Skelton: restructuring ahead
A internal memo from Leanne Skelton to Fresh Products Branch staff on April 4 informed inspectors and others of what she called "ongoing, branch-wide restructuring efforts." According to the memo, Skelton said that the branch needs to "permanently reduce operating expenses by at least $5 million" within the year. While the plans ave not been finalized and approved, the wheels are in motion for cutbacks on a large scale. I'll have more coverage of this story as I have a chance to review some of the elements of the memo with AMS and the FPB.
Labels: FDA, Leanne Skelton
posted by Tom Karst @ 6:28 AM
3 Comments:
Try sending the market office supervisors out to do inspections at all the offices. Does anyone really use the digital photo program that the stores themselves can do? Does it justify the cost? Are the laptops really cost effective over pencil and paper? Do you need wear "official" garments other than safe shoes? Are there supervisors in DC doing work a clerk can do such as processing time sheets? Is the AMS version of GAPS worth the expenditure considering the FDA's work and private labs? Can you bring in private companies to handle some commodities who can do it cheaper and spot check them? Have you really hired or promoted the best people or just the most loyal? What have you done to retain the best? Probably plenty of areas to fix without pulling inspectors off the front line. It's a sad situation created by FFB itself over the last 5 years.
They could try expanding the training center into a broader educational institution by enhancing its curriculum to attract other segments tuition paying members of the industry and government and coordinate with the USDA "University." It's former head, Tom Gambil, did not have the right approach.
It's former head, Gambill, was too busy buying software with his government purchase card and then selling it on eBay for personal gain to ever worry about a "right approach." Of course, if anyone in FPB mamanagement had ever bothered to check on his purchases, maybe it wouldn't have gotten so far out of hand and attention could have been paid to the curriculum.
By the way, Gambill was released from prison in mid-February. As crazy as things seem at AMS, he'll probably be back in a management position there soon.
(Sadly, he'd fit right in.)
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