Minot Commissary earns best small facility Published June 15, 2011 By Senior Airman Aaron-Forrest Wainwright Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Air Force Global Strike Command's Minot Air Force Base Commissary here was awarded the Richard M. Paget award May 24, for best small facility of its kind in the United States. Competing against other small facilities in the country, the Minot Commissary won best small commissary based on figures, which includes sales accountability, unit cost, inventory, and customer service. The Defense Commissary Agency has established a record of going above and beyond to provide servicemembers and their families with the best possible shopping experience, which is evident in their motto, 'Serving the world's best customer'. This annual tradition of recognizing the best of the best is designed to honor the commissaries that provide their customers with high levels of savings and great choices. DeCA director and CEO Joseph H. Jeu, said this award symbolizes an ideal of customer service that patrons can enjoy. "When a store wins a best commissary award, the glory goes beyond that store's employees," Mr. Jeu said. "That store's customers share the wealth as recipients of the benefit from a commissary acknowledged as one of our best." The Richard M. Paget award honors the late retired Navy captain, a 40-year member of the Navy Resale Advisory Committee. He oversaw the Navy Ships Store Office and had a lasting positive influence on Navy morale and welfare. "It feels great to win," said Tracy Holdaway, commissary secretary. "It is nice to be recognized for all our hard efforts over the year." She explained the hard work that employees put forth is what has made the difference in their success. "The people working at our commissary are always trying to improve the service and keep it the best," said Ms. Holdaway. Minot's commissary offers a variety of market departments including fruit, vegetable, and meat departments. The meat department even offers special cut meat orders and a bakery/deli, which offers rotisserie chicken, panini's and now chocolate-covered strawberries to order. The commissary is currently looking to revamp parts of its facility to include a new refrigeration system, new décor, and constructing more floor space to offer a wider variety of products. The newest possible addition to the commissary is a sushi bar. Through this award, the commissary here proved that it is amongst the best in providing quality services to its patrons. (Some information in this article was provided by the DeCA Office of Communication)