52YEARS F
A HALF-CENTURY AND COUNTING Tobyhanna Army Depot Deputy Commander Frank Zardecki began working at the facility in 1966 as an electronics mechanic helper. He credits his long career at the facility to his natu- ral curiosity and thirst for variety. (Photos by Steve Grzezdzinski, Tobyhanna Army Depot)
dirty. He was one of them.
After serving in the Air Force and attend- ing Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, PA, Zardecki joined Tobyhanna Army Depot in 1966 as an electronics mechanic helper. Now he’s deputy commander, with 52 years of government
and STILL SERVING
Tobyhanna deputy commander promotes culture of innovation
rank Zardecki sits in the com- mand suite, but he knows that the best ideas often come from the people getting their hands
Zardecki has been in a unique position to watch that mission evolve. When he signed up for the military, short-range, walkie-talkie style radios were the state of the art. As he climbed the ranks at Toby- hanna, the Army increasingly networked the battlefield, and today the depot sup- ports a portfolio ranging from strategic satellite terminals to secure smartphones. It now accounts for 19,000 area jobs.
service under his
belt. Zardecki is at the heart of what he calls the depot’s “corporate philosophy”: Everyone is accountable, everyone is invested and everyone should be heard.
“I always encourage employees to do their part in making the depot a better place to work and making us more effective overall,” Zardecki said. “It’s a very open culture of communication.”
Zardecki sees a bit of himself in the depot’s workers, many of whom are vet- erans. “It’s a patriotic workforce, with a mission they can relate to,” he said. “Tey are very committed to what they do.”
Along with changes in technology came a shift in identity. For the past decade, Tobyhanna has served not just as a single- location maintenance site, but also as an expeditionary capability that can surge and deploy support where needed.
“Te number of forward-deployed per- sonnel and the sophistication of their work have been among the biggest trans- formations in the organic industrial base,” Zardecki said.
Having witnessed several periods of rising and falling military spending, Zardecki has perspective on how the depot can weather any fiscal climate. He is a num- bers fiend who constantly analyzes the
ASC.ARMY.MIL 45
LOGISTICS
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