In August 1979, a 17-year-old Trini Saucedo rang up her first sale as a cashier at the Fort Sam Houston Exchange.
It was fitting, then, that she would return to the register in April 2021 to ring up the first sale at the installation’s brand-new, $54 million Exchange shopping center, bringing her 42 years of service full circle just months ahead of retirement.
“That was the epitome of my career,” Saucedo said. “It was so bittersweet. … I was in tears because that’s where I grew up. It meant so much to be a part of that.”
Saucedo, the Exchange’s Senior Vice President of Services and Food, will retire from the organization on Aug. 27, capping off a career defined by tireless determination to find new and better ways to serve Warfighters and their families.
Saucedo’s impact can be felt in the Exchange’s ongoing intensification of national name-brand restaurants; new brand licenses for U.S. goods produced at overseas bakeries and water plants; the expansion of health and wellness services to Exchanges worldwide; and the upcoming rollout of branded fuel to Express gas stations. Saucedo also helped introduce Services’ first-ever Concession Point of Sale system and a new Property and Asset Management database that gives Services a worldwide view of Exchange mall vacancies.
Such successes were far from guaranteed at the outset of Saucedo’s Exchange journey. Early in her career, she was the sole breadwinner for her four children, mother and two younger sisters—a role she fulfilled while earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
“When I first started, I remember standing at that register, looking at the sales and merchandising manager and thinking to myself, ‘I’d like to do that someday.’ But I never thought that I’d be where I am today,’” Saucedo said. “I’ve told so many newcomers to this organization, if this girl from the south side of San Antonio can get to where I am today, then so can you. I am living proof.”
Saucedo climbed the ranks steadily over the years, assuming her first management position in 1987. Ten years later, she took on her first store manager role, leading the organization’s largest Military Clothing store at Lackland Air Force Base.
“If you’ve never experienced support for the military, you will in a Military Clothing store,” Saucedo said. “During Operation Desert Storm, we would get paperwork for each service member going overseas and fill their duffel bags with gear. You’d see their name on that bag, and you knew they would ultimately carry it on their back. I distinctly remember watching the duffel bags getting thrown on a truck and thinking, ‘I have arrived. I am part of this country’s efforts to serve our military.’”
Saucedo’s next major promotion came in August 2004, when she became General Manager of the Kirtland Air Force Base Exchange. She transferred to Fort Belvoir the following year, where she helped develop the Exchange’s first town center, a mixed-use-style development with 11 retail spaces on the first floor and 25 military housing units on the two floors above.
In 2012, Saucedo was promoted to Vice President of Services and Vending, where she helped the newly created Services and Food Directorate consolidate functions previously administered by the Sales Directorate. She was promoted to her current position in 2014.
“[Vice President of Food] Darryl Porter always says, ‘When you say no to Trini, it doesn’t mean no. It just means we have to find a different way to get to it,’” Saucedo said. “That’s how I learned. The best leaders pushed me to do things that made me think, ‘Wow I can’t believe I did that.’”
Saucedo said there are three pieces of advice she shares with the associates she mentors: Stay true to yourself, stand for what you believe in and always make your teammates feel like their voices are being heard.
“I’ve talked to so many people over the years from various cultures, and they say, ‘I have this accent, and I have to learn how to really approach people and present,’” Saucedo said. “I tell them, everyone has a story and a background, and that’s what people want to know about. What makes you so important is you. If you’re willing to share that with others, it sets you apart from everyone else.”
Saucedo’s message for the next generation of Exchange leaders? Encourage everyone to contribute, listen to their ideas and bring each member of your team together to find the best way forward.
“Don’t ever give up. Keep dreaming,” Saucedo said. “Strive for the unreachable, but always remember that it’s a team effort that requires bringing everyone to the table. Each person counts. It’s about the team: Don’t tell me that we can’t do it, because we’re going to find a way to get it done.”
Leave a Reply