Exchange Leaders Share Family Memories, Professional Success Stories for Hispanic Heritage Month

The three speakers at Wednesday’s National Hispanic Heritage Month lunch and learn had a few things in common besides their heritage, including that all of them began their Exchange career in entry-level positions and worked their way up into leadership positions.

“I was hired in June 1992 as a management trainee,” Pacific Region Senior Vice President Jesse Martinez said during the lunch and learn, which was presented by Exchange Special Emphasis Program ¡HOLA! (Hispanic Outreach, Leadership & Awareness). “As I moved through that program, I went through various positions. Having come from a military family, it’s sort of in my blood. I wanted to travel and the Exchange gave me that opportunity. Within two years of my first assignment, I was already in Japan.”

Martinez, who was calling from Hawaii but is based in Okinawa, added, “I feel like I’ve gone full circle as I made my way back to Okinawa 30 years later.”

Vice President of HR Talent Randy Ramirez said he started his Exchange career when he was around 16 years old. “I was a sales clerk at the Kirtland Air Force Base Exchange Mini-Mall,” said Ramirez, whose father served in the Air Force for 30 years. “My dad was transferred to Spain, so I went with him. I was reinstated into the Exchange at a main store there, working the jewelry and camera counter.”

During the day and on weekends, Ramirez worked. When he wasn’t working, he attended classes at the European Division of the University of Maryland. He left the Exchange for about eight months to work in a civil-service job. “Believe it or not, I was a Telex operator, a fax operator and a travel clerk.”

When Ramirez’s father was transferred back to the States, he was rehired at Kirtland as a laborer, then moved on to become a sales associate before moving into administrative positions as a general clerk. “It was during this time that I finished up my degree and I became a personnel assistant,” he said. “And shortly after that, I became the training instructor for the Exchange. And really, that was my first management-level job.”

Ely Colon, who has been main store manager at the Fort Belvoir Exchange since April 2023, said she began as a laborer at the Fort Buchanan Exchange in her native Puerto Rico. She then moved on to warehouse foreman.

“I was in a comfort zone for quite some time because I love stockroom operations,” she said. “Then I became Department Manager for Softlines. I found a new passion with Softlines.” From there, she moved to Fort Campbell, then Eglin AFB before becoming the main store manager at Patrick AFB (now Patrick SFB) in Florida. She later became the MSM at the MacDill BX before moving to Fort Belvoir this year.

The trio also talked about their upbringings.

“I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where speaking English was a choice, not a necessity,” Colon said. “We always had a reason to have a party. You know, we’re having a lunch—that turns out to be a big party after all. There is never a dull time. You’re always dancing, laughing and just having a good time.”

Colon also talked about how important her heritage is to her. “Being Hispanic means carrying the strength of my parents and grandparents or ancestors who faced obstacles and barriers with courage,” she said, “So I can have better opportunities than they ever did.”

Martinez and Ramirez were raised in military families, which influenced their lives.

“I’m a proud military brat,” Ramirez said. “My parents are from South Texas, but because my dad was in the Air Force, I was fortunate to grow up, really, all over the world. I was born in Texas, I lived in Mississippi, we did a tour of Izmir, Turkey, and then came back to Texas and then on to New Mexico.”

He added that his father was a strict disciplinarian—and that he benefited from that.

“We were taught to respect others, always present yourself with honor,” Ramirez said. “Don’t cause any trouble, that kind of thing. I think in the end, that really paid off for me over the years on a personal level. I am extremely proud to be Hispanic and my mom and I talk about that all the time.”

Martinez, whose father served in the Army, said that his story was similar to Ramirez’s.

“Like Randy, we lived all over the world,” Martinez said, “to include Germany, the United States, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma. Being raised in a family with Mexican traditions, you just sort of take for granted that tamales, enchiladas, carne guisada are going to be part of everybody’s diet. You start realizing that all the things that are going on in your home aren’t necessarily happening at everybody else’s home.”

“But as we moved around, my parents really embraced the cultures of where we lived, whether it was Germany or Korea,” he continued. “It was an experience that I remember, even as a very young child. As I raise my children, what I’ve taken from my upbringing is that education has made a huge difference in all of our lives. When my father joined the Army, he didn’t have a high school diploma. So as he worked and was able to get commissioned as an officer, he completed his degree. That’s something that I truly believe has made a difference in my life as well.”

Martinez added that his wife is half Japanese, so among the traditions in their home are tamales and enchiladas at Christmas and sushi on New Year’s. “It’s a big variety,” he said. “We embrace both cultures in our home, and that diversity has made our family a little bit stronger, and the children love the food.”

Exchange Credit Program Manager Albert Perez Jr., the ¡HOLA! co-program manager who moderated the discussion, began by asking the panel a series of “quickfire” questions, including their first jobs (Martinez said that he cut lawns before he was old enough to enter the workplace, where he was a busboy and dishwasher at a restaurant; Ramirez and Colon both started their work lives at the Exchange); their favorite season (Colon said hers is the holiday season, which doesn’t end until mid-January in Puerto Rico with the celebration of Three Kings Day, also known as el Dia de Reyes); and their favorite foods.

“My favorite food is arroz con gandules and pasteles,” Colon said, referring to rice with pigeon peas and patties made with root vegetables and meat and wrapped in banana leaves. Both dishes are popular during the holidays, but not just the holidays. “We don’t only eat them on the holidays; that was like the meal for every Sunday after church. We gathered together and that was the meal of the day.”

Martinez said that his mother made tortillas every day when he was growing up. “She would make a pile of them, and that was our bread that we would use throughout the day for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” he said. “And almost every week, it was part of our regular meals, she would make carne guisada. If you make it right, it takes time to make, because it’s almost like a stew, and you have to let the meat become softer before you eat it. My wife has learned how to make it. She treated me to it about two weeks ago.”

The hour-long discussion covered much more ground, from words the panelists say they have a hard time pronouncing to fond reflections on their various mentors at the Exchange, often including people who were there at the beginnings of their Exchange careers. If you missed the lunch and learn or would like to watch it again, click here.

Chief Communication Officer Judd Anstey and South East Region Vice President Tony Pares are executive champions of HOLA! (Hispanic Outreach, Leadership & Awareness). Jose Hernandez, director of Corporate Communication, is co-program manager along with Perez. Dora Trillo, Marketing art director, is assistant program manager.

To learn more about ¡HOLA!, click here. To learn more about Exchange Special Emphasis Programs, click here.