BARSTOW, Calif. - The sounds of laughing and conversation rang through Warehouse 8 aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow Aug. 9 during Installation and Logistics Department’s third quarter awards luncheon.
The luncheon was hosted by base supply and open to employees of I&L. The purpose of the luncheon was to recognize the hard work and achievements of the department and present several employees of the division with well-deserved awards.
“This was primarily to recognize those employees who’ve done an outstanding job in this last quarter by either stepping out of their lane to perform additional duties or being exceptionally good at what they do on a daily basis,” said Thomas Hunt, director of I&L. “It’s nice to be able to get everyone together from the department. It helps build camaraderie between everyone too,” he added.
The four components of I&L - public works division, environmental division, supply division, and installations division each recognized several employees from their sections. Some were awarded with time off from work, while others earned a monetary bonus. Awards were given for many reasons, from finding ways to save thousands of dollars to simple things like courtesy and customer satisfaction.
Phil Hadnot, a sales associate with Grainger, a contracting company with supply division responsible for much of the maintenance and repair on base, was one of the recipients of an award, receiving the Employee of the Month award for base supply. Hadnot, a native of Hesperia, Calif., explained he won the award with a combination of serving his customers in a timely manner and helping coworkers when he could.
The luncheon provided members of I&L an opportunity to socialize with one another, an option that’s not always available.
“Sometimes, the divisions don’t always get a chance to interact with one another. The luncheon is a good way to accomplish this as well,” explained Hunt.
On the active duty side of the house, one Marine found himself looking toward the next luncheon as a benchmark to reach a personal goal.
“I hope to see a Marine win something next time we go to one of these,” explained Lance Cpl. Jonathon Norita, a supply clerk aboard the base. “This just means I’ll have to work harder to make sure it happens,” the Saipan native added with a smirk.
In comparison to past luncheons, this quarter’s luncheon had a larger number of people in attendance.
“I’m really glad with how many people showed up to the lunch,” said Hunt. “Supply did a great job hosting the event. Each division gets to host one of the luncheons and they did really well with theirs,” he added.