MCDONOUGH, Ga. — Ken Tyler, vice president-government operations for Encompass Group LLC, a manufacturer and marketer of reusable textiles, professional apparel, and disposable and single-use medical products, has been awarded the Veterans Affairs 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award, the company reports.
“We are pleased to announce this recognition of Ken’s lifetime of dedication to the care of our nation’s veterans,” says John Wood, CEO of Encompass. “He is an integral part of Encompass Group’s government operations. Ken has served his country for most of his life. Prior to joining us, he served at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of the Navy, and is a decorated U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran.”
The award was presented in August during the VA National Environmental Programs Service Conference held in Orlando.
“I am very honored to be recognized by the VA with this award,” Tyler says. “It has been an honor to aid our country’s veterans and to serve our nation.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented, “In recognition of Ken Tyler’s superb leadership and professionalism resulting in far-reaching improvements in the effectiveness and quality of healthcare delivery to veterans nationwide.”
Tyler served as chief, textile care division, at VA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., from 1977 to 2000. He is best known for his development of the VA Laundry Modernization Program, where he managed the modernization of 54 facilities (valued at $175 million) and the construction of 15 new VA laundries (valued at $140 million). He was very active in management of the VA Laundry Consolidation Program in which VA consolidated 73 existing facilities into just 41.
Encompass says that some of Tyler’s most notable accomplishments include managing the EMS product standardization program and uniform committee, serving as acting EPS director from 1989-1991, and his development of the Under Secretary for Health Field Laundry Advisory and establishment of the VA laundry/quality assurance programs.
Additionally, he is a graduate of the VA Leadership Program and a recipient of three Hammer Awards from the vice president of the United States, three Scissor Awards from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and two Department of Energy Conservation Awards.
“There’s no better exemplar of our commitment to helping our customers deliver better care than Ken Tyler,” Wood says. “We are so proud of him and his service.”
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