In the heart of Herlong, California, sits the 36,000 acre Sierra Army Depot. There are only 23 depots in the country, but this one is one-of-a-kind.
"We're out in the high desert which makes us desirable for storage and materials cause it doesn't deteriorate,” says Don Olson, Deputy to the Commander.
From 1942 to 2005, the depot’s main objective was storing ammunition. For 13 years now, the ammo's been gone. In its place sits more than 26,000 combat vehicles including tanks and Humvees.
Storing this large equipment is not all they do, as the parts and pieces could be refurbished to become new again.
“If we can reutilize any material that doesn't have to be bought brand new, then it's a cost saving for the army,” says Olson.
By using this entrepreneurial mindset, the depot has developed into a $220 million business.
“This generation of Americans understands the value of reutilizing equipment that had a useful life previously,” says Andrea Breyton, Director of Retrograde, Reutilization and Redistribution.
On most military bases, you might expect to see a majority of the people in uniform. At the Sierra Army Depot, that's hardly the case.
“I'm the military presence in a mostly civilian organization,” says Lt. Colonel Ben Johnson. “Our civilian workforce is about 1,400 people, they're very good at what they do.”
For the most part, their work consists of skilled trades and general labor, but an employee's responsibilities can change day to day. For example, hundreds of workers recently volunteered to shift assignments because of an increased need for soldering repairs to ceramic body armor.
“The army asked us in January to ramp up production from 20,000 a month to go to 70,000 a month,” says Olson. “They know these plates go in a carrier that a soldier wears, so it's more than just a plate to them."
Their efforts aren't just saving lives, but also a lot of money. Each vest a soldier wears carries four armor plates and each plate costs more than $500 brand new. By repairing the plate’s exterior surface, they can repair them for just $50.
“Every hour we spend on this is a cost to you, so if we can reduce the amount of hours it takes to do this, it costs you less to perform that function,” says Olson.
At other army depots, some of the work can span 5 to 10 years in length and that's not quite the case in Herlong. However, by redefining themselves as a site that refurbishes used materials, there's always a new project for someone to undertake.
“We'll take smaller work, we'll innovate and figure out a way to meet the schedule at the cost you want and the quality and quantity,” says Lt. Colonel Johnson.
The Sierra Army Depot hires new people every month to one year contracts. They're currently looking to fill about 35 different skill sets.
You can find more information about what these jobs pay and how to apply at usajobs.gov
