FORT LEE, Va. – The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) announced the winners of the 2019 Best Commissary Awards in a virtual ceremony July 29.
The awards ceremony was attended by store directors, zone managers, area directors and agency senior leadership to include DeCA Director and CEO Bill Moore; Senior Enlisted Advisor, Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael Saucedo and Store Operations Executive Director Rogers Campbell.
“We were hoping to be able to physically do an award presentation with real people in a room, but with the pandemic that’s turned out to be a lot tougher than we ever thought it would be,” Moore said. “So, in the spirit of moving forward, we decided it was far beyond time to award the 2019 Best Commissary awards.”
The awards are given in five categories, determined by store location and size, and are named in honor of government officials who protected the commissary benefit and championed quality-of-life issues for the military and their families.
James Taylor, chief of store operations, announced the winners:
Director’s Award – United States Best Super Commissary
- 1st place – McGuire Commissary, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey
- 2nd place – Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Dan Daniel Award - Best Large Commissary Overseas
- 1st place – Naval Station Orote, Guam
- 2nd place – Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany
Bill Nichols Award – United States Best Large Commissary
- 1st place – Imperial Beach, California
- 2nd place – Ord Community, California
Richard M. Paget Award – United States Best Small Commissary
- 1st place – Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
- 2nd place – Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada
L. Mendel Rivers Award - Best Small Commissary Overseas
- 1st place – Sagamihara, Japan
- 2nd place – Fleet Activities Chinhae, South Korea
“This is an awesome achievement, and I applaud everybody’s accomplishments” said Saucedo. “Everybody put forth great effort.”
“I want to thank each and every one of you for the great things you’ve done and the sacrifices you’ve made,” Moore added.
DeCA zone managers nominated one store per awards category from their zone. Nominations were judged on tangible and intangible qualities such as friendly environment, a well-run store, good work ethic and sense of a cohesive team. Tangible qualities include:
- sales
- Commissary Customer Service Survey (CCSS)
- organization, cleanliness and visual appeal
- safety
- accountability
- recycling and solid waste diversion
- photo portfolio
- display contests
- special events
- organization, cleanliness and visual appeal
“I thank you for what you do every day,” Campbell said to the store attendees. “Be mindful of safety. We’re going back into, it appears, difficult times again. Take care of yourselves, take care of your employees.”
About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.
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