Staff Sgt. Jose Bugarin assists a customer at the Afterburner Mexican Grill on station June 15.
MCAS Yuma’s Marine Corps Community Services staff members hosted an Employee of the Quarter Award’s breakfast June 12 at Club Pulse on station.
One of the two recipients of the Employee of the Quarter Award was Staff Sgt. Jose Bugarin, the Afterburner Mexican Grill manager and first active duty Marine to receive this typically civilian award.
Bugarin, one of three Marines working directly with MCCS, received the award based on performance, dedication and overall contribution for the period, according to the award citation.
“He does everything basically by the book, the way it should be done,†said Rita Marie Hastings, Afterburner cashier and civilian coworker.
A Long Beach, Calif., native, Bugarin only recently took charge of the Afterburner in February 2012. Previously he worked as the MCCS warehouse manager and the mobile exchange noncommissioned officer in charge, which he continues to manage during the Weapons and Tactics Instructor courses.
“The mobile exchange is something we do because we want to not because we are obligated to,†said Bugarin. “We had such a good response the first time we’ve decided to keep it going.â€
Managing the Afterburner is Bugarin’s first assignment in food and hospitality in his ten and a half years of service as an MCCS Marine.
Staff Sgt. Jose Bugarin, Afterburner Mexican Grill manager, works along side his civilian counterparts at the Afterburner on station June 15. The Long Beach, Calif. native, is the first active duty Marine on station to receive the Marine Corps Community Services employee of the quarter award.
“It was a challenge because I’m used to working in retail management,†added Bugarin. “But we have to fill in where they need help and do our best at it.â€
His efforts at the Afterburner have not gone without recognition. The Afterburner as a whole was awarded the first ever facility of the quarter award at the MCCS breakfast.
“I work right along side them, I listen to their ideas and they listen to mine,†said Bugarin. “They’ve slowly started to work as a team instead of individuals taking orders and are realizing just how important they are.â€
Bugarin’s hard work has also reflected in the attitude of his staff members.
“He expects everyone to do their best,†added Hastings, who has been working at the Afterburner for seven years. “We trust him as a manager and leader. He is willing to listen instead of just give orders and is very fair.â€
The Afterburner, its staff and hard working manager are welcoming to all their customers and strive to ensure everyone leaves their establishment full and happy.
