Photo By Clifford Davis | JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (July 20, 2017) Former Fleet Readiness Center Southeast Commanding...... read more read more
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As one of his last official acts as commanding officer of Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, Capt. Chuck Stuart singled out two of his federal civilian employees for recognition.
F/A-18 Integrated Product Team Lead Monty Pearce, and Human Resources Director Brenda Mick-McMahan earned the Meritorious Civilian Service Award for their contributions to the warfighter, culminating in the facility’s historic 2017 production numbers. The Navy aviation repair, maintenance and overhaul depot returned 27 F/A-18s to the Navy and Marine Corps, as well as fulfilling its commitments in H-60 helicopters, P-3C Orions, trainer aircraft, engines and components.
“I’ve previously called Monty a national treasure,” Stuart said at the change of command ceremony. “He’s led his team to greatness by rigorously building and applying efficient processes.”
Pearce has put together an efficient, high-performing team on the F/A-18 production lines since taking over in April 2014 – a time when the Navy and Marine Corps were beginning to feel the squeeze on the availability of Hornets and Super Hornets.
Through the establishment of lean processes like Critical Chain Project Management (known as CCPM) and Drum-Buffer Rope, in addition to an influx of new employees, Pearce and his team made a remarkable turnaround.
“Early on in the process, there was a period of time when we had to freeze aircraft, because we just didn’t have the staffing,” Pearce said. “We put the plan in place with CCPM, redesigned the organizational structure and began to ramp-up hiring.
“There was some doubt out there that we’d be able to turn it around, and all I could say was just stay the course.”
“Staying the course” proved to be the right answer when, in 2017, it became apparent that FRCSE would deliver 27 F/A-18 A-D Legacy Hornets and F/A-18 E-F Super Hornets – a 50-percent increase over the 2016 total of 18.
Rear Adm. Mike Zarkowski, Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, called the effort “Herculean” during a recent visit.
Though Pearce was the employee chosen to receive the award, he stressed the fact that he was merely the visible face of a massive effort that ultimately delivered the planes needed to the warfighter.
“I want to stress the fact, and I mean this from the heart when I say it, it took the team to do it,” he said. “We’re going to end up executing more than 610,000 direct hours of labor this year, and you don’t do that much work without the right people.”
Pearce said each member of the F/A-18 production team knows their responsibilities, and carries them out without being asked.
“If there’s anything I get satisfaction from, it’s from building a cohesive team that works together,” he said.
That team didn’t come together on its own.
The FRCSE Human Resources Department faced a monumental task.
“In 2013, the Navy experienced the effects of Sequestration and an extended hiring freeze,” Capt. Stuart said. “During this time, FRCSE experienced seven-percent attrition, just like we do every year.
“When the hiring freeze was lifted, FRCSE had its lowest manning in years.”
The Navy was clamoring for aircraft, and the facility was short-handed.
“Our human resources team rose to the occasion, as we simultaneously realized we needed to grow the command by 500 people, on top of the 250 people retiring or transferring out every year,” Stuart said.
Mick-McMahan and the human resources team commenced a hiring push, scouring the nation for qualified employees. Her department met the facility’s demands through outreach, marketing initiatives and using national data and metrics to track and more efficiently hire new employees in an increasingly competitive job market.
“I was surprised and honored with the award,” Mick-McMahan said. “In human resources we often get feedback that's negative, so hearing positive words like that motivates me to keep pushing my teams to provide the absolute best products and service we can.”
| Date Taken: | 08.02.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2017 14:24 |
| Story ID: | 243428 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 278 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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