Information is Key
by Tesia Williams, AMC Public and Congressional Affairs
It’s really tough making intelligent decisions without knowing all the facts and key information surrounding a situation. With the BRAC Commission’s decision (and President Bush’s approval) to relocate Headquarters AMC to Huntsville, Ala., I, like many others, definitely felt the need to obtain as much information possible to decide whether to leave a place I’ve called home for six years or move down south.
Officials have hosted brown bag lunches and town hall meetings. There have also been numerous attempts to disseminate information through newsletters and a not-so-user-friendly BRAC website. Unfortunately, the latest news isn’t getting to the masses. Or maybe the tools we’re using lack appeal.
I’m partly to blame because I work in the office that is the conduit between the workforce and the source of the information. I know we could do a better job of providing the facts (there, I said it). And we’re trying…
Well, I’m here to say, it’s no longer business as usual as our traditional methods of supplying information aren’t working.
In addition to this blog, we are developing short, two- to five-minute podcasts with such topics as “The Link between the Union and BRAC” and “My BRAC Move.” And if you haven’t noticed already, the BRAC Web site, www.amc.army.mil/trans, has been revamped. Everything you want and need to know is at your fingertips. I challenge you to find a better employee BRAC website within DoD.
This is the first of many blogs. Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions, ask questions, and tell us what we’re doing right as well as what we’re doing wrong. And for those of you who get sweaty palms at the thought of commenting in a public forum and attaching your name to it—you can anonymously participate.
If you plan on contributing to the ongoing dialogue:
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I am thrilled and excited about this new forum for sharing thoughts and ideas. We look forward to hearing from you.
I am so excited about the new BRAC Web site and encourage all our employees to take a look. The site contains so much information. And this blog will be a great forum for us all to speak openly and candidly about our questions and concerns.
This is a great tool for aiding in my decision making process regarding BRAC and AMC. I really appreciate all the hard work that went in to making this blog a reality.
Thanks!
I’d be interested to hear from the folks who are moving to Huntsville in the advance party due to arrive NLT Nov. In fact, I know there are a few HQAMC folks who are there already. Please tell us about your experience as far as the PCS process and what you think of the Huntsville area so far. I’d love to hear from you — this is the type of information that will help me make a final decision. Thanks!
PS And kudos to Tesia and Beth for bringing our communication efforts up to another level — this is an outstanding forum where we can all share information.
Two questions: how often can we expect new blogs to be posted and when will the podcasts begin?
Great work at continuing to adjust for results. No doubt the transformation office and its counterparts are working hard at passing on information. Kudos to all those that make this decision as easy as possible with regard to finding local area info, leaving my mind free to wonder less about if and more on when. Thanks, great job, great info.
Please check out the Huntsville Defense News website (www.huntsvilledefensenews.com) for the latest information about aerospace and defense news in the Huntsville area. We strive to provide up to date news and contract information for our local businesses as well as those affected by BRAC. If you have any questions, email us at info@huntsvilledefensenews.com
We are here to help you!!
Our plan is to post new blogs once a month. We just finished our first podcast interview and expect it to be posted by the end of this month. Thank you for your interest.
I worked at HQAMC for about 16 years and took a job with AMCOM in Aug 07. First let me say that I have never lived outsdie of VA so this was a big move for me and my family. But we love the Huntsville area. We elected to live in Madison. I am about 15 minutes from work with NO traffic. I have twin 8 year old girls and recently asked them what they liked most about being in Alabama and their reply was they got to see more of mommy and daddy. The elementary schools here start earlier so I am able to get them on the bus in the morning and they stay in the after school program for about a hour before I pick them up in the evening. When we lived in VA I had to drop them at the babysitters at 0530 to start my long commute to work and sometimes wouldn’t pick them up until after 6:00 at night depending on the 95 South traffic. The quality of life is so much better here.
I know a lot of people are concerned about losing the locality pay. My paycheck remained close to the same.
I have to agree with Mike Edwards about the Southern Hospitality in AL. The people here are so nice and have made my family feel very welcome.
I do miss not being able to watch the Redskins game….but when you move to Alabama you are either for Alabama or Auburn. Roll Tide…………
We hope to have lots of VA visitors. I think once you visit the area you will be happy with everything they have to offer.
If anyone has any questions about the area please leave a message on the blog.
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce