First Exchange Rodeo Truck Rolls Out to Poland
First Lieutenant Ricardo Amador, executive officer of the 101st Brigade Support Battalion; Grafenwoehr Associate Jarod Remillard; Poland Business Manager David Jimenez; and Help Desk Associate Bill Le Duc pose with the Exchange’s first rodeo truck. The truck deployed to Skwierzyna, Poland Feb. 22.
The Exchange debuted its Exchange rodeo truck (ERT) in Poland on Feb. 22, bringing a taste of home to troops who might not otherwise have access to necessities at the tip of the spear.
The ERT—a 16-foot box truck fitted with shelving and merchandise—stopped for a day to support the readiness and resiliency of the 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kan.
The Soldiers are conducting bilateral, joint and multinational training exercises for U.S. Army Europe Operation Atlantic Resolve in support of NATO. Nearly 350 troops, including Battalion Commander Lt. Col. David Guida, shopped the mobile unit Feb 22, bringing in more than $10,000 in less than nine hours and generating demand for future visits.
Jarod Remillard, Grafenwoehr customer experience associate; Bill Le Duc, help desk support associate in Sembach, Germany; and David Jimenez, Exchange business manager for Poland, took the lead on the ERT’s maiden voyage.
Forklift Operator Fernando Delgado and Motor Vehicle Operator Max Klink from the Germersheim Distribution Center in Germany delivered the truck’s generator in time for its first deployment.
Smaller than typical MFE
The unit is less than a third the size of a mobile field Exchange (MFE) and designed as a two- to three- person operation.
The interior is filled to the brim with pillows and blankets (which sold out on the first day), snacks, drinks and travel-size health and beauty products. Unlike an MFE, the register is set up on a table outside the truck.
Truck gives more mobility
The rodeo truck has been in discussion for the past year and came to fruition in the last four months. The Grafenwoehr/Poland Exchange, working in collaboration with Europe region offices, has finally seen this project come to life.
The portable point-of-sale system, which IT supplied, was key to the truck’s success.
“The Exchange rodeo truck gives us more mobility than an MFE to respond quickly and conveniently, allowing us to go where they go,” Jimenez said.
The truck will restock at the Exchange in Zagan between trips. The ERT is expected to be around for the long haul.
“It is great to see our teams go above and beyond to serve our troops in Poland,” said Carrie Cammel, Grafenwoehr/Poland Exchange general manager. “The ERT is an example of our commitment and passion to make that happen.”
In addition to the mobile unit, the Poland team opened three MFEs in Poland in February, with a fourth set to deploy in the near future. (Read more here.)
