Tobyhanna Army Depot Honors Local Hero with New Award Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) recently had the privilege of honoring a local hero with the new Tobyhanna Outstanding Active-Duty Servicemember award. The Outstanding Active-Duty Servicemember award was established to commit anew to the depot’s longstanding tradition of celebrating the relationship between the workforce at TYAD and the service members they support. To be considered for the award, unit leaders must demonstrate the ways their candidates selflessly dedicate themselves to the defense of the United States, live in alignment with the U.S. Army’s core values, and are dedicated to supporting the growth and prosperity of their communities. Selected from a group of nominations pooled from active-duty units operating in the community surrounding TYAD, Sgt. 1st Class Erin Kuhlmeier of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Headquarters Support Company (HSC) of the 55th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (55th MEB) out of Scranton was found to embody the qualities sought for the first ever recipient of TYAD’s new award. Lt. Col. Cliff Morales, Brigade Action Officer leading the Pennsylvania National Guard unit quartered in the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Scranton, proudly championed the soldier for consideration of the award in a nomination package in which he stated, “Sgt. 1st Class Kuhlmeier is a phenomenal NCO who selflessly provides guidance, direction, and care for more than 200 soldiers. She performs administration functions for her whole unit and oversees logistics and training requirements for her subordinates, all while maintaining an infectious can-do attitude.” Even before enlisting in 2009, Kuhlmeier felt a determination to be all she can be in support of her nation and community. “My grandfather was in the Navy and my father spent some time in the Army,” said Kuhlmeier. “I wanted to continue the tradition.” Kuhlmeier emphasized, “I wanted to give more to the community – this passion inspired me to join the National Guard.” In her 15 years of service, Kuhlmeier has received many awards for the excellent execution of her duties, which included deployments to Kuwait and Guantanamo Bay. In her current role as the Readiness Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) of HSC 55th MEB, Kuhlmeier oversees and manages all aspects of the unit’s readiness, including personnel administration, training, and medical readiness – ensuring the unit’s soldiers are prepared for missions. “Military service has greatly shaped who I am by embedding strong values such as discipline, responsibility, leadership, and a deep sense of camaraderie,” Kuhlmeier said. In addition to her official duties, Kuhlmeier also makes time to support her local community through volunteering at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter in South Abington Township, Pennsylvania, and the St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton, Pennsylvania. “Giving back and building a meaningful connection with [my community] is why I like to volunteer,” said Kuhlmeier. “It is a great feeling to know you are contributing to the community.” Kuhlmeier was honored as TYAD’s first Outstanding Active-Duty Servicemember during a midgame ceremony at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey team’s Veterans Appreciation Night on Nov. 9 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. TYAD Commander Col. James L. Crocker and Depot Sgt. Maj. Michael S. Riggs presented Kuhlmeier with a bronze statue and Certificate of Achievement for her military accomplishments and contributions to her community. The president of the Tobyhanna Chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) presented Kuhlmeier with the AUSA’s Distinguished Service Award along with a complimentary two-year membership to the association. “I was very humbled by the experience of receiving this award,” shared Kuhlmeier. “The team I work with is just as deserving of this award as I am, as I would not be here today if it was not for their efforts as well.” The Tobyhanna Outstanding Active-Duty Servicemember award and other military and employee recognition programs align with Tobyhanna’s long-range strategic plan, TOBY2035 – specifically the Connecting with the Community line of effort. The goal of Tobyhanna Army Depot’s plan is to strive to position Tobyhanna for success in the coming years as the Department of Defense’s premier worldwide C5ISR readiness provider. Connecting with the community and investing in its people are just two tenets of Tobyhanna’s long-range strategic plan, TOBY2035. The plan focuses on posturing the depot to support future force requirements and has additional lines of effort dedicated to ensuring C5ISR readiness across the joint services and shaping the future.
Tobyhanna and USAMMA Cut the Ribbon on Modernized Medical Maintenance Operations Facility Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) is now home to one of the most modernized Medical Maintenance Operations Division (MMOD) facilities in the United States. On Thursday, May 2, employees and Army leaders gathered to celebrate the opening of a brand-new United States Army Medical Materiel Agency (USAMMA) facility at TYAD with a ribbon cutting. The project was the result of a four year long, multi-million dollar effort that saw USAMMA transition their entire workspace to a newly renovated area. Keynote speakers at the event included TYAD Deputy Commander Robert Lantka and USAMMA Medical Maintenance Management Director CW4 (Ret.) Jorge Magana-Cortez. The repair and conversion of the new building, known as MMOD-PA, has been designed to meet the United States Army Medical Logistics Command’s (AMLC) requirements, which included complete renovations to an entire bay and half of another. Some specific renovations include a new roof, dock enclosures and ramps, structural steel mezzanine, overhead and personnel doors, lighting, sprinkler system and valve room, HVAC, X-ray room, conference room, offices, sterilizer testing pit, rack storage, and an open area with 40 workstations. In the end, 60,000 square feet of building area has been recapitalized. Magana-Cortez said that above all, the ribbon cutting is for the hard-working individuals who execute the mission on a daily basis. “In today’s audience is the very special staff who this was done for that execute the day-to-day operations. This ribbon cutting ceremony is for you,” said Magana-Cortez. “We appreciate all of the hard work that you’ve done and what you’re going to do in this building in the future.” This project builds upon an already strong working relationship between USAMMA and TYAD and represents a win-win for both parties. For USAMMA, they now have modernized facilities and furnishings. Additionally, the layout in their new area is more efficient and quality of life has been improved for their staff. For TYAD, the now unoccupied building has been returned to mission space and will be renovated with the goal of improving efficiency and quality of life for depot employees. Lantka lauded the teamwork that occurred between the teams at AMLC and TYAD saying that without it, this all wouldn’t have been possible. “The story of how we got here today is amazing. For over the last 12 to 14 years, Tobyhanna has been able to invest over $900 million into its facilities and this is just one successful program,” said Lantka. “The reason why this was successful is the excellent teamwork between the AMLC team and our Garrison Installation team. They ran the processes that ensure our modernization projects have the right justification, the right prioritization, and that barriers and obstacles got broken down to ensure success.” MMOD-PA Interim Director William Wall echoed Lantka’s sentiment, saying that the close collaboration allowed both parties to provide the very best to the warfighter. “This project was 4 years in the making. It wouldn’t have been successful without continued collaboration between AMLC, USAMMA, and TYAD. We all worked in concert to ensure the funds were secured and the project stayed on schedule,” said Wall. “The modernization of the facility has not only improved our capabilities to the Warfighter, but the infrastructure improvements have also improved the quality-of-life aspect for our team.” Additionally, Wall distributed 10 awards to USAMMA employees for their hard work and dedication during the renovation and moving process. Working with USAMMA to open this new facility is a TOBY2035 initiative aligned with the C5ISR Readiness and Shape the Future lines of effort. The plan, which has two additional focus areas, strives to position Tobyhanna for success in the coming years as the Department of Defense’s premier worldwide C5ISR readiness provider.
Tobyhanna Army Depot Names Supervisor of the Quarter Since joining Team Tobyhanna, Paula Mesaris has worked in multiple positions and pursued continuous learning opportunities whenever possible. Due to her effective leadership skills and strong body of work, she has been honored as Tobyhanna Army Depot’s (TYAD) latest Supervisor of the Quarter. Mesaris came to TYAD in 2006 following a job as a postal worker. She began her depot career working in what was then a combined safety and environmental office. After 10 years in that position, she was named Chief of what is now the Environmental Branch in November of 2016. Mesaris and her team manage all of the environmental compliance programs for TYAD while also focusing on sustainability and conservation. They strive to ensure the depot remains in compliance with federal, state, and U.S. Army regulations in regard to cultural resources, hazardous waste, natural resources, pollution prevention, energy, pest management and solid waste/recycling programs. Under Mesaris’ leadership, the environmental team earned the 2023 Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for water resiliency through wastewater treatment technology. This award comes in addition to the Secretary of the Army Energy and Water Management Award for Exceptional Achievement in Water Efficiency the depot received in February 2023. Additionally, she oversaw TYAD’s participation as an Army Pilot site for a cooperative program centered on Environmental Justice which included representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force. Mesaris has also spearheaded multiple depot clean-up events, to include the 2023 Earth Day clean up event. During this event, 110 members of Team Tobyhanna collected 142 bags of trash with other debris such as metal, wood, plastic, rubber, etc. Mesaris said when she got the news about receiving the award, it came as a big surprise. “It is such an honor. I was very surprised. It was very unexpected,” said Mesaris” “You kind of just go about your job and then when something like this happens it is nice that somebody notices that your team is performing well.” Mesaris thanked her team above all, saying that no supervisor can earn such an award without a strong group of people around them. “When you look back, you don’t remember the tasks you did over the years, you remember the people you worked with. I don’t think anybody can win this award without a really awesome team and I’m very blessed to have one,” said Mesaris. We have a lot of new team members that are very gung-ho and are very environmentally conscious. They are about their job and about serving the depot and it is just a great pleasure to have a team like that. They make it pleasant to come into work because I have people that care.” Environmental Engineer Amalia Thomas praised Mesaris for her strong leadership skills and people-first mentality. “Paula is a fantastic and dedicated supervisor. She always has a happy face on and is always willing to help you out,” said Thomas. “She strives for growth of her employees and has the utmost respect for her colleagues. Paula is there when you need her.” Mesaris said she has always been a strong proponent for pursuing learning opportunities. Throughout her career, she has been involved with the Combined Federal Campaign, COVID Trace Team, TOBY2035 Line-of-Effort teams, the Peer-to-Peer program and more in addition to her typical duties in the spirit of learning as much as she can. She is actively in the process of earning her master’s degree from Marywood University to go alongside her bachelors degree from the same school. Mesaris credited the strong leadership she has received throughout her career as her reason for trying new things. “I have always had really great support from my leadership teams,” said Mesaris. “I’ve always received encouragement to take a leap and pursue something that was out of my comfort zone. Having mentors like that definitely helped and made an impact on me throughout my career.” TYAD’s Chief of Public Works James Wisnewski serves as Mesaris’ supervisor. He lauded her for being incredibly reliable and willing to do what it takes to get the job done. “Paula is an exemplary employee, mission minded, organization focused and willing to go to great efforts to ensure TYAD’s success,” said Wisnewski. She is a well-respected and dependable member of TYAD’s supervisory workforce and is always willing to assist without hesitation.” The Supervisor of the Quarter award – and its companion Employee of the Quarter awards – are TOBY2035 initiatives aligned with the Invest in Our People line of effort. The plan, which has three additional focus areas, strives to position Tobyhanna for success in the coming years as the Department of Defense’s premier worldwide C5ISR readiness provider.
