Grand opening, ribbon cutting ceremonies to improve service

Two ceremonies, one goal.

The 409th Contracting Support Brigade, Expeditionary Contracting Command Europe recently celebrated two ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremonies to offer more effective contracting support.

The centralized contracting structure is geared to better support the warfighter, and the official opening of the Regional Contracting Center-Wiesbaden at the Amelia Earhart Center in Kaiserslautern and the Theater Contracting Center on Kleber Kaserne provide the 409th CSB with its two newest centralized locations.

“This has been long in coming and marks quite an event … as we bring our customer service a little closer to our customers,” said Tony Baumann, the deputy to the commander of the 409th CSB.

Col. Debra Daniels, the commander of the 409th CSB, said she has seen many positive changes during the 10 years she has spent in contracting organizations.
Having the 409th CSB’s TCC and the 903rd Contingency Contracting Battalion collocated in one location on Kleber completes the current transformation process for the 409th CSB.

The Wiesbaden RCC provides information on current contracting opportunities, policies and procedures for U.S. government customers. It supports U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden and its tenant units. The TCC on Kleber provides business and contracting support for the RCOs as well as for the contracting centers within the U.S. Army Europe and Installation Management Agency Europe areas of operation, Colonel Daniels said.

“Actually, there is not a Soldier in USAREUR this command doesn’t touch,” said Colonel Daniels, mentioning the civilian security guards as an example.

Also noteworthy is these reorganizations were completed in a most effective and efficient manner, “while keeping fully operational and never dropping any balls,” she said. Additionally, a focus on cost savings was maintained throughout the process.

“There was no tossing, not a wasted item in this move. I even found Eileen Hide, the director of the TCC on Kleber Kaserne, and Tony Baumann outfitted with drill sets taking down blinds and drapes,” Colonel Daniels said.