DALLAS – As employment continues to be a top concern for military spouses, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service is all in for bringing jobs—and a sense of financial security—to our Nation’s heroes.
“The Exchange is a leader in hiring military spouses,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes, Exchange senior enlisted advisor. “These men and women are our Nation’s heroes, and their personal experience fits with the Exchange’s 123-year-old mission of supporting Warfighters wherever they go.”
Employment and financial security are major concerns facing military spouses, according to the Blue Star Families’ 2018 Military Life Survey. Nearly half of the military spouses surveyed cited employment as a top concern. The annual report on military life, with more than 10,000 respondents, is the largest of its kind.
With 85 percent of the Exchange’s workforce having a military connection, military spouses have long found a home with the Department of Defense’s largest retailer. Last year alone, the Exchange hired 5,300 military spouses, part of the Exchange’s commitment to hiring 50,000 Veterans and military spouses by 2020. Nearly 21 percent of the Exchange’s workforce is made up of military spouses.
“At the Exchange, military spouses find people just like them,” Reyes said. “Associates understand deployment. They understand permanent change of station. They have made multiple moves with family. We are a family here, and we embrace military spouses and all they bring to the table.”
The Exchange has long been recognized for its emphasis on military spouse hiring. In October, Viqtory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse magazine, named the Exchange as a Military Friendly® Spouse Employer for the seventh year.
When military spouses choose the Exchange, they are often able to keep their jobs when their family has a permanent change of station. This continuity brings career growth and stability to military families.
Eric Soto Jr. was hired as a Subway food service foreman while his spouse was stationed at Fort Riley. What started out as a job is turning into a career. Soto was promoted 13 months later to a manager position, and transferred to the same role when he and his spouse PCS’d in September to Fort Drum.
“My life changed because of being hired by the Exchange,” Soto said. “In less than four years, I have switched professions and been promoted.”
For Soto, working for the Exchange is a lifeline.
“My Exchange co-workers and customers are some of my best friends in the world. They are like family,” Soto said. “They understand military life and all that goes with it.”
Mindy Whitman, an Exchange logistics assistant at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, found continuity and security when her spouse PCS’d from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in August. She transferred to the same position that she has held since 2016 with equivalent pay and hours at her family’s next assignment.
“Being able to transfer jobs during a PCS is fantastic,” Whitman said. “I don’t take that or retaining my retirement and benefits for granted.”
Military spouses and others seeking employment with the Exchange can visit ApplyMyExchange.com to find job openings worldwide.
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Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 61st-largest retailer in the United States. Its earnings provided $2.4 billion in dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs over the last 10 years. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans and their families in conjunction with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http://www.shopmyexchange.com 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 Doug Brodess, 214-312-3393 or [email protected]
Follow the Exchange:
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