FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Army National Guard's Construction and Facilities Management Office won the National Guard's Fred Aron Award for Excellence in Facilities Programs for being the highest performing Guard program in the nation.
The Pennsylvania Guard outperformed 53 other states, territories and the District of Columbia to win the award, which judges competitors on 10 areas including construction, resource management, strategic planning and facilities management. The winner is selected based on the overall score received throughout all 10 areas.
Winning the competition was the result of a great team, said Pennsylvania Army Guard officials.
";I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by a tremendous staff," said Army Lt. Col. Christopher McDevitt, construction and facility management officer with the Pennsylvania Army Guard.
It also meant lots of hard work throughout the year.
";The team worked hard and I'm happy they have been recognized nationally for their achievements," said McDevitt. ";It takes the total commitment of every Soldier, state employee and contract employee working together to produce a quality program and whereas the award is gratifying, it's the results we provide to the Soldiers who occupy our facilities that matters most.
The Construction and Facilities Management Office manages more than $2.4 billion in facility assets including 86 readiness centers, 14 field maintenance shops, two combined surface maintenance shops, two Army aviation support facilities, one unit training equipment site and nearly 1,000 structures at Fort Indiantown Gap, which includes one national and three regional training facilities.
";We have a large state and a corresponding large number of facilities and projects," said McDevitt. ";It's gratifying to know that we maintain our excellence despite the large workload, and Pennsylvania is the first of the large states to ever win the award."
This year's competition was a tough race.
";The event is very competitive," said Army Lt. Col. Erick Gordon, installations management chief at the National Guard Bureau. ";That Pennsylvania was rated excellent in seven of the 10 areas is impressive given the economic challenges the division faced over this year."