128 Years of Family Serving Family: Emily Zarsk, HQ
One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 128 years of family serving family.
Who she is: Emily Zarsk, social media analyst III in Corporate Communication at Dallas headquarters
Years with the Exchange: Seven
Exchange connections: Her mother, Debra (pictured with Emily above), retired after serving 38 years in various store and merchandising positions, retiring as a Vice President in IT; her father and grandmother both worked for the Exchange while her grandfather served in the Air Force. “My parents met while working for the Exchange at Fort Bragg,” Zarsk says. They transferred to Fort Stewart where my dad managed the main store and my mom ran various Shoppettes at Fort Stewart.”
What brought her to the Exchange: “My sister and I were born at Fort Stewart, Georgia, so we grew up with the Exchange and are very familiar with it. I had a career with another company, but wasn’t totally sure if that was a long-term thing for me. Looking for a place I could serve and make a difference, I saw an opportunity with the Exchange that piqued my interest. Witnessing the satisfaction my mom derived from her career serving our Warfighters, I knew it was a company where I’d have an opportunity to do the same. A company I could be loyal to with a mission I believed in.
“My parents loved the company, and now that I’m with the Exchange, I understand why family members follow in other family members’ footsteps. They call us ‘Legacies’ and it truly does feel like family serving family.”
Why she likes her job: “I enjoy social media because it extends the reach of the Exchange to customers who may not have shopped with us in quite a while or ever before. The opportunity to draw them in and show them the great things the Exchange is doing is essential for building relationships with customers and establishing brand loyalty
“I like to be creative, so I was really drawn to the team. I noticed we were missing lifestyle images, which capture more attention, especially with the Gen-Z customer, so we added these to humanize our brands and show customers what our products and services can do for them in an authentic way. I’ve definitely found my niche as I love talking social media and the power it offers in inspiring customers to take action. It’s fulfilling to review the analytics and watch our followers grow. It allows me to understand our customers and what influences their purchasing decisions.”
Emily Zarsk, shown with her sister Jennifer in 1993 Exchange Post photo, grew up with the Exchange and occasionally got to meet special guests such as Barney the Dinosaur, who made an appearance at Fort Stewart.
What she likes about the Exchange: “I love the people, the team, the leadership. I love our mission. I love that we go where our military goes and are often the only taste of home they have. Social media now plays a big part in being there for the troops and keeping them informed on the many ways the Exchange is available for them.’
“A lot of people, some still with the Exchange and some retired, have known me since I was born. I think that’s cool. It shows how close-knit we are even though we’re a large organization. I’ll meet people who’ll say, ‘I met you when you were still in your mom’s belly.’”
Military connections: “My grandfather served in the Army, my uncle in the Air Force and another grandfather retired from the Air Force. As they transferred throughout his career, the Exchange offered my grandmother an opportunity to serve until she retired after 25 years.”
Family serving family: “No matter what role you’re in, you can serve someone else. The Soldiers and Airmen, their family members, or your own teammates. Family serving family, it’s a tremendous mission and one I am proud to be a part of.”
