Real Estate Chief Hugh Coleman recently retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after an incredible 36 years of federal service. To celebrate and recognize his accomplishments, we take a look back at his eventful and inspiring life and career.
Coleman began his career with the Huntington District in 1985, where he performed property mapping for acquisition and floodproofing along the Tug Fork River in West Virginia. He later transferred to the Savannah District in Georgia, where he successfully performed home closings for military families who had received relocation orders due to a Base Realignment and Closure process.
Working for the Savannah District isn't the only thing Coleman did while living in Georgia. Coleman said he notably remembers witnessing the making of the award-winning film "Forrest Gump" as the movie's focal point was a park bench located in Chippewa Square in downtown Savannah.
The year 2004 led Coleman to the Memphis District to perform various mapping, inspection, and property management assignments.
He also volunteered for several temporary duty and deployment assignments, including tours in Hawaii, Guam, Louisiana, and Afghanistan.
"My most treasured assignment was my one-year deployment to Afghanistan where I performed leasing actions and payment to Afghan landowners," Coleman said. "On Wednesdays, I would accompany the Command Judge Advocate, his interpreter, and other soldiers to the Entry Control Point to help resolve real estate claims."
Coleman was later awarded the highly coveted "Bulldog Award" for assisting the U.S. Army with these necessary leasing actions.
After receiving a promotion in 2014 with Oklahoma's Tulsa District, Coleman spent time managing leasing renewals and easement actions for the Fort Sill Military Base in Oklahoma.
Coleman eventually returned to Memphis in 2015 to assume the role of real estate chief.
During his years here, Coleman led the Memphis real estate team to acquire perpetual easements for the St. Francis Basin, resulting in $5.5 million in land payments and successful contract awards for each project.
Coleman also saw success with hiring reform and team development during the Regional South Real Estate Division disbandment. Not only were his efforts recognized by many, but more importantly, his work will continue to benefit the district for years to come.
In the end, throughout all the projects completed and contracts achieved during his career, Coleman is thankful to many.
"I'd like to thank division chief, Mr. Don Balch, for his tireless hard work to support the six districts in the valley, and most importantly, for his successful mission execution of de-regionalizing Real Estate in 2017," Coleman started. "I also want to thank everyone for their help and support for the Real Estate team. This support allowed the real estate office to come together as a cohesive team, proving essential when working through the many difficult property acquisitions, negotiations, property disposals, and more."
Congratulations again on your retirement, Mr. Hugh Coleman, and many thanks for your dedicated service to the Memphis District, the Mississippi Valley Division, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.