‘Working here is so gratifying. Our teammates’ hearts are in what they do.’

Long before Tom Lozier became Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, he was an Exchange customer.

“Working at the Exchange is a very comfortable fit for me,” said Lozier, who joined the organization as Vice President of Logistics in late 2012. “I served 12½ years on active duty in the Navy and 12½ in the Reserves. I knew what the Exchange was. While I was in the Navy on active duty, I was a Supply Corps Officer managing a NEXCOM ship store. I also was assigned to NEXCOM HQ. After active duty, I went to work in retail, in department stores and specialty stores. I’d also been a military customer, at AAFES, NEXCOM and MCX, depending on where I was serving.”

Before he joined the Exchange, Lozier worked in the civilian business world. He had been Senior Vice President of Operations for Finlay Fine Jewelry Corp. in New York. He previously owned and operated his own company, in San Francisco Bay, which provided third-party logistics support to Macy’s West, Broadway, Emporium Capwell and Bloomingdale’s in the Western United States. Before that, Lozier was a Vice President for Lazarus, a division of Federated Stores.

“I basically did a full circle,” Lozier said. “I left the active duty military, went into the commercial retail world for about 20 years, then came back and was really excited about joining AAFES. I knew the Exchange’s mission. I was a customer—and of course still am a customer.”

Lozier talked more about his work and career in this Exchange Post Q&A.

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

I’m responsible for leading some of the organization’s important support directorates: Real Estate; Information Technology; Equal Employment Opportunity, Diversity & Inclusion; and Loss Prevention. It’s all part of the Exchange sales support organization. Our role is largely to help make the job smoother and easier for our field operations and merchandising teams. We work the back-of-the-house things that many people don’t think much about when it comes to shopping our stores and service businesses. There’s a lot of critical operations that go on behind the scenes to keep the AAFES business going strong. My role is to help navigate big pieces of our organization to help achieve our strategic goals.

What’s the biggest challenge facing the Exchange in 2022?

The Exchange needs to continue to stay relevant and focused on our mission, which is providing military families throughout the world the Exchange benefit in the form of high quality products and services at a great value. It’s so important to our warriors’ morale. Having been in the Navy, I know firsthand how important the Exchange is to the military families we serve.

Maintaining our earnings base will be crucial to continuing to provide critical financial support of Quality-of-Life programs. These programs are a force multiplier for the readiness of military forces. If we all stay focused on our daily jobs, it will all come together.

How did exchanges come through for you during your Navy days?

I spent about a year in Iceland which is a good example. There was an Exchange there serving Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, Marines and their families. It was during the Cold War, and the Naval Station Iceland was at a very strategic location for detecting submarine activity. As you can imagine, there were lots of needs in Iceland that weren’t met by the local economy. The folks who were stationed there depended on the exchange for U.S. products and services.

Every week, a plane carrying merchandise flew in, and a ship came into port every month. Customers who were stationed there were aware of the schedules. They’d show up at the exchange the next day or so just to see what was new. It was a big deal for everybody in the military community. It was a gathering point for people to socialize. The Exchange really helped with morale.

What is the most significant event that happened during your time with the Exchange?

When I first got here, our sales and earnings were trending downward – not a good thing for an on-going business concern. Our customer base had been reduced because of military drawdowns. One of the biggest events, if not the biggest, was when [Director/CEO] Tom Shull was able help organize and lead the efforts to expand our customer base to include serving all honorably discharged Veterans through ShopMyExchange.com. That was very important along with rapid growth of our e-Commerce business. We’ve been able to serve those additional customers, particularly Vietnam-era Veterans. During Vietnam, the military was looked down upon.  It was a difficult time for our country and military morale. It’s changed totally, 180 degrees and now those veterans have added a benefit in recognition of their services. To participate in that change was very gratifying.

What was your first job?

While in high school, I had a job working at a local supermarket. I was a stocker, cashier, bagger and assisted customers with carry-out. I worked evenings and weekends. Looking back, it was a terrific experience and learning opportunity in many ways that I have carried with me throughout my career.

What do you do in your spare time?

I like to exercise and enjoy watching and participating in sports. I golf or read when I have time. I’ve got a couple of children, now young adults. My daughter just graduated from college and she’s working in New York City now. My son is a sophomore in college. I love spending time with them.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Working here is so gratifying.  Our teammates’ hearts are in what they do. It’s the type of job where you can’t help but feel great about why we do what we do. It goes back to knowing how much what we do means for our whole military community.

Every day, associates display our core values and the way we live them: family serving family, respecting everyone while having the courage to use good judgment. It’s in our bloodstream. I’m honored and privileged to be on the team.