Ellsworth Commissary receives DeCA award Published June 9, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Matthew Flynn 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- The Ellsworth Commissary recently received the 2009 Bill Nichols award for best large commissary at the Defense Commissary Agency's 2009 Conference and Training Event in Richmond, Va. DeCA awards this achievement for overall excellence in commissary operations and service with evaluations in four categories: accountability, unit cost, commissary customer service survey and sales. Nancy Mitchell, Ellsworth Commissary store director, attended the conference and represented Ellsworth in accepting the award. "These awards validate the excellence of our employees and industry partners as they deliver a world class benefit to our most deserving customers," Ms. Mitchell said. The staff also makes a point of building relationships with Ellsworth customers to help meet their needs. "Approximately 90 percent of our customers are on a first-name basis with our employees, which creates a strong customer-loyalty bond," Ms. Mitchell said. "Customers seem to notice our dedication and frequently comment about our friendly service and how much they appreciate the savings." The news of the award came as no surprise to other Ellsworth members. "Ms. Nancy Mitchell and her outstanding team have provided world-class customer service to the men and women of the 28th Bomb Wing," said Col. Michael Yuill, 28th Mission Support Group commander. "The Bill Nichols award recognizes the team's commitment to our military members, their families, and our retirees. They have truly delivered a premier commissary benefit to us each day." The commissary plans to continue to implement the same hard work and dedication to the job to keep a high level service to its customers. Ms. Mitchell said her goal for the store is to achieve exceptional operational performance in all areas, especially customer service.