21st FSS member recognized by 'Innkeeper' team

Published July 31, 2008
By Margie Arnold
21st Force Support Squadron

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Pikes Peak Lodge manages aging facilities, but one thing that keeps them looking younger than their years is the attentive care of its maintenance staff.

One maintenance employee, Phil McCaffrey, received the Air Force Innkeeper Travelers' Award July 19. The Innkeeper team made the announcement and presented the award at a farewell potluck for the team at the Spanish House here. The Innkeeper Travelers' Award is presented to lodging team members who exemplify the highest standards of professionalism, attitude, customer service and job knowledge.

"I was stunned. I didn't know what to say," said Mr. McCaffrey, known by many in his unit as "Mac." "I was sitting at the picnic table and talking with some folks at the time. This took me completely by surprise.""Mac represents our finest customer service and attention to detail that everyone in the Air Force should strive for," said Joey Sanchez, Pikes Peak Lodge general manager. "He works in the oldest building in Pikes Peak Lodge, but it shines. You could have the best facilities in the Air Force but a staff that doesn't support it. In our case, we have good but aging facilities and a superior staff that makes everything come together,"

Mr. McCaffrey is responsible for everything in Bldg. 1143 on base. Art Fuentes, Mr. McCaffrey's supervisor, also weighed in on his award.

"Mac always has a will-do, can-do attitude," Mr. Fuentes said. "He never says no. He does the work I ask him to do; if he has questions, he asks them afterward."

Mr. McCaffrey said that keeping Pikes Peak Lodge facilities in good shape is a team effort that begins with housekeepers submitting maintenance requests for things that need repair.

"I come in, fix the problem and then, before I leave, I look the place over to see if there is anything else that might need attention," he said. "Sometimes something might not be noticed."

Guests submit work requests, too, but theirs tend to be informal.

"Guests don't like to fill out forms; they write it on note paper, a napkin, whatever they have, and then drop it in my box in the building," Mr. McCaffrey said. " I keep them all. They're my documentation."

And he documents everything. Having worked in aircraft structural repair during his last six years in the Army, Mr. McCaffrey said that meticulous record keeping became a habit and leaves no question unanswered. He logs every maintenance request, documents the work performed and informs his supervisor about completed and pending jobs.

Guests know when he's coming. "I tell them to look for the 'Green Machine,'" said Mr. McCaffrey, referring to the compact all terrain vehicle used for maintenance. With his tools on the floor next to him, Mr. McCaffrey arrives ready for anything.

"With a screwdriver and a hammer, we can fix almost anything," he said.

The Innkeeper Evaluation Team was at Peterson July 17-19, evaluating Pikes Peak Lodge for the 2008 Air Force Innkeeper Award. Pikes Peak Lodge was the Air Force Space Command nominee for the award.