Shipyard Spotlight: Beth Owens

HIPYARD SPOTLIGH

By Anna Taylor • Public Affairs Specialist Photos by Luke Beasley • NNSY Photographer

Beth Owens

If the idea of managing millions of dollars of government assets sounds daunting, you probably wouldn’t want to be Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s accountable property officer.

For Beth Owens, however, it’s a welcome challenge.

Owens is responsible for tracking and inventorying all of the shipyard’s equipment worth more than $5,000. That includes upwards of 5,000 assets, 569 of which are worth $100,000 or more.

The program has been around for two decades, but Owens' dedication and experience have helped breathe life back into it.

“I’m cleaning up about 18 years of property management, making sure the paperwork is correct and the data is right,” she said. “Day-to-day, I solve a lot of problems.

I have to make sure we are aligned for audit requirements so NNSY and the shipyard commander can get a good audit review.”

Assets within the program’s scope include all non-consumable equipment at the shipyard, from waterfront machinery like a lathe or a crane, to large TV monitors in a conference room.

“You need to know what you own,” said Owens. “We answer to high echelon commands, and to the public, and we have to safeguard the equipment we’ve been given money to buy.”

After equipment has reached the end of its useful life, the shipyard usually needs to upgrade or replace it.

“You have to prove you need more money to buy newer equipment,” explained Owens. “Everything has to be evaluated correctly – what is the true value, how old is it, is it outdated? We have to keep track of improvements, so if we can show we’ve put $5 million into something we’ve had for 50 years, it’s easier to get new funds.”

Owens has been at the shipyard for less than two years, but she’s been in the business of asset management for 17 years, and she’s been a government employee for 30.

“When I got out of college, I was looking for work, and decided to apply for a federal position,” said Owens. “Jobs were scarce, and being handicapped it can be hard to get hired.”

She began work at Brunswick Naval Air Station, but that base closed in 2006 after Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) in 2006. She worked for Commander Navy

MAKING A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR IMPACT ON SHIPYARD’S ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Installations Command (CNIC) MidAtlantic, the Naval Education and Training Command Headquarters, and Naval Supply Headquarters before finally landing at NNSY. Owens is working to revamp the Property Management Program at the shipyard.

“It’s so important in the long run,” said Owens. “We want to buy equipment so we can get a ship out faster or make the mechanic’s job easier, but we have to know what we already own, and how to get it updated or replaced.

So if those records aren’t good, we really can’t make a strong argument.”

Owens says she has a great team supporting her, and without them, the program could not be executed.

“They do a lot of work and spend a lot of hours doing what I ask, learning new things, and really doing what it takes to make changes,” she said. “Without them, it wouldn’t be possible.”

For now, Owens is still working to learn the shipyard’s unique processes, but she says the support from colleagues and department leadership has been immensely helpful.

“I really like managing the program,” she said. “I think the best thing about being here at the yard is that everyone has gotten on board and seen the value of the program, and they’ve trusted me to do what I need to do in order to have clean records and be auditable.

It’s gratifying.”

9 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT

Beth

1. Favorite Color: Yellow 2. Astrological Sign: Aquarius 3. I have a 15-year-old Shih Tzu named Princess.

4. Favorite Movie: Dirty Dancing 5. My celebrity crush is John Legend.

6. I love being outdoors, my favorite smell is the woods.

7. My desk is a little bit clean and a little bit cluttered.

8. I love lobster rolls.

9. I could never give up my kids!

JULY 2017 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 23