The November Dispatch 2022

Celebrating America’s Heroes America is the home of the free because of the brave men and women who have served our country. In honor of Veterans Day this month, we’re sharing the stories of two veterans who now call Watco home.

From all of us at Watco, thank you for your service.

Viktor Vaupel, terminal manager Ghent Marine Terminal Viktor Vaupel may be new to the Watco team in Ghent, Kentucky, but that doesn’t mean he’s unfamiliar with handling logistics and supply chain challenges.

One of his many roles in the U.S. Army was managing commodities and logistics that kept the military branch running efficiently every day. He was also a medical technician, mechanical maintenance supervisor, and operations manager — just to name a few jobs.

Throughout his career in the Army, Vaupel was stationed across the United States and world. For 12 years, he was deployed or away on operational exercises to Afghanistan, Iraq, Albania, Kosovo, Kuwait, Norway, Slovenia, and South Korea.

In 2017, he retired and made good on a promise to his mother right after he decided to enlist. “My mom always wanted me to go to college,” Vaupel said. “I told her I would go after the Army. I didn’t know at the time it would be 25 years later.”

He now has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Texas A&M University.

Vaupel jokes that along with his wife, Lori, they are the only two wearing Aggies gear in their new home state of Kentucky.

Now he’s using the knowledge and experiences he gained from college and the military to lead the terminal at Ghent. And although this new journey comes with its own learning curve, he’s fitting in quite well on his new team.

“Process is what provides value to the customer,” Vaupel said. “People are the ones that fulfill processes. I may not know how to make a widget or unload a barge, but what I do know is how to motivate the person to do that.”

8 The Dispatch | November 2022