The Defense Logistics Agency couldn’t perform its mission without a large alliance of partners in industry, the military and other government agencies, DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek said Oct. 23 at an event recognizing those partners.
Harnitchek hosted the 15th Annual Business Alliance Awards ceremony at the McNamara Headquarters Complex. He opened by detailing the agency’s large and diverse mission and said DLA doesn’t accomplish its tasks alone.
“We couldn’t do this without the cooperation and innovation of our partners in industry, businesses both small and large,” he said. “It is because of our strong partnerships with industry that DLA can successfully support America’s men and women in uniform and our allies around the world.”
Harnitchek alluded to one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats, in which he referred to America’s industrial base as the “arsenal of democracy.”
“That was in December 1940, a full year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,” Harnitchek said. “President Roosevelt … made a promise to the United Kingdom and the world that while the U.S. would not take up arms against Germany, we would provide the military supplies needed to fight. Today, as our military forces continue vital commitments in wartime, contingency and peacekeeping operations around the world, you are truly that arsenal of democracy.”
Industry representatives and DLA customers were recognized in eight categories: Vendor Excellence, Innovative Business Performer of the Year, New DLA Contractor of the Year, Outstanding Readiness Support, Outstanding AbilityOne Program Vendor, Recognized Cost Saver, Customer of the Year and the DLA Commander’s Choice Award.
Nominations for each award were submitted by DLA field activity commanders and judged by a panel of subject matter experts at DLA Headquarters, said Amy Sajda, the agency’s director of small business programs.
In the Vendor Excellence category, awards were presented to large, small, small disadvantaged, women-owned small, service-disabled veteran-owned small, and historically underutilized business zone small businesses. Winners must have demonstrated overall excellence in superior product quality, on-time delivery, superior customer service, reliability, dependability, consistency and accuracy.
Vendor Excellence winners are:
-- Peerless Chain Company, Portsmouth, R.I. (small business).
-- Government Liquidation, Scottsdale, Ariz. (large business).
-- Stern Produce, Phoenix (small disadvantaged business).
-- Mathews Associates Inc., Sanford, Fla. (women-owned small business).
-- Jamaica Bearings Company, New Hyde, N.Y. (service-disabled veteran-owned small business).
-- Pima Valve Inc., Chandler, Ariz. (historically underutilized business zone small business).
The Innovative Business Performer of the Year award is given to large, small, small disadvantaged, women-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and historically underutilized business zone small businesses. Award recipients must have undertaken risks associated with innovative business practices such as shared production, electronic commerce, prime vendor contracts or quick response time. They also must have demonstrated overall excellence in superior product quality, on-time delivery, superior customer service, reliability, dependability, consistency and accuracy.
Innovative Business Performer of the Year winners are:
-- Jameson LLC, Clover, S.C. (small business).
-- Zimmer U.S. Inc., Warsaw, Ind. (large business).
-- International Logistics Group LLC, Warner Robins, Ga. (small disadvantaged business and women-owned small business).
-- AGH Industries Inc., Fort Worth, Texas (service-disabled veteran-owned small business).
The New DLA Contractor of the Year award is presented to a large or small business that contracted for the first time with DLA and demonstrated overall excellence in superior product quality, on-time delivery, superior customer service, reliability, dependability, consistency and accuracy. This year’s recipient is Soltec Electronics LLC, a small business in Rockledge, Fla.
Awards for Outstanding Readiness Support are presented to large, small, small disadvantaged, women-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and historically underutilized business zone small businesses. They must have provided extraordinary customer support, service or products during a crisis situation and have demonstrated overall excellence in superior product quality, on-time delivery, superior customer service, reliability, dependability, consistency and accuracy.
Outstanding Readiness Support winners are:
-- Foster Fuels Inc., Brookneal, Va. (small business).
-- Tachikawa Sanso Company Ltd., Akishima, Japan (large business).
-- International Logistics Group LLC, Warner Robins, Ga. (small disadvantaged business and service-disabled veteran-owned small business).
-- Western Sales and Testing of Amarillo Inc., Amarillo, Texas (women-owned small business).
The awards for Outstanding AbilityOne Program Vendor are presented to nonprofit agencies – National Industries for the Blind or NISH, a program for people with severe disabilities – that exemplify overall excellence in superior product quality, on-time delivery, superior customer service, reliability, dependability, consistency and accuracy.
Outstanding Ability One Program Vendor winners are:
-- Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas (NIB).
-- SEKRI Inc., Corbin, Ky. (NISH).
The Recognized Cost Saver Award is given to a firm for extraordinary efforts that result in cost savings to the government through reduced material costs throughout the performance period of a contract. Savings are measured by reduced item costs to the government, reduced profit margins, reduced overhead, or other tangible areas of savings that ultimately lead to DLA reducing its material costs to its customers.
Recognized Cost Saver Award winners are:
-- Enviremedial Services Inc., Oceanside, Calif. (small business).
-- Lockheed Martin MS2, Baltimore (large business).
In the Customer of the Year category, DLA awards both Department of Defense and non-DoD customer organizations that exemplify the highest degree of professionalism and meet or exceed criteria in one or more of the following categories: vendor excellence, innovative business performer or outstanding readiness support to DLA.
The DoD customer winner is the U.S. Army Persistent Threat Detection System Aerostat Program Office, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. The non-DoD customer winner is the U.S. Coast Guard Fuel Card Office, Chesapeake, Va.
The DLA Commander’s Choice Award is presented to the non-DLA individual whose dedication and commitment to the DLA mission affects the quality of life for U.S. men and women in uniform. This year’s winner is Kevin Johnson, chief of the Department of the Army’s Persistent Surveillance Futures Directorate, Washington, D.C.
Two DLA employees were also recognized for their work with small businesses on behalf of the agency. Cathy Hampton, special assistant for small business at DLA Distribution, received the Outstanding Small Business Professional Award. The Outstanding Acquisition Professional Supporting Small Business Award went to Cindy Skrocki, a contracting officer at DLA Troop Support Construction and Equipment.