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Undersecretary of the Air Force Erin C. Conaton accepts the University of Tennessee ROTC coin from Kena Bostick and Lt. Col. Mike Angle, following an Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century awards dinner Oct. 14, 2010, honoring Knoxville companies who support Air Force programs at the university. Ms. Bostick is a cadet wing commander. Colonel Angle is the commander of Air Force ROTC Det. 800. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lt. Col. Cindi Feldwisch)
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Air Force leaders and university officials honor Tennessee companies
Posted 10/28/2010
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by Lt. Col. Cindi Feldwisch
Air Force Office of Business Transformation
10/28/2010 - WASHINGTON, D.C. (AFNS) -- Undersecretary of the Air Force Erin C. Conaton honored six Tennessee manufacturing companies for supporting the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century Executive Leadership Course at a ceremony in Knoxville, Tenn., Oct. 14.
Ms. Conaton, in collaboration with officials from the College of Business Administration's Center for Executive Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, formally recognized the companies for helping the Air Force increase its effectiveness, efficiency and resilience during a time of economic and global uncertainty, a goal of AFSO21, Air Force officials said.
"I applaud these corporations who have freely given their time to educate Air Force leadership by showcasing the quality levels of their manufacturing facilities," Ms. Conaton said. "Applying continuous process improvement tools and techniques is how the Air Force will transform to become more efficient and effective in order to remain viable, strong and resilient."
Ms. Conaton and Chuck Parke, the executive director of UT Knoxville's Center for Executive Education, presented a framed award to Alcoa, JTEKT-Morristown, JTEKT-Vonore, La-Z-Boy, StandardAero and Thomas & Betts for their dedication to the Air Force and the AFSO21 Executive Leadership Course.
Since 2006, more than 1,200 senior Air Force leaders have attended the two-day AFSO21 Executive Leadership Course and have been given plant tours by senior and mid-level management teams.
"These companies are true partners with the college and the Air Force," Mr. Parke said. "They have provided more than 30 facility tours in the past four years, giving over 100 hours of their time."
Each company has its own reasons for supporting the AFSO21 Executive Leadership Course.
"We wanted to be good corporate citizens," said Everick Spence, a continuous cold mill manager at Alcoa.
"It is our honor to share some of our experiences and expertise with the men and women dedicated to preserving our security and civil liberties," said Herb Bradshaw, a plant manager for Thomas & Betts, a manufacturer of electrical outlet boxes and components.
The experience has been educational for plant employees as well as the military leaders.
This has been some employees' first exposure to high-ranking Air Force officers, said Mike Bowers, the vice president of JTEKT.
"Our employees were honored by the visits and the genuine interest and questions shown by the officers," Mr. Bowers said.
"Each of these companies exhibits a true American can-do spirit," Mr. Parke said. "They continue to prove that when teams apply continuous process tools and techniques to streamline processes, maintaining strong and competitive companies is a reality in spite of tough economic times." |
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