ALC commander discusses center's performance

  • Published
  • By Guy A. Volb
  • Ogden Air Logistics Center Public Affairs
(Editor's Note: This is the last of two articles featuring Maj. Gen. Kevin Sullivan, Ogden Air Logistics Center commander, discussing the performance of the center in 2006 and what's ahead in 2007.)

While the Ogden Air Logistics Center will continue to focus on the Air Force objectives in 2007, Ogden ALC commander Maj. Gen. Kevin Sullivan said he has begun to see signs that Lean initiatives are a priority in the Hill community.

"I see many signs of increased buy-in," said General Sullivan. "One of the biggest signs is reflected in the enthusiasm I see in our people when I visit an area where we've recently implemented Lean. I also see it in cases where we've implemented Lean, and people in adjoining work centers who see the improvements ask when it's going to be their turn.

"However," he added, "the biggest indicator to me is in the attitudes of my own senior leaders. It's very common now when we're working on tough problems for my wing commanders and senior functional leaders to suggest trying a Lean event as part of the solution - that wasn't happening a couple of years ago and I believe it reflects their change in attitude as they've seen Lean work across the ALC."

And while a personal diet designed to "cut away the fat," so to speak, may get tougher as the pounds melt away, not so in the case of Lean.

"Actually, the prevailing wisdom among Lean experts is that it's not really until the third or fourth pass that you begin to get the biggest bang for your Lean buck," the general said. "That's not intuitive to most of us, however. So until Lean becomes part of our culture, I'll continue to emphasize Lean from my perspective and ask my senior leaders to do the same. We'll also continue to celebrate and publicize our Lean successes so that more people will be inspired to get involved themselves. I'm convinced that the best way to continue our Lean transformation is for more and more people to learn that Lean works by participating in Lean events themselves."

Quality of Life
Regarding quality of life initiatives, the general said Hill will continue to build and renovate base housing under "our housing privatization contract so our people living on-base have the best housing possible.

"We'll also continue to stress wellness for all of our people through Wingman activities and increased emphasis on fitness for both military and civilian members," said General Sullivan. "We're continuing to pursue the West Side development project as a means to replace the old 1200 series building with new office facilities and we'll start converting the old Base Exchange into a centralized service facility with adequate parking so people will have one-stop shopping for their service needs instead of having to drive all over the base. This is only a short list of many quality of life initiatives you'll see throughout 2007."

Hill and the Local Community
"I believe one of the primary reasons we have such a good relationship with the local community is because we're a good neighbor," General Sullivan said. "Our senior people engage with community leaders on many subjects of mutual interest and we continuously seek win-win solutions.

"But more importantly," he added, "Hill people are vital members of the communities in which they live. They coach sports teams, lead youth groups, are active in religious communities and bring a rich diversity to the Top of Utah. So, we'll further that relationship by continuing to do the same things we've been doing all along - by continuing to be good neighbors and by contributing to the communities in which we live - and that takes all of us."

Progress through the years
General Sullivan has a history with Hill dating back to 1992; having spent seven years here in total throughout his 32 years of service, he has a well-rounded view of where the base has been, where it's at and where it's headed.

"I believe Hill is a better place to be today than it was back in the early 90s for several reasons," he said. "First of all, we didn't think of ourselves as 'Team Hill' when I was here the first time, so we simply didn't get along or work as well with each other as I think we do today. While we still have a variety of different units here and don't always agree on everything, by working as a team we not only get along better, but I believe we're all better in executing our own individual missions.

"Secondly, the ALC is a lot more focused on supporting our warfighters than we were," he stressed. "In the early 90s, we went through three rounds of (the Base Realignment and Closure Commission) and we were internally focused on survival. This was a natural reaction to the environment at the time, so I'm not being critical, but it did deflect our attention from the young men and women who operate and maintain the systems and components we're responsible for.

"Third," he said, "we're a lot more innovative and empowered today than we were then. Lean has driven a lot of that as you've got to empower people in a Lean environment. Because it's the people doing the work who are best able to figure out how to do it better - not the people in charge."