125 Years of Family Serving Family – Sharon Fernando, Fort Drum

Sharon Fernando, a warehouse manager at the Fort Drum Exchange, has worked at the Exchange for 30 years.

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family.

When Sharon Fernando thinks about family serving family, she harks back to something her mother told her.

“Treat them the way you want to be treated,” she said. “By that, you are my family and I will do my best to make you feel like you are home.”

Fernando, a warehouse manager at the Fort Drum Exchange, has worked at the Exchange for 30 years. In the early 2000s, her daughter, Tanya Gadbaw, worked at the Fort Drum Burger King in the early 2000s. Sharon’s husband, Sunil Fernando, was an associate at the Fort Drum mini mall from 2009-10.

“It was great to have two family members work in different Exchanges so we could compare notes,” she said.

A couple of memories stand out for her.

“My two favorite highlights were running the only two night clubs that the Exchange operated at Fort Drum and how diverse we were in our entertainment for the Soldiers and their families, as well as my deployment to Qatar for two years,” Fernando said. “The Exchange gave me and my family a lot through my 30 years of service: memories, friends, a career and a family.”

Fernando is grateful for her 30-year education at the Exchange.

“I was able to see the world through the eyes of each military member and Exchange associate and hear the stories that they share,” she said. “It is a gift to be able to do what I do, and I am grateful to work for such a diverse organization.”

Facebook-friendly version: Sharon Fernando has found it all in a 30-year career at the Exchange: memories, friends and a family.

Sharon Fernando is a warehouse manager at the Fort Drum Exchange.