72nd ABW/CE director bids farewell to Tinker

Published March 5, 2010
By Brandice J. Armstrong
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Nearly 25 years ago Gene Gallogly left Tinker and his first federal service assignment to advance his career. He had been an aerospace engineer for Materials/Structures within the B-52 Division. After 20 years away, he returned in September 2005 and became the director of the 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineer Directorate. But last week, Mr. Gallogly left Tinker a second time to further his career. He went to Washington, D.C., to become the deputy division chief for Asset Management at the Air Staff.

During his most recent Tinker tenure, Mr. Gallogly said the experience was educational and incredible. His team accomplished several feats, overcame challenges and witnessed great growth within the base.

"I have learned a great deal from working at Tinker," Mr. Gallogly said. "A big take-away for me is a better understanding of teamwork and collaboration."

As 72nd CE director, Mr. Gallogly oversaw facilities and infrastructure for 27,000 employees, several commands, seven wings and more than 40 mission partners. Yet, despite the responsibility and challenge, Mr. Gallogly said accomplishing the task at hand was never about what he could personally do, it was about his team meeting the mission.

"It's not about us individually. It's about the mission as a whole and we're just a small piece of that," Mr. Gallogly said. "You need to focus on providing great customer service and working as part of a diverse team with a common objective."

Mr. Gallogly said he's proud of his team for streamlining to provide better support with fewer resources.

"We have incredible people in civil engineering that never let me get too far beyond my headlights," he said. "While the challenges were there, the support was equal to the task in every case. I never felt alone in this job."

He said he is also proud to be associated with the privatization of housing at Tinker.

In July 2008, the Air Force selected Balfour Beatty Communities, formerly GMH Military Housing, to oversee the construction of new houses and the renovation of older houses. Balfour Beatty will manage the project for 50 years. When construction is finished, 398 new houses will be built and 262 existing houses will have been updated and renovated.

"Gene Gallogly did exactly what we ask of all Airmen -- he left Tinker better than he found it," said Col. Allen Jamerson, 72nd Air Base Wing and Tinker installation commander. "His superb leadership ensured we had the facilities, infrastructure and future plans needed to ensure mission continuation for the Air Force's most multi-faceted installation."

Mr. Gallogly said he is also glad to have been involved with the Air Force leasing the former General Motors automobile assembly plant.

Adding Bldg. 9001 and the surrounding facilities was brainstormed in February 2006 when the GM plant in southeast Oklahoma City unexpectedly closed. In 2008, Oklahoma County purchased the facility from GM and leased it to the Air Force.

The complex sits on 407 acres. The property houses six industrial buildings and one office building, equating to nearly 4 million square feet of usable space. The main facility, Bldg. 9001, compares in size to Bldg. 3001, having 2.5-million square feet of industrial floor space.