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NEWS | Sept. 17, 2020

Depot recognizes employees on National Tradesman Day

By Ms. Danielle E. Weinschenk

Tobyhanna Army Depot will observe National Tradesman Day on September 18 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 operations and facility support.

Many of these diverse tradesmen work in the Roads and Grounds Branch within the Installation Services Directorate. Edward Bentler, Chief of the Roads and Grounds Branch, says the Branch's mission is more extensive than its name would have you believe.

"A lot of people think we just plow snow and mow grass, but our team does a lot 'behind the scenes.' We also manage the water/wastewater treatment plant, and are the ones who respond to emergent situations, such as when there is a water main break,” he said. “We’ve also got you covered for roofing problems, masonry needs or even a carpentry solution. Our team has the depot's one - and only – locksmith.” Bentler went on to praise his team members for their dedication to duty.

"This is a flexible, outstanding team that is ready to respond to any requirement at a moment's notice. Their hard work enables the depot to execute its mission supporting the warfighter."

Tradesmen often come to the depot through the federal Pathways program for students and recent graduates. Justin Kubilus and Joshua Wolk both joined Team Tobyhanna after graduating from Johnson College with degrees in Electronics Technology. The duo shared a love of learning how things worked, leading to permanent positions maintaining production equipment used in mission operations at the depot.

A unique aspect of Wolk and Kubilus’ job is sustaining legacy equipment, such as the Equate – an integral part Tobyhanna’s repair program for counter fire radars.

“The Equate is a critical digital test station used to diagnose faults and ensure proper operation of assemblies used on the Firefinder radar systems for the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps,” said Michael Sherin from the Production Engineering directorate, adding that the station was critical to maintaining the depot’s ability to conduct far field testing.

Wayne Swire, chief of the Installation Services’ Directorate’s Production Equipment Branch says the team maintains more than sixty pieces of critical production equipment. According to him, Kubilus and Wolk play an important role in the organization’s success.

“What our team does every day is amazing, and Justin and Josh take it to the next level with their unique skill set,” he stated. “Not only are they technically proficient, but they are great mentors willing to share their knowledge with their co-workers as we all work a mission that is ‘under the radar.”

Both tradesmen say they truly enjoy their work and hope to continue to support this workload in the future.

“I really enjoy this type of work; it is fulfilling and serves an important purpose in the overall depot mission,” said Wolk. Kubilus emphatically agreed.

“I’m really glad I ended up in this position. I count my blessings to have this job.”

Those interested in future career opportunities with Team Tobyhanna can apply through USAJobs at www.usajobs.gov. For more information on the federal Pathways program, visit the Office of Personnel Management website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/.

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 4,000 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.