At the Pinnacle: Fort Hood HR Office Wins Major Award

Left to right, Dr. Patrick Oldenburgh, Jr., Vice President, HR Operations; Joel Zepeda HR Manager; Dora Reyes, Dino Castro, Beverly Moore, Martha Gholston, all HR assistants; Arna Yarbrough, Director, CONUS Operations; Leigh Roop Executive Vice President and Chief HR Officer. HR Tech Dasha Gonzalez is not pictured.

The Exchange’s Human Resources office at Fort Hood has won the organization’s first Chief Human Resources Pinnacle Award for serving as a model for others to follow, in more ways than one.

“We, as HR professionals, strive to be transparent partners in delivery of strategic workforce solutions,” said Leigh Roop, Executive Vice President and Chief HR Officer. “This award acknowledges that the HR office personifies our transparency and strategic goals, provides outstanding customer service and sets the example for all others to follow. This HR office is the cream of the crop.”

17 HR offices in competition

In 2017, HR associates developed the award to recognize exceptional local HR offices. The criteria included:

• Talent acquisition
• Manager and associate development
• Cost avoidance
• Process improvement in programs
• Ability to build strategic and collaborative partnerships

Seventeen HR offices worldwide competed for the award.

The HR office at Fort Hood includes Manager Joel Zepeda; HR Tech Dasha Gonzalez; and HR assistants Dino Castro, Martha Gholston, Beverly Moore and Dora Reyes.

“Our office is passionate about the military community and the responsibility we have to it,” Zepeda said.  “We are committed to providing a one-of-a-kind customer experience.”

Increased Veteran, military spouse hiring

Through recruitment efforts, the Fort Hood Exchange increased the hiring of Veterans and military spouses by 83 percent and 11 percent respectively, compared to 2016.  The Fort Hood HR office partnered with the HR Directorate at the Dallas headquarters to fill call-center positions to support the Veterans online shopping benefit, which took effect this past Veterans Day.

“We are committed to providing a one-of-a-kind customer experience.”
– Joel Zepeda, HR Manager, Fort Hood Exchange

In 2017, through partnerships with local employment agencies and programs, the HR office filled more than 500 positions, including staff for new drive-thru Starbucks; Qdoba; and a Starbucks /Express in the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center.

Epitomizing ‘Family Serving Family’

Zepeda’s crew also avoided cost and reallocated $321,000 in recruitment, training and turnover expenditures. The turnover rate dropped 7.39 percent for the second straight year.

The HR team built the bench, which helped 70 percent of the graduates from the Retail Management Academy get promoted—the highest percentage of promotions of any Exchange RMA class.

Fort Hood Exchange General Manager Ricky Hurst said his HR office has all the pieces for success.

“Success is only achievable by having the right people in the right place at the right time, and Fort Hood’s HR team truly epitomize the value of Family Serving Family,” he said.