CREAM OF THE CROP: DeCA announces the FY 2021 Best Commissary Awards

FORT LEE, Va. – The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) has announced the winners of the FY 2021 Best Commissary Awards.

“Congratulations to each of the winners and runners-up,” said Robert Bunch, executive director for Store Operations. “Each of these stores went above and beyond to provide their patrons with the commissary benefit, and their dedication and hard work has been recognized with this award.”

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. Each of the winners surpassed DeCA’s criteria for customer service, accountability, safety, operations and sales.

The winners and runners up are:

United States Best Super Commissary - Director’s Award

• 1st place – Naval Station Pearl Harbor at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
• 2nd place – Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado

Overseas Best Large Commissary - Dan Daniel Award

• 1st place – U.S. Army Garrison Camp Humphreys, South Korea
• 2nd place – U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza, Italy

United States Best Large Commissary - Bill Nichols Award

• 1st place – Ord Community, California
• 2nd place – Fort Sill, Oklahoma

United States Best Small Commissary - Richard M. Paget Award

• 1st place – Naval Air Facility El Centro, California
• 2nd place – Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma

Overseas Best Small Commissary - L. Mendel Rivers Award

• 1st place – U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, Germany
• 2nd place – U.S. Army Garrison Livorno, Italy

DeCA zone managers nominated one store per award category from their zone. Nominations were judged on tangible and intangible qualities such as a 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

Among this year’s winners are many previous winners of the awards. Ord Community had been awarded runner-up for the Bill Nichols Award for 2018, 2019 and 2020. Camp Humphreys won the Dan Daniel Award in 2020 and El Centro won for 2013-2014.

“The reason for our success can be directly attributed to all the hard work from the dedicated Humphreys employees,” said Myong Brown, Camp Humphreys store director. “Our store is so blessed to have so many kind, hardworking and thoughtful DeCA employees, vendors and contractor members.”

Erlinda Huff, El Centro’s store director said, “Winning this award for our store is just amazing and an honor. We did not expect it, however the time and effort that the team put on performing their jobs by delivering the benefit to our valued customers made a difference.”

“It is a big accomplishment, and the employees were proud for their hard work and passion to be recognized,” said Shastine Boyce, Ansbach store director.

The winning stores shared some common themes. They focused on reaching their patrons where they were, getting them excited about events in their stores and the stores’ presence in the communities they served. They also made sure to give their employees the time and space to flex their creativity while providing the commissary benefit.

“The way our Pearl Harbor Team designed the actual display and the shopping path within the store created an impulse reaction from our customers,” said Arvester Brooks, former store director of Pearl Harbor. “The displays were inviting to shop from. We were able to create excitement for our patrons, a comfortable, aloha shopping experience for the entire military community.” Brooks is now the Zone 2 manager and is based out of Fort Gordon, Georgia.

“By focusing on community engagement and outreach events it has allowed us to educate eligible patrons that may not gather their information on the internet,” said Alex King, store director at Ord Community. “Older generations still really value in-person interaction.”

Each of the directors offered a bit of advice to other stores working toward winning the award:

• King said stores should work to execute the Director’s Game Plan, lead by example and care about who you are serving.
• Brooks suggested stores connect with their patrons and installations to find out how the commissary can be of service to them.
• Huff said store leadership should take care of their employees and patrons and the rest will follow.
• Boyce recommended ensuring shelves are full, the store is clean and the work environment is positive for employees.
• Brown said to ensure everyone is “reading the same sheet of music” so that operations remain in harmony.

“We at headquarters thank you for your hard work every single day,” said Bunch to DeCA’s store employees. “It’s been a very challenging couple of years, and we know how difficult it’s been to keep the benefit flowing. But our employees keep pressing on to deliver the commissary benefit, and we appreciate that very much as do our patrons.”

-DeCA-

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.