{"id":1026,"date":"2017-09-28T14:26:42","date_gmt":"2017-09-28T14:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=1026"},"modified":"2018-02-01T16:56:22","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T16:56:22","slug":"i-cant-thank-you-enough-for-holding-everything-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/09\/28\/i-cant-thank-you-enough-for-holding-everything-together\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Can\u2019t Thank You Enough For Holding Everything Together\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Army & Air Force Exchange Service Director\/CEO Tom Shull thanks Patrick Air Force Base Exchange Store Manager Tamala McCoy for her team’s tremendous support of service members as Hurricane Irma headed toward Florida. Mr. Shull visited the Patrick Exchange on Sept. 20 to thank associates for their resolute dedication during the storm, which battered Florida in September.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DALLAS\u2014<\/strong>When civilian stores and restaurants in Hurricane Irma\u2019s path closed or ran out of essentials, Army & Air Force Exchange Service locations across Florida were typically the last to close and the first to reopen, highlighting the Department of Defense retailer\u2019s unique capabilities and tireless dedication to serving those who serve.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cOur associates\u2019 level of passion and dedication is truly amazing,\u201d Exchange Director\/CEO Tom Shull said<\/a>. \u201cThe Exchange is grateful for the lengths these associates went to before, during and after Hurricane Irma to make sure service members and their families had the supplies they needed for recovery. Their commitment to serving is simply unmatched.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shull visited Exchanges across Florida to show his appreciation for associates\u2019 devotion to Soldiers and Airmen as Irma battered the state. Shull toured the Express at U.S. Southern Command in Doral; the Homestead Air Reserve Base Express near Miami; facilities at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa; and the Patrick Air Force Base Exchange near Melbourne. He thanked the teams for standing strong during the storm and recognized associates who went above and beyond.<\/p>\n

SOUTHCOM Express<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>As Irma barreled toward Miami, the six-person SOUTHCOM Express team kept the store open as long as they could. The team was without a lead manager during the storm\u2014a new manager for SOUTHCOM and Homestead ARB Exchange facilities was PCS\u2019ing as the storm roared in. Manager Arleth Caro, Shift Supervisor Curtis Hedrick and Laborer Allegra Hartsell stepped up, making sure troops had water, gas cans, batteries, flashlights and other emergency supplies. Shull coined the trio for their efforts.<\/p>\n

Caro, who lives about 45 minutes away from the Express, came to work once she received the green light that the store was reopening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went home made sure my home was good, but I came right back,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to be ready for my troops.\u201d<\/p>\n

Homestead ARB Express<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Irma headed their way, Warehouse Foreman Jeff Moss<\/a> (temporarily promoted to shift manager) and Shift Supervisor Mary Garcia (temporarily promoted to facilities manager) led the charge at the Homestead ARB Express, 25 miles south of Miami. The pair teamed up to keep Exchange management apprised of Command\u2019s requests and made sure the store and fuel pumps were secured as the fierce wind and rain pounded the installation. When the installation reopened, the Express was the first gas station in the area to begin dispensing fuel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a long line,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cI was afraid we were going to run out, but we made it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shull thanked the duo for their courage \u201cI can\u2019t thank you enough for holding everything together\u201d Shull told Moss and Garcia. \u201cThank you!\u201d<\/p>\n

For Moss, stepping up when the eight-person team was without a lead manager just came naturally. Moss, a specialist in the Army Reserves, says he is all in, always.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my job\u2014this is what I do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

MacDill AFB<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rhenetta Santos<\/a>, manager of the MacDill AFB Burger King, made sure her team was prepared for Irma. She ordered plenty of food before the hurricane slammed the area. When restaurants outside the gate ran out food, she had plenty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to stay positive for our customers and our associates,\u201d Santos said. \u201cIt\u2019s my job to keep morale up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shull praised Santos\u2019 can-do ahead of the storm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for your positive attitude,\u201d he said as he presented her with a challenge coin. \u201cThank you for all you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

MacDill Store Manager Lajima Marshall-Pierce, Operations Manager Michickia \u201cSha\u201d Carter and Sales & Merchandise Manager Robert Jordan were among several MacDill associates Shull recognized during his visit.<\/p>\n

MacDill facilities closed for three days, and Jordan was instrumental in making sure the store remained protected, using sandbags to secure areas while Marshall-Pierce handled command\u2019s requests and concerns.<\/p>\n

Marshall-Pierce and several associates were without power in their homes for several days. Yet, they still came to work to support service members.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were the first to get here and the last to leave,\u201d Jordan said. \u201cThat\u2019s our standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick AFB<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shull honored several Patrick Exchange associates<\/a> who worked to get the store up and running after Irma.<\/p>\n

Customer Service Supervisor Brigida Puppa, who cut her leave short to help the store prepare to reopen, and Operations Manager David Gentry, who drove a truck loaded with water and other supplies to Homestead ARB received coins from Shull.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for being all in for service members and your fellow Exchange teammates,\u201d Shull said. \u201cYou are stellar examples of leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Col. Kevin Williams, 45th<\/sup> Mission Support Group commander at Patrick AFB, thanked Shull and the Exchange team for the terrific support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you all for the tremendous amount of work that you did,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI know it was a lot\u2014not only having to deal with damage at home but also having to tend to the men and women and their families here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back to normal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shull praised the teams across the state for making sure operations returned to normal as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe troops were excited to have their Exchanges back in action,\u201d Shull said. \u201cWhen we are open, that signals a return to normalcy. You bring a sense of calm, a sense of restoration. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to keep our Nation\u2019s service members safe and ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DALLAS\u2014When civilian stores and restaurants in Hurricane Irma\u2019s path closed or ran out of essentials, Army & Air Force Exchange Service locations across Florida were typically the last to close and the first to reopen, highlighting the Department of Defense retailer\u2019s unique capabilities and tireless dedication to serving those who serve. \u00a0\u201cOur associates\u2019 level of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"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-1026","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\/28\/i-cant-thank-you-enough-for-holding-everything-together\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"\u2018I Can\u2019t Thank You Enough For Holding Everything Together\u2019","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/09\/28\/i-cant-thank-you-enough-for-holding-everything-together\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/09\/28\/i-cant-thank-you-enough-for-holding-everything-together\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chris Ward"}],"creator":["Chris Ward"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2017-09-28T14:26:42Z","datePublished":"2017-09-28T14:26:42Z","dateModified":"2018-02-01T16:56:22Z"},"rendered":"