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Simodejka Awards presented to NAWCAD logisticians

  • Published
  • By Tom Worsdale
  • Naval Air Systems Command Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  The 13th annual Simodejka Award ceremony was held via video-teleconference to Patuxent River, Md., and Whidbey Island, Wash., Nov. 13, 2013, here.

Marking the thirteenth year of a special award, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division logistics community took time to remember the legacy of Michael G. Simodejka, the man primarily responsible for logistics establishment as a major force within NAWCAD.

Pat Simodejka, Michael Simodejka's wife, spoke of her appreciation for the award and how it helps to keep the memory of her husband alive within the logistics community. She referenced her own experience with process improvement and commended the award winners for their commitment to always working to make things better.

Adm. Paul Sohl, Logistics and Industrial Operations, Naval Air Systems Command assistant commander (NAVAIR), and Mr. Todd Balazs, NAVAIR Logistics and Industrial Operations deputy assistant commander, presented awards the with master of ceremonies, Christopher Reymann, NAWCAD logistics Lakehurst site lead.

The NAWCAD 2013 Michael G. Simodejka Outstanding Logistics Manager of the Year award was presented posthumously to James Hughes, the EP-3E aircraft fleet support representative at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. He worked closely with the fleet to provide customer support and avionics system management and reliability for the EP-3E. He instituted a local screening process to reduce the number of "no defect" components returned from depots. Hughes instituted a testing program for components to fully determine if they needed to be sent for commercial repair. The process helped greatly to reduce unnecessary costs and improve aircraft readiness. Pam Hughes, Jim's widow, accepted the award via video-teleconference.

The Outstanding Logistics Team of the Year award was presented to the Support Equipment Management System team at Lakehurst. They streamlined the NAVAIR master inventory file in the Navy Enterprise Resource Planning system a monthly process run across three Defense Department organizations. The process had been a time and labor intensive task requiring 30 hours of work. Through the SEMS team's innovation and design, the process is now an automated 15-minute procedure that can be accomplished during non-duty hours. It can also be accomplished across many Navy ERP information technology systems requiring no data interface and no additional costs. The SEMS team has tangibly provided the fleet with improved efficiency, timeliness and data integrity while reducing operational costs an estimated $6 million over five years. The team members include: information technology specialists Heidi Klein, Domenick Deroma and Jose Rivera.

Michael Simodejka, an Army ranger and bronze star recipient started his civilian career with the Navy in 1977 as a staff logistics manager for the Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst. He went on to establish the first Logistics Department at Lakehurst and also became the first civilian director of the Logistics Competency for NAWCAD in 1997. His civilian naval career spanned 23 years before being cut short by his death in August 2000 as one of the passengers on the shuttle flight traveling from Lakehurst to Patuxent River, Md. In his honor the Michael G. Simodejka Award was created within the NAWCAD Logistics and Industrial Operations Group.