JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON – Leaders from the Army & Air Exchange Service, the 502nd Air Base Wing, U.S. Army Medical Command and Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston took the first steps in making a new $54 million Exchange shopping center a reality during a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 13.
Mike Immler, Exchange deputy director; Anna Iosefo, Exchange Central Region senior vice president; Rear Adm. Rebecca McCormick-Boyle, commander, Navy Medicine Education, Training & Logistics Command; Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle, commander, 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio; and Maj. Gen. Patrick Sargent, deputy commanding general for operations, U.S. Army Medical Command; were among the dignitaries who donned hard hats and lifted shovels to officially begin the project.
“The entire military community wins when we work together, and this new shopping center will be proof,” Iosefo said.
The shopping center is a joint venture among the Exchange, the Air Force and Army Medical Command. The Exchange—not the American taxpayer— is funding 94 percent of the project.
The 210,000-square-foot shopping center, expected to open in early 2020, will replace the current facility, which was built in 1971 and most recently remodeled in 2010. The shopping center will include:
- The main Exchange.
- Mall with a dental clinic and pharmacy.
- Food court with eight restaurants—Starbucks, Sarku Japan, Freshens, Subway, Charleys, Boston Market, Qdoba and Arby’s.
Roughly 263,000 authorized shoppers in the greater San Antonio area will benefit from a modern shopping experience while helping improve the quality of life for those who call Fort Sam Houston home as 100 percent of Exchange earnings support service members and their families. Two-thirds of Exchange earnings support Army Child Development Centers, Youth Programs and Fitness Centers, Air Force Outdoor Recreation, school lunches for Warfighters’ children overseas and combat uniforms. The remaining earnings support improving the shopping experience, including new shopping centers like the one at Fort Sam Houston.
“The Exchange is family serving family,” Iosefo said. “We are honored to be a part of Fort Sam’s family—we cannot wait to serve this community with a new modern shopping center our Nation’s military deserves.”
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The Army & Air Force Exchange Service goes where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives through goods and services provided. Exchange earnings provide dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs. The Exchange is part of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors, responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force through the Chiefs of Staff. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/public-affairs/press-releases.htm or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.
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Media Notes:
For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Julie Mitchell, 214-312-3327 or [email protected].
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