DeCA officials announce outreach award winners Published June 1, 2009 FORT LEE, Va. (AFNS) -- Defense Commissary Agency officials recognized seven commissaries for outstanding outreach May 20 during the agency's 2009 Conference and Training Event in Richmond, Va. Air Force commissaries took four of the seven awards. The winning commissaries are Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. (best outreach to Guard and Reserve); Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas (best outreach to E1-E6, continental United States); Misawa Air Base, Japan (best outreach to E1-E6, overseas); Kadena Air Base, Japan (best outreach to military families and spouses, overseas); Camp Pendleton, Calif. (best outreach to military families and spouses, continental United States); Fort Carson, Colo. (best outreach to retirees); and Camp Lejeune, N.C. (best outreach to new recruits and schools). Zone managers who oversee operations of the winning commissaries accepted the awards from Philip E. Sakowitz Jr., DeCA director and CEO. "The best outreach efforts tend to echo great relationships between the stores and the military communities they serve," Mr. Sakowitz said. "The DeCA team members involved in these outreach events have gone above and beyond our mandate to help spread the news about this benefit. Congratulations to the winning stores!" Each year for the past six years DeCA has held an Outreach Challenge in which commissaries compete for most originality and creativity in marketing the benefit. The challenge encourages commissaries to reach out to authorized shoppers who may not be using their commissary benefit, or who may not be using it regularly, and provides a unique opportunity for store directors worldwide to share their best outreach practices with others and to strengthen the commissary benefit. This year's theme was "The Commissary - It's Worth the Trip!" which emphasized a targeted approach to outreach and marketing to military families, spouses and retirees, with a special focus on key demographic groups such as young, single service members and the Guard and Reserve. The theme encouraged commissary employees to think nontraditionally in their approach to outreach, during this time of tight budgets and time constraints. Commissaries entering the competition submitted packages that documented their best outreach efforts over the previous year. Entries were judged on originality and creativity of outreach strategy, effectiveness in reaching intended audiences, and results.