Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Tim Meyer | Amanda Greene, visual merchandiser at the Travis Air Force Base Exchange, moved to...... read more read more
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‘A Really Comforting Thing’: Exchange Helps Military Spouses Grow Careers from Duty Station to Duty Station
DALLAS – For the more than 6,000 military spouses employed by the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, changing duty stations doesn’t have to mean giving up a rewarding career.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program, unemployment among military spouses in 2017 was at 16 percent—about four times the national average. Military spouses often have to quit their jobs when they relocate, leading to long periods of unemployment.
The Exchange is the Department of Defense’s largest military retailer, with more than 2,700 facilities in 34 countries and employing 35,000 associates. Associates who are military spouses can usually be transferred to an equivalent job near their spouse’s new duty station. If there is a break in service of no more than six months, they may be eligible for reinstatement of their benefits. Returning associates may also receive special considerations for their starting salary upon reemployment.
“The Exchange is family serving family,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor. “Letting spouses take their jobs with them strengthens military families and gives those who stand behind our nation’s Warfighters the opportunity to flourish in a meaningful, satisfying career.”
In 2018, the Exchange was designated a Military Spouse Friendly Employer® by Victory Media, publisher of Military Spouse Magazine, for the seventh time since 2010. More than 4,000 military spouses joined the Exchange’s ranks and more than 1,000 military spouses were promoted in 2017.
Thomas Heidenmann, assistant loss prevention manager at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Exchange, started working for the Exchange in 2015 at Fort Bliss, Texas. When his wife, Army Maj. Rosemary Baugh, underwent a permanent change of station (PCS) to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, he found keeping his job was as easy as signing a piece of paper.
“Everybody who’s ever had to PCS knows what it’s like to go through the hassle of moving your whole life from once place to another, and the last thing you need is to be worrying about finding a new job,” Heidenmann said. “Working for the Exchange, I knew my start date before we even moved. I didn’t even have to apply. I just moved there and started working.”
Amanda Greene, visual merchandiser at the Travis Air Force Base Exchange, started working for the Exchange in 2015 at Fort Polk, Louisiana. When her husband, Army Spc. Colin Greene, finished his military career and PCS’ed home to California, Greene applied for a managerial position at the nearby Travis Exchange—a job she ended up getting.
“Having the Exchange is a really comforting thing,” Greene said. “We knew they had facilities at each place the Army could have sent us to, and PCS’ing even allowed me to move up in the company.”
To explore career opportunities with the Exchange, visit ApplyMyExchange.com.
Facebook Friendly Version: PCS’ing shouldn’t cost military spouses their jobs. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service keeps spouses in rewarding careers no matter where military life takes them. Read more: https://bit.ly/2qWPCNF.
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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 website at http://www.shopmyexchange.com or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.
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Media Notes:
For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Conner Hammett, 214-312-2714 or hammettc@aafes.com.
Follow the Exchange:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shopmyexchange
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shopmyexchange
Instagram: @shopmyexchange
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2018 12:02 |
| Story ID: | 274435 |
| Location: | DALLAS, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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