{"id":1008,"date":"2017-09-21T15:11:03","date_gmt":"2017-09-21T15:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=1008"},"modified":"2018-02-01T16:56:22","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T16:56:22","slug":"exchange-material-handler-honored-as-dod-outstanding-employee-with-disability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/09\/21\/exchange-material-handler-honored-as-dod-outstanding-employee-with-disability\/","title":{"rendered":"Exchange Material Handler Honored as DoD Outstanding Employee with Disability"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"NEWPORT NEWS, Va. \u2013 <\/strong>For Eric Poulin<\/a>, his strong work ethic, kind spirit and willingness to show others the ropes have made him invaluable to his teammates at Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s Dan Daniel Distribution Center, where he\u2019s worked since 2000.<\/p>\n

His inspiring tenacity has earned him the Outstanding Department of Defense Employee with a Disability Award. Poulin will be honored at a ceremony at the Pentagon Washington, D.C., in October.<\/p>\n

\u201cEric is truly a role model,\u201d said Dan Daniel Distribution Center Manager Scott Montgomery. \u201cHis outstanding work ethic and positive attitude have proven invaluable to the Exchange mission of family serving family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poulin, 47, received star treatment during a ceremony<\/a> at the distribution center last month, when he was honored by Executive Vice President\/Chief Logistics Officer Karen Stack, President\/Chief Merchandising Officer Ana Middleton and other senior leaders. All of the distribution center\u2019s associates gathered near a podium to cheer him on<\/a>, giving him a standing ovation.<\/p>\n

At Dan Daniel, Poulin, who has mild cerebral palsy, works in warehouse receiving in cross dock and transshipping, one of the most complex areas of the distribution center. He\u2019s known for his accurate work, and he\u2019s regularly asked to train other associates\u2014something he looks forward to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how to train people while I\u2019m on the job,\u201d the Newport News native said, adding that helping others learn is his favorite part of working for the Exchange.<\/p>\n

Because of his strong work ethic, Poulin steps in wherever he\u2019s needed, sometimes working seven days a week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will work in other areas to help them out,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes I load trucks. I do picking. I sort merchandise. I do all kinds of things, whatever they want me to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

His parents, Gary and Jane Poulin, laid the groundwork for his success, always believing in him.<\/p>\n

\u201cEric has such perseverance to do a good job,\u201d his mother said. \u201cHe\u2019s just a good, kind person and a hard worker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stack called Poulin an inspiration to the Exchange family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud that Eric works in Logistics for the Exchange,\u201d Stack said. \u201cIt\u2019s not what you can\u2019t do, it\u2019s what you can do. The glass is always half full with Eric. He proves that hard work gets you far in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Poulin isn\u2019t working, he stays active in the Hampton Roads community through Special Olympics and CLUBWAKA, a sports organization. Poulin also enjoys coaching kids soccer, working with athletes from preschoolers to high schoolers.<\/p>\n

Poulin\u2019s brother-in-law serves in the Marine Corps, giving Poulin a personal connection to the Exchange\u2019s core value of family serving family. That connection is evident through Poulin\u2019s dedication to the Exchange and his commitment to troops and their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is the ideal associate that everyone would want on their team,\u201d said his supervisor, Chris Taylor. \u201cHe is very dedicated and always willing to assist in any area, eager to tackle challenges without hesitation and displays outstanding quality of work. He understands the importance of how critical his position is to our company.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Exchange is dedicated to a diverse, inclusive workforce. Exchange managers partner with Human Resources to recruit, retain, and advance people with targeted disabilities. Non-competitive hiring for entry-level positions, providing reasonable accommodations, active community outreach and retaining interns from the Workforce Recruitment Program are all tools available to Exchange managers in hiring those with disabilities.<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Julie Mitchell, 214-312-3327 or mitchelljul@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/strong>
\nFacebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange
\n<\/a>Twitter:\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange
\n<\/a>Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. \u2013 For Eric Poulin, his strong work ethic, kind spirit and willingness to show others the ropes have made him invaluable to his teammates at Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s Dan Daniel Distribution Center, where he\u2019s worked since 2000. His inspiring tenacity has earned him the Outstanding Department of Defense Employee […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press_releases"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/09\/21\/exchange-material-handler-honored-as-dod-outstanding-employee-with-disability\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Exchange Material Handler Honored as DoD Outstanding Employee with Disability","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/09\/21\/exchange-material-handler-honored-as-dod-outstanding-employee-with-disability\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/09\/21\/exchange-material-handler-honored-as-dod-outstanding-employee-with-disability\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Marisa Conner"}],"creator":["Marisa Conner"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2017-09-21T15:11:03Z","datePublished":"2017-09-21T15:11:03Z","dateModified":"2018-02-01T16:56:22Z"},"rendered":"