BREMERTON, Wash.—Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center Puget Sound (FLCPS) added a new range of services to the fleet with the addition of a Retail Services Specialist (RS) to the command.
Senior Chief Retail Services Specialist Helen Ayala recently arrived and is assigned to the command’s Installation Support Department. She serves as a postal advisor to ships and submarines home ported in the region.
Ayala has also established the command’s first assistance program for ships store operations, where she acts as the local area liaison for the NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Sand Diego (FLCSD) Fleet Assistance Team (FAT) in San Diego, Calif.
Her function under the program is to provide hands-on training and assistance for personnel operating shipboard retail stores, as well as technical assistance and guidance for operating the Retail Operations Management (ROM) System.
Prior to Ayala’s arrival, Fleet Assistance Team personnel had to travel to the Puget Sound region to provide support.
Ayala, a native of Santa Clara, Calif., is a certified instructor for Retail Operations Management (ROM) System, a record keeping system for ships stores. Ayala is quick to note that her job is not to be an inspector, but rather a resource for training, education, and technical support.
“Sometimes Sailors are more inclined to ask for help from someone that’s not there to officially evaluate their operation for an inspection. I can provide the help they need without making anyone uncomfortable,” said Ayala.
“Senior Chief Ayala is the first RS we’ve ever had at this command. We are excited about her ability to provide our mission partners not just postal support but also be a local subject matter expert for ships store assistance, something we have not had before,” said John Hornbrook, NAVSUP FLCPS Executive Director.
As a one-person operation, her territory is large, encompassing the entire Puget Sound region. Her customers include ships and submarines home ported at Naval Base Kitsap installations, as well as ships stationed across the Puget Sound at Naval Station Everett.
The new RS position not only brings a new service offering to NAVSUP FLCPS’s fleet customers, it also presents a unique opportunity for experienced Retail Services Specialist Sailors like Ayala. The position is career enhancing as well as meaningful on a professional level, according to Ayala.
“I was excited to see this new billet… it has created more opportunities for senior enlisted personnel in my rate… and it is an opportunity to give back to the fleet. In this capacity I can provide knowledge and expertise to our fleet customers in retail and postal operations, and help develop junior Sailors in the Retail Services Specialist rate,” said Ayala.
Units seeking the Fleet Assistance Team support for retail operations can contact Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) at (757) 440-4763.
Ayala also provides training for ships store and postal personnel upon request. Units can contact her directly at (360) 476-4615 to arrange classes.
NAVSUP FLC Puget Sound is one of eight FLCs under Commander, NAVSUP. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employing a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel, NAVSUP's mission is to provide supplies, services, and quality-of-life support to the Navy and joint warfighter. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsup and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.
| Date Taken: | 05.24.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.24.2021 18:44 |
| Story ID: | 397283 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WA, US |
| Hometown: | SANTA CLARA, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NAVSUP FLC Puget Sound expands fleet support with Retail Specialist, by Brian Davis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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