{"id":4317,"date":"2019-09-25T19:45:42","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T19:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=4317"},"modified":"2019-09-25T19:45:42","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T19:45:42","slug":"exchange-president-chief-merchandising-officer-earns-ala-distinguished-service-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/09\/25\/exchange-president-chief-merchandising-officer-earns-ala-distinguished-service-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Exchange President\/Chief Merchandising Officer Earns ALA Distinguished Service Award"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Exchange
President and Chief Merchandising Officer Ana Middleton received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Logistics Association at the convention in Orlando, Fla.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ORLANDO \u2013 <\/strong>To honor the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s commitment to serving those who serve, the Exchange\u2019s President and Chief Merchandising Officer Ana Middleton received the American Logistics Association\u2019s Distinguished Service Award<\/a> on Sept. 24 during the group\u2019s annual convention in Orlando.<\/p>\n

ALA is a nonprofit trade association that promotes, protects and enhances quality-of-life benefits for service members, military retirees and military families.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis recognition is a tremendous honor,\u201d Middleton said. \u201cIt\u2019s shared with my Exchange teammates, who are all in to take care of those who put their lives on the line for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Middleton earned the award for her lifelong commitment to Soldiers, Airmen and their families. She began her career in 1982 at a Shoppette at Ramstein Air Base and rose through the ranks, helping to set up Exchanges in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Iraq. She became president and chief merchandising officer in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cAna makes a difference every day\u2014she works incredibly hard for Soldiers, Airmen, their families and Veterans,\u201d said ALA President Maurice Branch. \u201cShe has served in many capacities over the years, including on the front lines. The Exchange benefit thrives because of her dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exchange Director\/CEO Tom Shull, who won the ALA\u2019s honor in 2018, lauded Middleton\u2019s dedication as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cAna\u2019s leadership is extraordinary,\u201d Shull said. \u201cShe is a true servant leader who has made the Exchange what it is today. It is an honor to serve alongside her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides her Exchange teammates, Middleton thanked the other military exchanges and the Defense Commissary Agency for their work to serve our Nation\u2019s heroes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sincere respect and admiration extends to my sisters and brothers throughout military resale,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I began working at that Shoppette in Ramstein all those years ago, I only knew about the Exchange and its service to our Soldiers and Airmen around the world.\u00a0 As my career progressed, I learned of the other exchanges and their equally valuable service to Marines, Sailors, Coast Guard members and Veterans.\u00a0 It was only after entering executive leadership that I began to fully understand the interconnected nature of military resale, learning we are all one family, working closely to deliver robust, competitive and relevant benefits to all U.S. service members, no matter where their service takes them.\u201d<\/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 62nd<\/sup>-largest retailer in the United States. Its earnings provided $2.3 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<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/strong>For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Julie Mitchell, 214-312-3327 or mitchelljul@aafes.com.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter:\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

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

ORLANDO \u2013 To honor the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s commitment to serving those who serve, the Exchange\u2019s President and Chief Merchandising Officer Ana Middleton received the American Logistics Association\u2019s Distinguished Service Award on Sept. 24 during the group\u2019s annual convention in Orlando. ALA is a nonprofit trade association that promotes, protects and enhances […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":4319,"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":[35,34,33,36,118],"class_list":["post-4317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","tag-military","tag-photography","tag-press-release","tag-public-affairs","tag-the-army-and-air-force-exchange-service"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/09\/25\/exchange-president-chief-merchandising-officer-earns-ala-distinguished-service-award\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Exchange President\/Chief Merchandising Officer Earns ALA Distinguished Service Award","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/09\/25\/exchange-president-chief-merchandising-officer-earns-ala-distinguished-service-award\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/09\/25\/exchange-president-chief-merchandising-officer-earns-ala-distinguished-service-award\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/middleton-ala-1-e1569440105884.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/middleton-ala-1-e1569440105884.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sgt. 1st Class Tim Meyer"}],"creator":["Sgt. 1st Class Tim Meyer"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["military","photography","press release","public affairs","the army and air force exchange service"],"dateCreated":"2019-09-25T19:45:42Z","datePublished":"2019-09-25T19:45:42Z","dateModified":"2019-09-25T19:45:42Z"},"rendered":"