CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – Chi Hye Kim, supervisor at the U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys lodge, won the Installation Management Command-Pacific, Army Lodging Award for supervisor of the year.
“I was quite surprised at first and I feel humbled and very honored,” said Kim. “But as head of the housekeeping department, I firmly believe that the achievement for the award was not possible without all the hard work and professional dedication of the housekeeping team, maintenance crew and custodial staff during the past 12 months. I am highly proud of my team – the true backbone of the lodging operation.”
Kim overseas 43 employees representing housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, breakfast service and the supply section. Her responsibilities include the maintenance and upkeep of 232 rooms and public spaces in one of the largest Army lodging properties outside of the continental United States.
Ron Buss, business operations officer for Humphreys Directorate of Family and Morale Welfare and Recreation, said what makes Kim stand out is her care for her staff.
“She is a stellar leader with great compassion, who always does her best to create a harmonious work environment for her staff,” said Buss. “She constantly motivates employees with positive energy so that her staff can provide professional customer care, with heart, day in and day out.”
Kim joined the Humphreys Lodging team in 2018 after gaining work experience from Osan Air Base’s Turumi Lodge for nearly 10 years. She worked as a hotel desk clerk, housekeeping assistant manager, accounting technician and earned a bachelor’s degree in hotel management from Kyunghee University.
“I have been proudly working in various positions within the (Department of Defense) lodging system for the last 20 years,” said Kim. “I am looking forward to seeing myself grow more in the Army hospitality arena in the future since I am a people person – love people, people business and serving people all the time.”
Kim said her various roles has provided her with more understanding of her responsibilities. As a supervisor, Kim believes happy employees at work can make customers happy.
“I always think that supervisor’s primary function is to take care of employees at work by providing a friendly workplace and harmonious environment with mutual respect and understanding to accomplish the mission,” she said.
Kim says her next professional goal is to earn her master’s degree in hospitality management and to expand her knowledge and professionalism to become one of the most successful leaders of the Army lodging team.
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