Saber earns $10,000 for IDEA

Published Dec. 11, 2013
By Staff Sgt. Joe W. McFadden
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- For one 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron civilian, the holidays arrived a little earlier than usual thanks to a recent $10,000 check.

But it wasn't Kris Kringle treating him for being good this year or Lady Luck aiding him in a game of chance - it was the U.S. Air Force rewarding him for his cost-saving ingenuity.

Guido Schley, a 52nd CES Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning foreman, recently received the five-figure sum as part of the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program.

The IDEA program is an incentive system where nominated applicants may receive cash awards for their approved proposals to enhance processes or improve productivity and efficiency that benefit the Air Force and government.

"Everything makes a good idea to save money," said Schley, also named recipient of the 2013 U.S. Air Forces in Europe Exceptional Innovator award. "If it saves 10 Euro or a million, it makes sense where we can save."

Schley, a German native of Dodenburg who began working for the squadron in 2001, noticed frequent complaints from dorm residents about intermittent hot water in the showers. He observed that the heat plant and its three boilers that supply 21 buildings used more than 15 year old pumps. When new, these pumps were capable of supplying water to dorm residents at the right temperature and pressure.

Schley calculated the aged pumps not only needed to be replaced but that the current lines would have to be rebalanced to fix the entire system.

For those unfamiliar to the technical jargon or engineering process, Schley's improvements soon yielded a 66 percent reduction in electric costs and 15 percent less oil used for heating.
The overall cost of the project? Less than $20,000.

The projected savings? More than $75,000 a year and $1.2 million over the pump's life cycle.

But regardless of a dollar amount or the engineering process, Schley's observation translated into improved quality of life for hundreds of Airmen.

Additionally, Schley said the larger circle of cost-savings benefits not only help the base but his homeland with reduced carbon emissions and energy usage aimed at a cleaner environment.

"I have to save energy and money because it helps the Americans," Schley said. "If the Americans save money, they will stay here in Germany and that makes my job good."

For Schley's efforts, Col. David Julazadeh, commander of 52nd Fighter Wing, presented him with a large check before more than 1,000 Saber Airmen during a commander's call at the Skelton Memorial Fitness Center Nov. 18.

"Herr Schley's proposal involved more than just replacing a pump -- it took a broad vision to understand the entire system, courage to challenge the way things had been done for decades and a selfless devotion to bettering the lives of his fellow Sabers," Julazadeh said. "No dollar amount could ever equal the appreciation we have for both his and his fellow civil engineers' contributions. His hard work, dedication, and loyalty clearly embody General Welsh's vision: the World's Greatest Air Force... powered by Airmen, fueled by innovation!"

Schley, who said he was honored to receive the check from the commander, is no stranger to the IDEA program having earned three previous awards, including a shared credit with a fellow civil engineer.

Those collective winnings may represent around $35,000 to some people; but to the larger Air Force and American taxpayers, Schley's suggestions resulted in tens of millions of dollars spared, particularly during a tighter fiscal climate marked by sequestration and furloughs.

"I'm a German civilian, but my heart is for America," Schley said, who married his German wife Bianca while on vacation in Las Vegas in 2011. "If I do my job very well, I save America a lot of money, and it leaves the base open which has my job here, too."

With the project behind him and his reward in hand, Schley highlighted the importance of what his fellow 52nd CES Airmen do day-in and day-out to benefit the Spangdahlem community.
"I did not do this alone-- it's a team that does this every day," he said. "Everybody in CE works together."