This unique organizational mix includes federal and contract employees who were previously employed by a variety of NOAA offices, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA , universities, state coastal management programs, local emergency management agencies, private industry, and non-profit organizations. The Center has been successful in its first five years of operation. This success is not measured by the fact that the staff now numbers 126, occupies two buildings, and works on over 100 projects each year. Success for the Center is measured by the continued commitment of the organization to meeting customers' technical, information, and management needs. Customer input continues to guide the philosophy, areas of primary interest, and operating principles of the Center.
All projects are customer focused and include appropriate partners.
Evaluations are used to see if the product or service meets client expectations, as well as to improve succeeding efforts. Evaluations are also conducted in program areas to determine effectiveness and guide future efforts. Each product or service is created in response to a specific local issue, but there is also a national component. Lessons learned and the technology harnessed or created for each effort are transferable to a larger audience. One of the ways this is accomplished is via the Center-executed customer survey undertaken in 1996.