YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea - United States Army Garrison Yongsan was once again honored as an Army Community of Excellence (ACOE) during a ceremony at the Pentagon May 1. Col. William P. Huber, garrison commander, Casey Ross, chief of Plans, Analysis and Integration Office (PAIO), and Jeff Mones, lead management & program analyst PAIO received the ACOE Bronze award on behalf of Yongsan.
The Yongsan team was presented with a trophy and a check for $150,000. USAG Yongsan is one of just six installations around the world to receive an ACOE this year, for demonstrating leadership, best practices, workforce engagement, efficient use of resources, customer focus and results.
Huber was thrilled that the tireless work done by Servicemembers, Families, Civilians, Local National employees and contractors at USAG Yongsan was once again recognized in the highly selective competition.
"Winning this award says a lot about the great staff we have at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan," said Huber. "Our Community members are justifiably proud of living in one of the Army's best Communities. We are always striving to provide a quality of life commensurate with the service and sacrifice of our Soldiers and Family Members."
How does an installation become a top Army Community? The Army Communities of Excellence program involves a highly competitive and arduous year-long process where the garrison identifies and tracks the improvements and efficiencies made in their programs and services. The garrison assembles an application that includes an assessment survey and organizational profile, which shows how USAG Yongsan stacks up against rigorous performance excellence criteria. Lastly, the garrison compiles data that reflects metrics toward attaining mission and command requirements.
Jim North, strategic planning specialist, PAIO, emphasized the crucial role the Community plays in the successful operations of the garrison.
"Even though the ACOE award is an organizational award, it's really about the people in the organization," said North. "USAG Yongsan is privileged to have such a great and diverse workforce committed to delivering quality installation services and programs to the Community."
The levels of excellence required of ACOE winners require dedication and hard work to sustain and grow. The Community and Leaders alike are committed to winning the gold in future years, even with tighter budgets and scaled-down resources.
North is confident USAG Yongsan will rise to the challenge and reach "Gold Status" service and program delivery.
"It is important that we continue to strive for excellence and create a cost-conscience culture based on improvement, innovation, and creativity to provide efficient and quality services and programs," said North. "Our continued pursuit of ACOE Gold is a key tool to get us there."
North recognizes that, though maintaining excellence may be difficult, the Yongsan Community deserves no less than the best.
"Military Servicemembers, Families, and Civilians sacrifice a lot when serving their country," said North. "It's only right that we do our best to meet their needs and challenges while serving here in Korea. The award reaffirms to the Community that Yongsan is a caring, safe and secure environment that is customer focused on being the best possible installation in the Army."
This story is part two in a special report highlighting U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan's win of the Army Community of Excellence -- Bronze Award. Melissa Wetherbee is a volunteer public affairs specialist at USAG Yongsan.
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