Veteran transporter recounts MTMC changes.

Len Priber worked until the last day and the very last hour before his retirement begins.

That was no surprise to those who know the dynamic former Chief of the MTMC International Customer Service Branch.

Priber, 59, thrives on the action-packed challenges and colorful personalities of international shipping.

But after 42 years of government service, including four as a uniformed soldier, Priber's focus has now turned from caring for customers to spending more time with his family, as well as his passion for restoring older Victorian homes in his hometown of Meadville, Pa.

"I wanted to retire four years ago," said Priber, a veteran of MTMC's Joint Traffic Management Office.

"But things at MTMC were too exciting."

Priber said he stayed in order to work through the many issues associated with the closure of MTMC terminals at Bayonne, N.J., and Oakland, Calif., and the creation of the Deployment Support Command. He also wanted to work on the re-engineering of ocean contracts.

"It's hard to drop the ball in the middle of a project. I like to see the outcome of things."

During his tenure at MTMC, Priber has seen many changes.

"If I had to choose my proudest moment at MTMC, it would be the way we came together as a command during the Gulf War," he said.

The military and commercial sectors worked as a team during the conflict, said Priber.

"For the first time in my career, we had an opportunity to execute the premise of doing in peacetime what was required for a wartime situation. It really worked, and I think it was our first real experience of testing this partnership with industry."

Experts from the commercial transportation world accelerated MTMC's learning curve in the crisis, he said.

"Everyone was involved, seven days a week, providing support to our soldiers and the war-fighting commanders," said Priber. "All your training is geared toward an operation like that; to actually get the chance to use your training and skills is rewarding."

"I'll never forget it."

Priber began his MTMC career in 1973. What followed was both challenging and rewarding, not only for him, but also for the command.

"Every day something different happens to make you think and use your creativity and common sense. I really got a lot of satisfaction from helping people who called with a problem," said Priber.

"You can't find all the answers in a book. Sometimes you just have to use your own initiative to help a customer or resolve an issue."

Over the years, Priber also worked in the areas of planning and passenger movements.

"The past 26 years have been very rewarding," said Priber.

"I witnessed the progress in moving from Department of Defense organic assets to the worldwide capabilities of commercial carriers."

"There have been many changes in the way we do business these days," said Priber. "There's more interaction, and linkages between the MTMC offices and our efforts require more teamwork."

There have been big changes in the command's relationships with ocean carriers.

"There's more teaming with carriers now than before," said Priber.

"To improve business processes, the government now encourages industry to participate in efforts to re-engineer and streamline the way business is done with commercial carriers.

"There is no longer the `Department of Defense way.' We've become more flexible in accepting commercial practices."

Priber takes great pride in the recently announced Universal Service Contract 03 for worldwide ocean transportation services, in which he played a major role.

"We were able to capitalize on the expertise of professionals who have many years of experience and have been doing that same thing for their commercial customers," said Priber.

The $325 million contract, which started Sept. 1, will move more than 100,000 containers and non-containerized cargo.

The document reflects continuing improvements in MTMC's ocean carrier documents, he said. As an example, the contract reduces the number of rates and simplifies terms.

While the previous contract had more than 25,000 different rates, the new contract has about 10,000 rate listings.

Stay tuned for Universal Services Contract 04, said Priber.

"I think we've made significant progress," said Priber. "However, after experience with Universal Services Contract 03, I'm sure that shippers, carriers and cargo managers will identify opportunities for further improvements."

A best-value contract was achieved without additional costs to customers, said Priber.

"When we moved from low cost to best value, we improved service significantly.

"Even contractors support best value, because they now have an opportunity to compete on the basis of service and not just costs.

"They're on board in this approach for contract negotiations."

Like a well-kept journal, Priber has lots of fond memories. When asked what transformation affected his career the most, he names the Joint Traffic Management Office.

Priber helped establish the office at MTMC in 1997. The organization centralizes the traffic management of ocean transportation shipping within the Department of Defense. Its development set the stage for a closer relationship with industry and the streamlining initiatives of the Universal Service Contract.

"It's exciting to create something that's a real winner," said Priber. "You try an initiative, and if it doesn't work, you try something else.

"MTMC supports flexibility and innovation, which made my job challenging and worthwhile."

"I don't think I ever had a day when I couldn't think I made a difference and provided some value for the Department of Defense shippers.

"My former teammates feel the same way. We understood and complemented each other. There was a lot of synergy on our team."

What advice does he have for new employees?

Be prepared for change, said Priber.

"There is lots of re-engineering taking place, making it easy to be frustrated. Be part of the process. Be involved. Give input for resolving situations and let your ideas be heard."

Priber had talked about leaving for years. Is he gone this time for sure?

"I've got to stay away from Bill Lucas," said Priber, referring to MTMC's Deputy to the Commander.

"He's been coming up with these challenging assignments for the past few years, which were impossible for me to refuse. I'm concerned he might convince me to come back for Universal Services Contract 04."