60th SVS wins Air Force awards

  • Published
  • By Nick DeCicco
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Two organizations and one individual within the 60th Services Squadron were recently honored at the Air Force level.

The organizations are Travis' Outdoor Recreation, which was named Air Force Services Outdoor Recreation Program of the Year, and the Delta Breeze Club, which captured the honor for Air Force Services Club Program of the Year.

The individual is Airman 1st Class Grant Carter, who works at the Sierra Inn Dining Facility. He was nominated for the Hennessy Travelers Association Award of Excellence, an award given to an Air Force military food service person who exemplifies the highest standards of professional, attitude and culinary skill.

Outdoor Recreation earned the honor, as well as its first five-star rating, at a time when the facility's staffing decreased by more than 40 percent.

However, the decrease in manpower didn't mean a diminished product. The facility opened a bicycle repair shop, helping more than 400 customers fix their bikes. The facility got into the outdoors regularly, organizing trips for skiing and white water rafting. Programs for youth involved climbing, rafting, kayaking and fishing lessons launched. The facility trained and certified guides for white water rafting, Red Cross standards, lifeguard and emergency medical services and more.

This is not the first time Travis' Outdoor Recreation was honored. The facility took the Air Force's top honor in 1998 and 1999.

Since manager Brandon Lavin and Ben Evers, the facility's outdoor adventure director, assumed their jobs in 2006 and early 2007, respectively, the focus has been to "make everything fresh," Mr. Lavin said.

"Our philosophy is to keep things always changing, always new so the customer won't get bored," he said. "That's our job, guiding people to finding stuff they normally wouldn't know about. ... We try to do what we can to benefit everybody on base."

The DBC tried many different things last year, including hosting 1,200 guests for the largest Air Force ball in Air Mobility Command last fall. Other parties included ones for Super Bowl XLII and New Year's Eve. Sunday brunches are held weekly and generate more than $80,000 in revenue. The location also hosted food and wine pairing, late night programs, Travis' Idol contest and its regular lunches. They led services in customer satisfaction with a 98 percent rating.

"The professionals in the 60th Services Squadron are honored to win any award, but for two of our activities, Outdoor Recreation and the Delta Breeze Club, to win Air Force-level awards is a tremendous honor," said Lt. Col. Oscar Vaughn, 60th Services Squadron commander. "The activity managers and their staffs should feel very proud of all of their hard work and accomplishments. Winning awards is just a testament to all the effort our team puts into their jobs daily. We are truly here for our customers all day, every day."