From Director/CEO Tom Shull – 2019 Strategic Priorities: Keeping the Exchange Relevant

Every member of the Exchange team will play a role in making this another year for the record books.

By Tom Shull
Exchange Director/Chief Executive Officer

After achieving impressive financial performance in 2018, teams across the Exchange are leaning forward to further strengthen the hard-earned benefit we are honored to provide Warfighters, past, present and future.

Here is the 2019 strategic priorities roadmap that will keep the momentum going.

Grow Sales

• Webcrawler/pricing automation: Automate pricing intelligence to improve competitiveness at the national, region or zone level. Implement electronic shelf labels.
• Customer relationship management: Leverage customer insights to grow sales and improve productivity.
• Campus dining: Collaborate with military installation foodservice providers and pilot “campus dining” concept to expand healthy dining choices to servicemembers.
• Wellness services: Expand wellness services on installations with focus on needs of disabled Veterans; gain approvals to offer urgent care, chiropractic and physical therapy services.
• Order management system: Improve customer experience with enhanced inventory utilization and reduced shipping time.
• Disabled Veterans: Prepare to serve 3 million disabled Veterans.
• Boundaryless mobile app: Create a community/installation holistic app enabling service members to satisfy their needs within the community with a single app.
• CAC holders: Prepare to serve DoD civilians, pending OSD approval.

The ability to serve disabled Veterans and CAC holders means that the Exchange will become even more relevant and viable, allowing for possibilities of expanded product assortments, increased operating hours, more sales associates and other growth initiatives.

Grow Earnings/Margin

• MILITARY STAR: Increase MILITARY STAR card usage across military resale.
• Buying alliance: Strategically coordinate buying across military resale to lower cost of goods using intelligence shared by sister resale entities.

Reduce Expenses

• Contracting: Increase contract efficiencies for non-merchandise purchases.
• Process improvement:Implement process improvements; e.g., robotics.
• Supply chain improvement: Further expand logistics capabilities by utilizing state-of-the-art technology, distribution and transportation systems to increase efficiencies and reduce costs.
• Second-destination transportation: Continue to strategically reduce appropriated (taxpayer) funding.

Every member of the Exchange team will play a role in making this another year for the record books. Thank you for all you do to keep the Exchange benefit strong for Warfighters and families.

One Team, One Fight!

Read more!

2018 Strategic Priorities, What We Accomplished

Watch the Exchange Post for more articles about each of the strategic priorities.