{"id":1568,"date":"2018-03-08T22:23:25","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T22:23:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=1568"},"modified":"2018-03-08T22:23:25","modified_gmt":"2018-03-08T22:23:25","slug":"at-the-exchange-veterans-reconnect-to-military-community-with-new-retail-careers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/03\/08\/at-the-exchange-veterans-reconnect-to-military-community-with-new-retail-careers\/","title":{"rendered":"At The Exchange, Veterans Reconnect To Military Community With New Retail Careers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"DALLAS \u2013 <\/strong>The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is helping Veterans in the workforce reconnect with their military family through a special management training program, reaffirming the Department of Defense retailer\u2019s commitment to hiring those who served.<\/p>\n

The Veterans Retail Management Training program<\/a> introduces Veterans to the business that drives the 122-year-old Exchange benefit. Participants in the immersive program receive two weeks of classroom training at the Exchange\u2019s Dallas headquarters<\/a>, learning about the organization\u2019s enduring mission to take care of Soldiers, Airmen and their families.<\/p>\n

From Dallas, Veterans are assigned to Exchanges across the United States for on-the-job training in main stores, Expresses, troop stores and Military Clothing stores, working alongside mentors in the field. Trainees who successfully complete the program are offered permanent positions.<\/p>\n

The Exchange has offered retail management training for years but only recently developed a program focused solely on recruiting and retaining Veterans\u2014a priority for the organization. Currently, eight Veterans are participating in the program, the second time it has been offered. A third class is planned for June.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Exchange is committed to extending career opportunities to our Veterans,\u201d said Exchange Director\/CEO Tom Shull, a West Point graduate who served as an infantry company commander. \u201cWe are leaning forward to continue the tradition of welcoming home Veterans to our ranks. They are a force multiplier to our efforts to deliver a customer experience authorized shoppers will find nowhere but their Exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denise Evans, who served in the Army from 1981 to 1991, is looking forward reconnecting with the military by working at the Exchange.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be somewhere I belong, where I can finish out my career,\u201d said Evans, a program participant who is finishing her management training at Fort Belvoir. \u201cThe leadership here sees that I still have something to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick Fatuesi, assistant store manager at the Sheppard Air Force Base Exchange, completed the management program in the fall. He spent 32 years in the Army, retiring as a sergeant major. His Army career, he says, prepared him well for leadership roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the Exchange, you\u2019re going to learn from the ground up\u2014just like the military,\u201d Fatuesi said. \u201cThis organization is giving us\u2014Veterans\u2014a chance. It\u2019s absolutely phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2017, the Exchange hired more than 1,200 Veterans worldwide, and 11.5 percent of the Exchange\u2019s workforce are Veterans. In 2018, for the fifth consecutive year, the Exchange was named a Military Friendly Employer\u00ae by Victory Media.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Exchange puts a lot of stock in hiring Veterans,\u201d Shull said. \u201cVeterans understand what the Exchange means and what we do for those who serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hiring Veterans and military spouses is one way the Exchange gives back to the military community. 100 percent of Exchange earnings support Quality-of-Life programs including military uniforms at cost; school lunches below cost for Warfighters\u2019 children overseas; Child Development Centers; Youth Programs; Fitness Centers; and more. The Exchange has hired 1,000 Wounded Warriors since 2010\u2014second only to the Army.<\/p>\n

Veterans interested in careers at the Exchange and the retail management training program can visit ApplyMyExchange.com<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

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 56th-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. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/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:
\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":"

DALLAS \u2013 The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is helping Veterans in the workforce reconnect with their military family through a special management training program, reaffirming the Department of Defense retailer\u2019s commitment to hiring those who served. The Veterans Retail Management Training program introduces Veterans to the business that drives the 122-year-old Exchange benefit. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":1407,"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-1568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/03\/08\/at-the-exchange-veterans-reconnect-to-military-community-with-new-retail-careers\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"At The Exchange, Veterans Reconnect To Military Community With New Retail Careers","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/03\/08\/at-the-exchange-veterans-reconnect-to-military-community-with-new-retail-careers\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/03\/08\/at-the-exchange-veterans-reconnect-to-military-community-with-new-retail-careers\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/blue_chevron_pattern-e1570644053322.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/blue_chevron_pattern-e1570644053322.png"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Marisa Conner"}],"creator":["Marisa Conner"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2018-03-08T22:23:25Z","datePublished":"2018-03-08T22:23:25Z","dateModified":"2018-03-08T22:23:25Z"},"rendered":"