Employee Spotlight: Josh Bringhurst

RICHMOND, Va. -

Employee Spotlight focuses on outstanding nonsupervisory Defense Logistics Agency personnel across DLA Aviation and at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. Organizational directors may nominate employees to be featured in this column by contacting DLA Aviation Public Affairs at [email protected].

Name: Josh Bringhurst

Organization: DLA Aviation at Ogden

Years of service at DLA: Eight years

What is your job title, and what do you do specifically? I work in retail planning as a business process analyst. I research and build units that set the levels of stock and the points it needs to be reordered for our customers at Ogden and Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. I also provide training to the planning workforce and serve as a Richmond point of contact when the planning team at Ogden encounters higher level problems. Lastly, I conduct research and provide solutions to the end user - the warfighter.

How do you support the warfighter? I'm a Air Force veteran myself, so I approach every opportunity to support the warfighter with the urgency it deserves. I have been on the side of problems where the lack of supplies seriously impacted and degraded our missions.

What do you like most about your job? No day is the same when working for DLA at Ogden, and I'm learning all day. It's great to have the opportunity to provide my lessons learned to the teams I support.

What is your fondest memory of working for DLA Aviation? The day I was selected to join the Business Process Support Directorate team because we have a great team, a great support network and amazing supervisors who are supportive of our efforts. The morale within our team is high. It really is the best kept secret in DLA Aviation!

What aspect(s) of your current job gives you the most personal satisfaction? That moment comes when I'm setting the reorder points and protection levels for material that the warfighter needs. I know that the faster I have levels set, the quicker we can get desperately needed material to the warfighter!

If you could speak directly to the warfighters you support, what would you tell them? Never miss an opportunity to mentor the people around you. Ensure that people climbing the ranks have the tools needed to be more successful than previous generations were.

What do you see as your biggest challenge right now? Because of the current state of the world, there are customers desperately needing parts. I only have 40 hours in the work week to make sure I've done everything I possibly could to provide them with the support they need.

What are your best practices for achieving goals or accomplishing tasks?Make to do lists! If something can't get done today, put it on your calendar or flag it for follow-up so it doesn't fall through the cracks. Take the time to listen to the end-user's problems. Even if it seems routine, give them the attention they deserve and help them work through their problem.

What are some of your passions outside of work? I enjoy regenerative farming which is an alternative to industrial agriculture that is tailored to specific ecosystems and climates. It reduces the impact of food production on the land by prioritizing methods of conserving and rehabilitating the soil. RF promotes healthy soil by eliminating chemical inputs that strip the biology and nutrients. Then it closes the loop by producing feed for animals on the farm whose manure is used to make compost that goes back into the soil and continues to improve soil health.

Food, clothing, and shelter are necessities in life, and I want to be able to help people struggling with food security. Therefore, most of what I produce is donated to the food pantry or other people in need.

What is your proudest accomplishment and why? When my son joined the military to become an Army infantryman. I've had some reservations as a parent but seeing him grow and transform put my mind at ease.

Have you had a mentor that helped you grow in your career? Air Force Master Sgt. Jeff Egbert was a vehicle maintenance manager I knew while I was stationed at Kapaun Air Station in Kaiserslautern, Germany. He told me I was going to become a noncommissioned officer and would lead my own teams. His advice was to pick the best traits in the people and try to be more like them, then see the worst traits in people and make sure I am not adopting those traits. He also told me that he wanted me to be a better leader than he was and said I should want the new troops coming in to be better than I was.

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