Alumni Profiles

Richard BUNGEY

• Graduated :

  1973

Description

Why, hello Classmates,

This is a (not-so) brief of my career within and without the Army:

Army Postings:

After:

At least, that’s what I remember!  I actually only worked in my last army posting for about 3 months, taking Long Service Leave and returning to assume a job in the USA in mid-January, 1992.  20 years – not an hour longer – I can’t actually believe I stayed that long (or that “they” let me stay at all).

Never overwhelmed by ambition in the Service, my interests tended to relate to more leisurely pursuits. As a teenager and early 20’s, I spent a lot of time waterskiing and blue water sailing, especially racing in SA waters.  While in Port Moresby, I learned to scuba-dive. After leaving PNG, I spent almost 4 months hanging around ski slopes in Europe.  It might seem a little incongruous for someone living just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, however I still pursue these passions whenever….

Career highlights tended to be the times I spent abroad, firstly in the PNGDF, then skiing in Europe culminating in downhill ski-racing for the Australian Defence Force in Valloire, France in 1981 – what a rort!

Army, Navy, Air Force and the NZ Duntroon Cadets on parade in Valloire, January 1981

The nearly 3 year exchange in the USA (1989-1991) was also quite an experience.  This covered an interesting time, as we supported Bush Senior’s war in Iraq (declared victory and came home), as well as Panama.  General Noriega’s personal weapons collection was brought back to the Depot for inspection, preservation and cataloging.  Some of the collection was particularly historic – with quite beautiful old gold inlaid dueling pistols (present from Spain) – while others were a little scary – like the hundred or so crates of farm equipment from Czechoslovakia. When opened they were full of heavy machine guns. Also scary were the several briefcase sub-machine guns with the trigger in the handle.  Still, the experience of modernizing a WW2 built depot with Vietnam era automation and a reluctant civilian workforce (3 military + 600 civilians) became an important step for my post military career.

Francoise, Ben and Richard at the Anzac Day service in Washington, DC, April 25, 1990

Having married Francoise (we met in Valloire in 1981) in 1983 and with her two wonderful children, our life was always a juggling act between military life, family life and France. The addition of our son, Ben complicated life to the point that every day became an adventure.

While in the USA, I was offered the vague promise of a job if I ever decided to leave the Army.  On return to Melbourne and Log Command, a family decision was made in which we decided to “give it a go”.  Steph, our oldest, aged 22 decided to stay in Melbourne and work/study there.  Caroline aged 18 wanted to study at the University of Pittsburgh. My job offer was with a leading edge engineering design company, specializing in warehouse and distribution center design in the food and beverage industry.  St. Onge, Ruff and Co. (SOR/A) was located in York, PA – so that is where we settled. It was a big challenge for the family as well but starting from scratch again was like another Army move – but without a “parachute”.

My job was Project Manager, Material Handling –doing studies for large food distribution companies to determine their warehousing requirements based on their forecast growth plans, and designing building layouts based on their product mix, turnover and the physical handling characteristics of their products. Once we had a contract to design and build a center, I defined and contracted the warehouse management systems, racks, conveyor systems, dock management systems, other warehouse equipment and eventually worked with the client on stocking and start-up of the new, expanded or modernized warehouse. Work took me throughout the USA. My largest client was Pepsi-Cola.

After 6 years, I realized that the design and construction industry was changing fast and that SOR/A would have to change dramatically to succeed.  Others didn’t see it that way so I jumped ship and moved in 1968 to a large Pepsi cooperative based in Wisconsin as their Director of Distribution – with a mission to modernize their distribution system. With 5 manufacturing plants (including the largest in the USA), 30 cooperative owners (local distributors) with 50 warehouses in 11 states, this was a fun challenge.  In my 4 year tenure, we created the first major “paperless” beverage distribution warehouse system in the USA, reduced total system inventories from 60 days to 8 days. The manufacturing system changed from an Order based system to a Forecast system – Order lead times were cut from 7-30 days to overnight with direct deliveries to supermarkets from the manufacturing sites with orders received up to 8:00pm. We went months with no out-of-stocks.

Pumped by this success, I became an independent “Distribution Consultant” in 2002 with a long term contract for the No. 3 Food Service distributor in the USA, Performance Food Group.  This entailed working with their 25 or so Distribution centers across the US in increasing distribution efficiency, designing expanded and new facilities and bringing new company acquisitions into their system.  The contract ended in 2003 when they converted the position into a VP position and I lost the job to an aggressive industry veteran. While he was successful, I was left with trying to reinvent myself yet again.

        1996 Charlston SC                    1998 Marquette, MI with Oscar

This time, it wasn’t so easy – a credit squeeze and companies were not hiring at any level close to that I wished to remain accustomed – so I changed direction and started a company CasinoVision, Inc., (now called CVi Security Solutions) looking to provide compatible, centrally managed, digital camera surveillance systems to multi-facility companies across the US rather than in service the local market – already well served.  I also tried, with little success, to crack the casino surveillance market. I was eventually successful in obtaining a national contract with AMF Bowling Centers to install security cameras in their 350 or so bowling centers.  This was great for 6 years then they went bankrupt (it wasn’t my fault!).  We had also expanded into leading edge access control systems.  Now 8 people strong, we needed considerable work and in the period following the 2008 recession, we were extremely vulnerable with a small client base.

Enjoying a Singapore Sling at Raffles with Steph

Needless to say, contraction to “0.25” persons resulted.  18 months looking for work- virtually any work except doorman at Walmart (too young to qualify). In late 2011, I started marketing (part time) an Interview Recording product (made by a local company with a very limited dealer network) to some universities. In June 2012 we installed our first system. Now, 14 system installations later, life is back on the “Up and Up”, with good prospects for the future.  No employees – I use sub-contractors when required.

Relaxing on the boat with grandchildren, July 2013

Francoise and I live comfortably in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.  We have a ski boat which is moored on a local lake (during summer). We travel quite a bit as our family is spread out.  Stephane, now 44 and an Insurance Executive, lives in Singapore with his Australian wife and their two girls.  Caroline, now 40 works in commercial real estate and lives in the Washington DC area with her American husband and their two girls.  Ben, now 29 has just married (in France – to an American) and works as a Finance Manager for British Telecom and also lives in Singapore.

2013 Carcassonne, France– our growing family
Rich, Kevin, Caroline, Francoise, Ben, Megan, Steph and Kath
Claire, Sydney, Emilie and Sophie

Good luck to you all for the 40th Anniversary. Although I will not be able to join you, be assured I am laughing along.  My spirit is with you (scotch, cognac or tequila – but XXXX and Bordeaux is good too.

If you travel in this direction there is always a bed (until you start to smell anyway!)

Cheers