I’m not at work, I like to relax my mind, sit back and enjoy life. My hobbies are gardening, fishing, traveling, and attending festivals and social events.

**What is your proudest accomplishment?** My proudest accomplishment in my career has to be when the Commander, U.S. Marine Corps., Naval Air Station Cherry Point, emailed our H-53 inventory management team stating he was very pleased with the fact that our stock availability for the H-53 spare parts was at 93 percent, the highest it had ever been. It was such an honor receiving this praise for our efforts supporting the nation’s warfighters.

**Who is the most influential person in your life?** The most influential person in my life was my dearest, departed mother. She instilled in me the value of life, how to treat others as you would like to be treated, and to be kind, considerate, and respecting of my elders. She also taught me to always be honest, hardworking and to encourage others and support them in obtaining their goals in life.

**What is the most surprising/unexpected thing others don't know about you?** People would be surprised to know that I started my DLA career almost 30 years ago, in 1987, as a high-voltage electrician for DLA Installation Services. Since then, I’ve held many different positions; electronic mechanic; equipment specialist; inventory manager; product specialist, supply planner, customer account specialist and business process analyst.

**What has been the highlight of your career so far?** The highlight of my career was back when I was a high-voltage electrician in 1987. I had the daunting task of restoring power to the entire installation after a tornado came through and toppled trees in the elk pasture, tore off the roof of the officer’s club, and destroyed the transformer at the main power station. We worked 16 consecutive hours to get 100 percent of the power restored.