Tobyhanna Modernization Efforts Support Future Warfighter Needs Electronics Engineer Mark Sgobba briefs Maj. Gen. Edmonson during the QUB. (Photo Credit: Thomas Robbins) Modernization and growth were the main points of discussion during this week’s quarterly update brief (QUB) at Tobyhanna Army Depot. Maj. Gen. Robert Edmonson, Commanding General of the U.S Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), and Command Sergeant Major Kristie Brady spent three days with Team Tobyhanna during a wide-ranging visit that included tours, interactions with the workforce, and briefings on current Tobyhanna modernization initiatives. Much of the QUB focused on the recent visit of the Organic Industrial Base (OIB) Modernization Task Force. The cross-functional Task Force team toured TYAD on November 8, the first in a series of visits to the 23 depots and arsenals within the OIB. Their mission is to determine what is required to support the Army Materiel Command (AMC) 15-year OIB modernization strategy, launched earlier this year by AMC Commanding General Edward Daly. The phased plan focuses on ensuring the OIB is prepared to support all future Army requirements. While some of the Task Force’s stops will be conducted with a critical eye, those involved say the team came to Tobyhanna to learn. Maj. Gen. Robert L. Edmonson addresses Tobyhanna personnel during a recent visit. (Photo Credit: Thomas Robbins) “The Task Force was focused on how the Army can capitalize on the nearly $1B in modernization efforts that have transformed TYAD’s facilities and ensure we are prepared to support warfighter requirements today, tomorrow and into the future,” said Katlin Edmunds, adding that the depot is further investing in four focus areas that support its future vision: to provide full-spectrum support for the Department of Defense’s communications and electronics readiness needs. “We will not stop growing – we continue to evolve our C5ISR readiness, cable, radar, and systems integration capabilities to expand our footprint,” she said. Edmunds leads the Strategic Initiatives Office. During the visit, Edmonson urged Team Tobyhanna to challenge their existing perspectives and ensure the organization is consistently focused on supporting future warfighter needs. “This [the OIB Task Force effort] is bigger than us, and it will have significant effects for years to come. Our focus must not be on what is best for us – but rather, what is best for America’s warfighters.” Gen. Daly will brief Congress in early 2022 on the OIB Modernization Strategy. The briefing will include findings from the OIB Modernization Task Force as well as funding recommendations to best support emerging warfighter requirements and Army Futures Command 31+4 modernization initiatives. Tobyhanna personnel pose with CECOM personnel during the recent quarterly update brief. From L to R: SFC Brent Leverette, CECOM CSM-Enlisted Aide; CPT Ashley Cooper, Aide-de-Camp to Commanding General; Command Sgt. Maj. Kristie Brady; Maj. Gen. Robert L. Edmonson, CECOM Commanding General; Tobyhanna Deputy Commander Frank Zardecki; Depot Commander Daniel L. Horn; Morgan Monts, Financial Management Analyst, CECOM; and Depot Sgt. Maj. Michael J. Wiles. (Photo Credit: Thomas Robbins) Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners. Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post-production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters. About 3,700 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to empower the Soldier with winning C5ISR capabilities.
TOBY2028 Strategic Plan Drives Growth at Tobyhanna Army Depot Big changes are happening at Tobyhanna Army Depot – all thanks to the organization’s future-focused strategic plan, TOBY2028. TOBY2028 aligns with the depot’s four strategic focus areas, called lines of effort (LOEs): Invest in Our People, C5ISR Readiness, Shape the Future and Strategic Communications. The endeavor was launched in 2018, as depot leaders envisioned becoming the Department of Defense’s premier worldwide C5ISR readiness provider. According to TOBY2028’s overall lead Heather Fiedler, the plan’s success can be attributed to the participation of depot employees. “TOBY2028 has showcased the talents and passion of Team Tobyhanna, and they have done a great job working to shape our future and deliver on our commitments.” Fiedler is the depot’s organizational development specialist. The foundational LOE under TOBY2028 is Invest in Our People (IiOP), focusing empowerment efforts for the Army’s most important resource: its people. Fielder lauded the success of the IiOP’s Peer2Peer (P2P) Proactive Education Program, which trained employees on how to handle peer-to-peer disclosures such as harassment, suicidal ideations, substance use and mental health issues. The program strives to create grassroots support where trained peers can connect co-workers with the appropriate first responder for intervention. “Because we know that disclosures are often made to peers first, we developed this program to ensure members of Team Tobyhanna always have a trained person to confide in. After less than a year, we’ve received a wealth of positive feedback for the program – and its participants,” Fiedler said. P2P, aligned with the Communication- Electronics Command’s Selflessness-Ownership-Unity-Larger Purpose (SOUL) program, is part of a larger slate of people-focused initiatives outlined by Fielder. Two standouts include a reciprocal shadowing pilot designed to build relationships across organizational silos and a twice-weekly mindfulness group to help reduce employee stress. A pivotal accomplishment under the C5ISR Readiness LOE is the enhanced scheduling process, identified by the Army Materiel Command as a best practice earlier this year. The endeavor, originally piloted at Tobyhanna, provides leadership with real-time reporting tools based upon data entered by production floor personnel. It also heightens visual management to optimize production floor execution. Production floor leadership gave the new process rave reviews. “Enhanced scheduling enables us to more efficiently execute mission requirements by clearly defining and prioritizing workload requirements based on real-time data,” said John Scott, Chief of the Tactical Satellite Systems Branch in the C4ISR Directorate. As subject matter experts on the topic, Tobyhanna hosted 12 government agencies for a summit in July to provide training on the enhanced scheduling process. The summit also allowed depot personnel to directly interact with their counterparts at other organizations, sharing knowledge for collective growth. Strategic communications (STRATCOM) were also improved under TOBY2028, with the introduction of multiple initiatives to better inform depot stakeholders. One such initiative was the development of a recruitment video to attract talent, jointly produced by the IiOP and STRATCOM LOEs. Anne Gebhardt, Recruiting the Future Workforce team lead, says the video will be a big help in publicizing Tobyhanna to prospective employees. “We believe this video will showcase not only the many different careers at Tobyhanna, but also the excellent benefits package and the advancement opportunities here. We also believe current employees sharing why they remain part of Team Tobyhanna is a powerful endorsement.” Another STRATCOM initiative was aimed at ensuring a growing communication platform – social media – was fully accessible to all members of Team Tobyhanna’s diverse stakeholder group. “Our team was excited to develop a plan to guarantee our media products were 508-compliant, ensuring our teammates who are deaf or blind can still engage with our digital platforms and are spun up on the latest news from Team Tobyhanna,” said Ryan Beilman, co-lead of the STRATCOM Effective Communication team. Beilman outlined the plan, which requires all depot social media to include closed captioning for videos or the integration of a sign language interpreter, while images all must be accompanied by a detailed image description. Significant efforts are also underway for the Shape the Future LOE, whose mission is to drive a collaborative approach to innovation to support emerging requirements for the future force. The team’s current focus is the Technology and Capability Review Team (TCRT). This new group will identify sustainable short and long-term workloads and establish a business case analysis to address the investment opportunities. Shape the Future Lead Katlin Edmunds believes the TCRT will be a big success for Tobyhanna. “This new effort will enable us to use data for process-based decisions on strategic capability investments. Simply put, it will help us better identify new workloads for Tobyhanna’s unique skill set.” Fielder says TOBY2028 will endure long past the year 2028. “TOBY2028 is not only our organizational roadmap today; it will remain our guide well into the future.”
Tobyhanna Recognizes Employees on National Tradesman Day Charles “CJ” JaniszewskiGerard Reichle Matthew NelsonChristopher Valenza Tobyhanna Army Depot observed National Tradesman Day on September 21 by shining a spotlight on some of its expert tradesmen and saluting all tradesmen who contribute to the organization’s mission. The depot employs artisans in a variety of trades for both mission and base operations. Many of these tradesmen work in the Directorate of Systems Integration and Support (SIS), supporting refinishing and manufacturing operations vital to Tobyhanna’s overall mission supporting the joint warfighter. Charles “CJ” Janiszewski works in SIS’s Machining Branch and is responsible for a variety of tasks, including machine program editing and set-ups. A graduate of Johnson College, he says Tobyhanna Army Depot was always his employer of choice. “As soon as I graduated college, I pursued a career here because I was interested in an important mission like supporting the warfighter. I also heard a lot about the modern facilities here, and they did not disappoint,” adding that he appreciated the opportunity for personal growth thanks to the depot’s vast number of career opportunities. Machining Branch Chief Keith Knecht lauded Janiszewski’s performance and contributions to Team Tobyhanna. “CJ’s positive attitude makes him a great team member. He goes out of his way to help others, regularly offers suggestions to make things better, and is always willing to learn new things. He’s a rare find.” After 14 years as a member of the depot workforce, Sheet Metal Mechanic Christopher Valenza still comes into work with a smile on his face. “It’s amazing to be able to take a simple sheet of metal and transform it into something useful. I appreciate that I get to create something new every day,” he said. A carpenter by trade, Valenza always had an interest in other types of hands-on work, but it wasn’t until he joined Team Tobyhanna that he began working with metal. According to Valenza, legacy employees get the credit for helping him transform his career. “When I started here, I was lucky to have great mentors that provided me with on-the-job training and helped me apply my existing carpentry skills to this similar type of work. All these years later, I’m still using their teachings.” Keith Knecht, currently dual-hatting and acting as chief of the Sheet Metal Fabrication Branch, noted the important role Valenza plays in the cost center. “Chris is our go-to guy in the forming area. He is a creative problem-solver, ensuring we can always address our challenges and meet our customer requirements. He is also excellent at communicating potential issues – an extremely important quality in such a dynamic environment.” Welder Matthew Nelson is one of the Branch’s top employees, according to Welding Branch chief Robert Knecht. “Matthew has a commendable work ethic and is dedicated to our mission. His knowledge and experience make him a true subject matter expert.” Nelson began welding in high school and parlayed his hobby into a profession after earning a degree at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. After several years of working in the private sector, he pursued a career at Tobyhanna. “I was looking for a stable place to continue practicing my trade and Tobyhanna fit the bill. I was also excited about the opportunity to travel the world in support of missions,” Nelson said. He also noted that his depot experience so far had been positive – especially because his co-workers have been so willing to share best practices and knowledge. Looking ahead in his career, he says he’d like to become a certified welding inspector to continue to support his unique trade. “The science of welding continues to impress and interest me.” Robert Knecht says the Welding Branch has more than one superstar. “Gerard Reichle goes above and beyond to produce the best quality product and, without hesitation, is always willing to step up to help – no matter how challenging the task. He is a great asset to our Branch, and the depot overall.” Reichle joined Team Tobyhanna in 2018 after his private sector company was bought out. He says the challenging experience led him to great things. “I can sum it up in four words: I love it here. Although it was disappointing to leave my last job, I love the culture at Tobyhanna.” Like Valenza, Reichle has a background in carpentry, but was drawn to welding after high school. “I appreciate that welding allows me to do something different every day – my work is rarely repetitious.” When the work day ends, Reichle continues to work with his hands, whether it’s a major woodworking project or another item on his “honey do” list. “I like to keep busy.” Those interested in future career opportunities with Team Tobyhanna can apply through USAJobs at www.usajobs.gov.
