LP Associates Earn Awards for Saving Exchange More than $400,000 in 2021

A few years ago, Jonathan Swanson was leaving the Air Force and looking for jobs. The Exchange was the first place that contacted him for an interview. It was for a position in Loss Prevention, which wasn’t the first thing that came to his mind.

“I was curious about what it was,” said Swanson, a safety and security associate at Nellis Air Force Base. “Once I got the interview, I’ve loved it ever since.”

He has also taken to it pretty quickly in the 2½ years he’s been with the Exchange. In fiscal year 2021, he caught 42 shoplifters, which led to him being one of the 14 associates who earned a FY 2021 LP Productivity Award for protecting Exchange earnings and keeping losses at a minimum.

Swanson and the other winners saved the Exchange more than $400,000 in losses from employee theft, customer shoplifting and unrecorded concession sales. They each received a gift card, a letter and a challenge coin from Steve Boyd, vice president of Loss Prevention.

Swanson said his work at Nellis, classified as a large store, is a combination of walking the floor and watching the monitors that track about 140 cameras. Although he had experience working in security in the Air Force, most of his training came on the job.

“My team helped me every step of the way,” he said. “They answered questions, clarified things, helped me become better on the cameras, taught me how to work equipment. My manager is very good at keeping us straight and answering our questions.”

He has also learned that patience is key to the job.

“When I first started, I was nervous, and sometimes I’d act too quickly,” he said. “I’ve learned that if I take things slow, it’s a lot easier for me to keep track of things and know where I’m going.”

This year’s awards featured two associates who won in two categories: Karol Duff, Loss Prevention manager at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, and Branden Gilmore, Loss Prevention manager at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Cecelia Pereida, safety and security associate at the West Coast Distribution Center, won for the second year in a row in Logistics.

Here’s the list of winners:

 

Small Exchange

Employee theft: Marie Moore, Korea South, one subject involving $19,180

Shoplifting: Michael Lanier, Presidio of Monterey, eight subjects involving $8,885

Unrecorded concession sales: Ali Karsli, Adana Air Base, five subjects involving $10,058

 

Medium Exchange

Employee theft: Kirupathas Anantharajah, Wiesbaden Exchange, eight subjects involving $951

Shoplifting: Nichole Williams, Luke Air Force Base, 24 subjects involving $2,943.

Unrecorded concession sales: Frederick Crowther, Yokota Air Force Base, three subjects involving $9,302.

 

Large Exchange

Employee theft: Karol Duff, Fort Sam Houston, seven subjects involving $11,361

Shoplifting: Jonathan Swanson, Nellis Air Force Base, 42 subjects involving $5,670

Unrecorded concession sales: Karol Duff, Fort Sam Houston, eight subjects involving $78,886

 

Mega Exchange

Employee theft: Employee Theft: Laura Lopez, Fort Bragg, three subjects involving $2,155

Shoplifting: Hezekiah Cuffy, Kadena Air Base, 18 subjects involving $5,739

Unrecorded concession sales: Kenneth Randell, Ramstein Air Base, nine subjects involving $2,968

 

Contingency Operations

Employee theft: Branden Gilmore, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, seven subjects involving $322

Shoplifting: Michael Douglas, Keesler Air Force Base with 27 subjects involving $434

Unrecorded concession sales: Branden Gilmore, JBER, 11 subjects involving $523

 

Logistics

Cecilia Pereida, West Coast Distribution Center, for conducting 93 5-minute safety talks with 1,872 DC associates, identifying 295 safety hazards, conducting 9,802 eComm spot checks and hundreds of motor-vehicle inspections, among other safety and security duties.