Corporate Colonel — Marine officer heads largest industrial employer in Eastern NC [Archive] - Marine Corps

thedrifter

01-06-04, 07:15 AM

His favorite “ride” is now history.

“I really enjoyed the back-seat rides on the F-4 Phantoms,” he recalled. His confidence in flying in “the product” comes from watching the meticulous steps taken by the depot artisans in stripping aircraft to bare skin, and rebuilding them, with state-of the art enhancements designed to add another 10 to 20 years of serviceability in the fleet.

“The workforce here in Eastern North Carolina can not be matched for industriousness, dedication and patriotism,” he said.

As that workforce ages, the depot needs a pipeline of replacements, and on that score he’s equally enthusiastic.

In November, the Institute for Aeronautical Technology officially opened within a mile of the depot. It is the centerpiece of the Havelock campus of Craven Community College and will train NADEP artisans for generations to come.

Gumbel calls the IAT, as well as cooperative programs with East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Park University and Mount Olive College “tremendous feeder sources” for new employees.

Gumbel cites another concept his predecessor, Col. Johnson, would be amazed by.

Rather than concentrate on its own in-house production schedule, the depot has been branching out, performing subcontractor services for major aviation commercial enterprises.

The depot has formed partnerships with major manufacturers like Honeywell and Hamilton Sunstrand, in which they have become sub-contractors for the commercial entities.

“We provide the ‘touch labor’ and they provide the parts, engineers and transportation,” he explained. “Just last week, I was looking at a check for over $1 million that we received as a result of this sub-contracting effort. “Down the road, we’ll looking for even more partnerships with major OEMs like GE, Sikorsky, Boeing and Bell, to name a few.”

The colonel glances at his watch, knowing he has a meeting to prepare for. Asked if he feels any strains of responsibility as he sits at the helm of the ever-expanding industrial complex, his response is swift, drawn from 26 years of Marine Corps experience.

“The complexities of putting out quality, reliable and cost effective aircraft, engines and components are a challenge,” he said.

“But when you compare that to defending a strike package from the back seat of an EA-6B, or to the lieutenant in a Cobra helicopter providing support for the troops on the ground, it’s hard to measure.

“They’re facing life and death responsibilities,” he said. “We’re accountable for making sure they are doing it in the best possible aircraft.”

NADEP Facts:

Here is some information about the Naval Air Depot at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station:
-Customers include 202 different Navy and Marine Corps activities, 24 foreign nations, five U.S. Air Force activities, three U.S. Army activities and two federal agencies.
-Number of acres - 146
-Number of buildings - 102
-Estimated value of facilities - $969 million
-Employees: 3,850 government civilian
250 contractors
40 U.S. Marines
- Annual Payroll - $272 million
(average salary: $49,000)
- Annual Revenue - $800 million
-Annual Workload
150 aircraft
500 engines
45,000 components

-The depot’s workload includes:

Major airframe modifications and repair for a wide variety of DoD aircraft including: the AV-8B Harrier, the vertical takeoff and landing tactical attack jet flown by the Marines
-the medium-lift transport H-46 Sea Knight helicopter
-the H-53D Sea Stallion and H-53E Super Stallion helicopter
-the Air Force’s MH-53J helicopter

-Additionally, engineers and logisticians have worked with prime contractors to set logistics and maintenance requirements for the V-22 Osprey.

-The NADEP is the Designated Repair Point (DRP) for the V-22, which is slated eventually to replace the H-46 Sea Knight currently flown by the Navy and the Marine Corps.

-NADEP Cherry Point field teams deploy anywhere in the world. In one year’s time, for example, the depot sent more than 400 field teams to 10 countries and 20 states. One such deployment salvaged a crash-damaged C-130, buried nearly 17 years in Antarctic snow. The aircraft was modified at the depot and returned to the Navy to continue its mission.

-The depot’s ability to provide world-class fleet support anywhere was evident during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom. The depot sent civilian personnel to front-line areas to assist in aircraft maintenance and repair.

------- Editor's note: The above is a reprint from the Freedom ENC Publication Business East.

E-Mail Tom Boné

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Sempers,

Roger
:marine: