Fort Rucker Exchange Honored for Helping Installation Bring Home the Gold
General Manager Ralph Kleemann and Main Store Manager Beate Bateman show the certificate presented to them by installation commanders.
The Exchange at Alabama’s Fort Rucker received recently a certificate of special recognition from installation leaders for helping the post win a U.S. Army award for excellence.
The certificate was presented to General Manager Ralph Kleemann and Main Store Manager Beate Bateman recently by installation leaders Maj. Gen. William Gayler, Col. Brian Walsh and Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Spivey. After Fort Rucker had won the gold in the 2018 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence, Gayler presented certificates to post organizations, including the Exchange, that enabled the installation to win.
“The entire Fort Rucker Exchange team was absolutely ecstatic about the win,” Kleemann said. “To have the installation recognized as the 2018 Army Communities of Excellence Gold Award Winner, and to be a part of that recognition, was truly incredible.
“The award is a strong validation of the loyalty, dedication and just plain hard work that our 160+ associates at Fort Rucker put in every day to make our Exchange facilities our customers’ first choice.”
The award clearly speaks to the power and commitment the Exchange has to stand behind the core value, “Family Serving Family,” Kleemann said.
“The award is a strong validation of the loyalty, dedication and just plain hard work that our 160+ associates at Fort Rucker put in every day to make our Exchange facilities our customers’ first choice.”
-Ralph Kleemann, general manager
Exchange Central Region Senior Vice President Marla Smith passed out plenty of kudos to the Fort Rucker staff.
“We’re so proud of all our Exchange associates on the ground for what they do every day to make a difference in the lives of our customers,” she said. “We all are one team.”
Recognizing quality
The Army Communities of Excellence Program recognizes quality in installation management leading to reform and improved readiness in areas like energy efficiency, facilities, training areas, emergency services and customer services.
Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy won the Silver award; the U.S. Army Garrison at Daegu, South Korea, and Georgia’s Fort Stewart won Bronze; and Fort Knox, Ky., and Fort Wainwright, Alaska, received honorable mention.
Read more about our customers at Fort Rucker.
