Fort Riley and one other installation received a bronze medal in the 2019 Army Communities of Excellence Award, a program that has existed since 1989.
The awards are intended to promote excellence in installation management as well as process improvement and forts are assessed based on strategy and measurable business outcomes. Along with Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy, Fort Riley received the award from the Department of the Army on Monday, March 18. Georgia’s Fort Stewart took the gold medal, Alaska’s Fort Wainwright took silver and New York’s Fort Drum received an honorable mention.
1st Infantry Division Commanding General Maj. Gen. John Kolasheski says the recognition is “truly spectacular” and congratulated the entire Fort Riley team.
“It’s a tough Army competition, and our workforce’s efforts paid off in this recognition of excellence,” says Kolasheski.
Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Shrader says the award is a signal to the public that Fort Riley continues to be “a great place to live, train, deploy from, come home to, and in some cases retire.
“I am proud of the dedicated professionals, volunteers and community partners who serve the Soldiers, families, and civilians of Fort Riley and the 1st Infantry Division each day,” Shrader says.
Winners are determined based on a criteria framework established for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. The assessment identifies installation management best practices and opportunities for improvement. ACOE Program Manager Heather Steward says Fort Riley’s path to recognition took her three years.
“When I started I knew very little of Malcolm Baldrige principles or how they could be related to our internal organizational environment,” says Steward. “I committed to learning everything I could about the award requirements and how our garrison could improve our competitiveness.”
She says the award is a great honor and reflects the “daily excellence” of their civilian workforce.
Fort Riley Garrison and civilian employees were recognized in 2018 for a culture of outstanding service and being cost conscious — which is shown in $3.9 million in savings during last fiscal year.
