Meet the Exchange’s 49,000th Veteran/Military Spouse Hire
When Shane Hollingshed applied to work at the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston PX, he had little idea he would become part of Exchange history.
As the organization’s 49,000th Veteran/military spouse hire since 2013, Hollingshed officially brings the Exchange into the home stretch of its goal of hiring 50,000 heroes.
Warehouse worker Shane Hollingshed, the Exchange’s 49,000th Veteran or military spouse hire since 2013, receives merchandise in the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Exchange warehouse.
“When you leave the military, it almost feels like something’s been left behind,” he said. “But when an organization has an initiative like this, you feel like they’ll never forget what you did, which makes you feel like you’ll never forget either. It makes us feel appreciated, and it feels good.”
Born to an Army family at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Hollingshed joined the Air Force in 2007. He worked in cyber operations for most of his career, reaching the rank of Senior Airman before separating from the Air Force in 2013.
While Hollingshed was stationed at nearby Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Air Force Base for the duration of his career, he fondly recalls visiting the nearby Fort Sam PX as an active-duty Airman.
“Every time I walked in, there was an associate sitting in the corner greeting everybody, so you had a good feeling as soon as you walked in the door,” he said. “I always had the thought in the back of my head that I’d like to see this operation from the other side, so when the opportunity came up to apply, I immediately took it.”
Today, Hollingshed works in the Fort Sam PX warehouse, playing a role in the Exchange operations that piqued his curiosity for so many years.
“I applied to work in the warehouse, so I assumed I was going to be doing labor, but they put me on the computer to receive merchandise,” he said. “About 10% of the job is labor, most of it is administrative, which is more in line with what I was doing in the Air Force.”
Walking into work every morning, Hollingshed said he still gets the same warm feeling he would get walking into the Fort Sam PX as a customer years ago.
“You always see someone who’s happy every day, saying ‘good morning’ every time you pass them,” he said. “You don’t get that experience at every job, but ever since I joined the team, that’s what it’s been like.
“You would think that greeter person was told they had to be so friendly because it was part of their job, but now I know it was genuine. That’s how they treat each other as associates too.”
