During the week, the committee was able to travel to Henning, Tennessee, about an hour and half drive from Memphis, to tour the distribution center for NPS uniforms. Committee members were able to witness the process from the point when the orders come in to the point when uniforms leave the warehouse. In general, most items are out the door within three business days from the time the orders are received. It is a very complicated process. In fact, it is no easy task to supply all the items we need, customize them, and get them out the door in a timely manner.
The uniform committee decided to take the following actions for this fiscal year:
- Add a trench coat to the program. The NPS has not had an overcoat in the uniform program since 2000. At that time, we carried a gray trench coat manufactured by London Fog. The trench coat was removed from the program because London Fog discontinued making them. Today, trench coats come in three standard colors - black, navy, and British tan. We have decided to go with a black trench coat. We will adopt the black trench coat currently being used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The trench coat will only be authorized for superintendents, regional managers, and management within WASO.
- Add cordovan shoe polish to the program. The official color of leather goods in NPS is cordovan. It is virtually impossible to find cordovan shoes today. As a result, the NPS changed its policy to allow brown or dark brown shoes with the understanding that employees would polish/dye them cordovan. This has not been done. One of the complaints was that employees could not find polish. We will provide cordovan polish that will allow employees to polish their shoes the correct color.
- Add a better quality ball cap. Ball caps are primarily worn by our maintenance staff. During our meeting, it was requested that we provide a better quality cap. The one we currently provide is considered cheap and does not shape or conform well to the head. We have instructed the uniform company to research providing a better quality alternative.
- Dual language nameplates. Currently, our two nameplates only allow the display of one foreign language. We have received requests from some employees who speak more than one foreign language to have the option of placing the second language on the nameplate. We have asked the uniform company to accommodate these requests.
