Exchange’s Europe Water Plants Continue Home Deliveries throughout Pandemic

While many service members and families have been under stay-at-home orders in Europe, the Exchange is ensuring military communities are still receiving home deliveries of bottled water. Pictured left to right: the Grunstadt water home delivery team – associates James Grier, Bill Hall, Scott Perkins, Markus Glessen and Siggi Eicher.

While much of Europe remains under stay-at-home orders, the Exchange’s water plants in Europe continue to deliver bottled water to military shoppers.

The Exchange’s two plants in Grünstadt, Germany, and Vicenza, Italy, provide bottled water to Exchange stores throughout the region. For the past 20 years, they’ve also worked with Culligan Water to deliver 5-gallon bottles of water for military homes and offices.

Thirty-six associates make the deliveries, which normally amount to about 1.6 million gallons a year. The plants have seen a 20% increase in deliveries since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“The home delivery team has worked around the clock, even adding extra routes to ensure customers get what they need,” said Exchange Food Plant Operations Manager Don Henson. “They’re helping keep Warfighters and their families safe during this pandemic by saving them a trip to the store.”

The team’s efforts have earned accolades. Europe/Southwest Asia Senior Vice President Jason Rosenberg presented his coin to water delivery associate Ellis Harvey, who regularly delivers to Rosenberg’s home. The Exchange also recently received a note of gratitude from a customer.

“I want to tell you and your staff how much we appreciate the continuous and dedicated service you have provided to me and my family since the COVID-19 pandemic began,” the letter read. “Your deliveries of water to our house have been uninterrupted, and I truly appreciate that.”

The Exchange water plants also serve as a contingency source for garrisons in emergency situations if their main water supply should be temporarily contaminated or unavailable.

“By providing quality customer service at shoppers’ homes, we’re embodying the Exchange mission of ‘we go where you go,’” said Water Services Manager Scott Perkins, who oversees the home delivery program. “Beginning with the first delivery, we have an opportunity to establish a long-term relationship with these shoppers and deliver exactly what they want.”