Dr. Patrick Oldenburgh Discusses HR’s Role, the Value of Deployment and More

Growing up in Germany, where his father served in the Army, Dr. Patrick Oldenburgh threw papers for Stars and Stripes when he was a teenager. He had to pick up the papers at the Amberg bookstore, which was his first encounter with an Exchange facility.

“I was a junior in high school,” said Oldenburgh, now Chief Human Resources Officer for the Exchange. “I had my driver’s license, and I thought, ‘I want to earn a little extra spending money.’ Delivering papers wasn’t really cutting it anymore, and as a teenager, getting up at 4 o’clock every morning was not something I wanted to do every day.”

So he applied for a job at the Vilseck food court, where he was hired as a food service worker at Frank’s Franks. He worked his way through the organization, becoming a sales associate at a  Shoppette in Amberg, where he lived.

“I really liked working for the Exchange,” he said. “I liked the mission and the people we serve. For me, the Exchange represents family. My mom worked for the Exchange for many years. She was a supervisor at the theater and then in concessions. My dad, who was the military guy, ran the retail stores at the border camps in Germany. Later on, my sister worked for the Exchange as well.”

While working at a Shoppette in Oklahoma, Oldenburgh was offered a job as a training instructor. He was a speech communications major and debater in college and used those skills as a learning facilitator. His role as an instructor led to a series of management positions, including Human Resources and Employee Relations positions in CONUS, the United Kingdom and Germany. He also deployed to Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Exchange Post recently talked with Oldenburgh about his 26-year career with the Exchange.

How would you explain what you do to a new associate?

HR is the primary driver in defining the associate experience from the very beginning to the very end. All throughout an associate’s career, there are going to be moments, including training, development, a first promotion, PCS or assignment, employee relations opportunities, etc., that impact their career. HR touches all parts of the business, impacting individual, team and organizational success. When done right, we can really align ourselves with our business partners to take this organization to another level.

Working with a company with worldwide locations seems like an additional challenge.

I look at it as an exciting opportunity. It allows us to demonstrate that the mission we have, to take care of our Warfighters and their families, doesn’t stop at the coastline of the United States. As we continue to have military families overseas, we will be there, alongside them, providing that taste of home.

I remember growing up, if you wanted American ice cream, the only places you could get was at the Exchange or commissary. But it was something we made. On the ice cream containers, it actually said “AAFES.” At the time, it was just chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and Neapolitan. But that taste of home was so popular. During fests, the local German community would come onto the installation, and the one booth that was selling ice cream was always the one that had the longest line. That was the one taste that was American.

That was my whole frame of reference as to what was an attractor to the military community. Those little touches like that. The culture of the organization was so important to me, and it’s a fond memory.

How did deployment inform how you do your job now?

It was the toughest, most challenging assignment I’ve ever had. But it was also the most rewarding, beginning with the departing flight, with 300 Marines, from what used to be Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany. I was sitting there with these Marines that were probably my age or even younger, and on the ground were all of these M-16 machine guns. I was afraid I was going to kick one, set it off and cause the plane to crash. The Marines kept saying, “Don’t worry about it. They’re not loaded.”

When we landed in Kuwait, their commander stood up and said, “Guys, hold on. Let’s let the civilians off first. By the way, these five guys that are getting off here, they’re going to be running the PX’s. They’re the reason we get to have a taste of home while you’re serving in this operation.” We got applause as we were getting off the plane. I was thinking, “Why are you applauding us? We should be applauding you. You’re the ones who are putting your lives on the line for our country.” That was such a special moment.

Being in Exchange facilities and seeing the lines of Soldiers, Airmen and Marines—they were lined up because they wanted a Gatorade and a can of Doritos. Or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Folks would stand in line for the smallest thing because it was so important for them, that taste of home. Experiencing that really taught me, truly, what the Exchange mission is all about. I was glad I had the opportunity to experience it.

What are the challenges that HR is facing in late 2021 and on into 2022?

We’re experiencing the exact same issues our private-sector counterparts are: recruitment and talent acquisition. That is going to be top of mind for the remainder of this year and going into next year. The labor market is the tightest I’ve ever seen in my 26 years with the organization. We have to be very creative about what we do in the recruitment space to differentiate ourselves and fill our jobs. We’re at about 90% staff—in school that would be an A or an A-minus, but for us, that’s not good enough.

We recently met our 50,000 goal in hiring Veterans and military spouses, and now we’re challenging ourselves to continue that operation, because it’s that important to us. We’re aiming for 75,000 by 2026. Our focus is on taking care of the military community, and I am still a firm believer that nobody understands the Exchange better than a military spouse or a Veteran. When you have associates who are part of the military community, they have a direct relationship they can build with our customers

What’s the most significant event that has occurred during your Exchange career?

I have to go back to my time in deployment. It was the event that was the most impactful, it was the one that really highlighted what we do, and I realized very quickly that there is no other company out there that can do what we do.

It’s very important to take care of the home front, and we do it very well, but if you really want to see our mission in action, go to contingency sites. Observe our associates getting up every day in the most austere conditions and taking care of the best customers in the world. Living in bombed-out buildings in the desert, using the same logistical support that our Warfighters are using and accomplishing the mission with incredible professionalism. If any moment during my career was going to solidify me staying with the Exchange for as long as I have, it was deploying in 2001. That was the moment I said, “If this is what we are about, I’m going to be part of this. I’m all in.”

What do you do in your spare time?

Pre-pandemic, I was very heavily into volleyball. I played in a league and loved that. I also did some refereeing for some local clubs. I teach HR and leadership classes and love taking cruises to see the world and experience different cultures. My favorite was probably a trip to Honduras, Belize and Mexico in 2019. In Honduras, we got to see the Mesoamerican Reef. I love to snorkel; if I’m anywhere near water, I’m like, “Give me my snorkeling equipment.” I’ll be in the water until it’s time to leave. Then we went to Costa Maya, where we got to see the pyramids and the Mayan ruins.

Anything else you would like to add?

When I compare my career path with friends, the Exchange always wins. This is a great organization with a noble mission. We are family serving family.