129 Years of Family Serving Family: Rebecca Callaway-Hout, HQ

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 129 years of family serving family.

Who she is: Rebecca Callaway-Hout, Buyer III, Merchandising Directorate, Exchange HQ

Years with the Exchange: 23 years.

How she started at the Exchange: “I remember playing hide-and seek in the headquarters building as a child,” said Callaway-Hout, whose father worked for the Exchange for 27 years, retiring as vice president of worldwide regions. (Her sister, Rochelle Callaway-Hughes, and brother-in-law, Allen Hughes, also both retired from the Exchange.)

When her father, a Department of Defense civilian, was first recruited to the Exchange, his first assignment was supposed to be a year at headquarters in Dallas. But after six weeks on the job, the Exchange asked him to PCS to Europe. Callaway-Hout and her family lived in Munich, Germany; Turkey; and Athens, Greece, before returning to the States, where she spent much of her adolescence in the Midwest. She married a Sailor and lived in San Diego for a time. After the marriage ended, she and her young son joined her parents and sister, who were back in Germany.

Callaway-Hout was not allowed to work at the same base as her dad, who was at Mannheim, so she started with the Exchange as a store supervisor for the first sports store in Heidelberg. She then held positions as an operations clerk and a supervisor before enrolling in the Exchange’s management school at Kaiserslautern Military Community.  She was assigned to Hanau Main Exchange as a sales area manager, and then promoted to store manager for two Shoppettes and a Class VI in Wiesbaden. She met her current husband, a Soldier, at Wiesbaden. When he separated from the Army, the family moved to Arkansas, but there were no positions available for Callaway-Hout at the Little Rock AFB Exchange, so she worked as a divisional merchandise manager for other companies for the next 12 years.

What brought her back: In 2005, Callaway-Hout’s son, Army Spc. Tyler Creamean of the 73^rd Engineer Company, was killed in action in Mosul, Iraq, when the vehicle he was traveling in was struck by an IED. “I thought there was no better way to honor him than to come back to the Exchange and make sure our military had everything they needed,” Callaway-Hout said. “I had always loved working for the Exchange.”

Callaway-Hout packed up her car and drove down to Dallas, moving in with her sister, to restart her career with the Exchange. “I had to start over again at the bottom,” she said. She took a position in consumables and worked her way up to buyer, receiving several promotions until she reached her current position of Buyer in 2023.

Going where the troops go: Callaway-Hout also deployed for inventory four times, including to Oman, Yemen, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait. “Best experience ever,” she said. “I got to see the world and get a small touch of what my son’s life was like when he was down range. I really, really enjoyed it. I would cry when it was time to leave! I got to know people across IT, LG, accounting and a lot of other directorates.”

Favorite job: In her current role, Callaway-Hout is the buyer for baby/feminine hygiene/family planning. “There are a lot of nuances because it’s spread over different commodities—hardlines, consumables and softlines.” She does a lot of research about her customers, including getting insight from her niece—a current Exchange associate and a military spouse—on what she’s looking for as the mother of a young baby.

“A lot of our military live more economically challenged,” Callaway-Hout said. “They often have kids. [The baby] category more than any other can make a real difference to them. It’s about finding the sweet spot to make things affordable for the military families and still make a profit.”

Family Serving Family: “The best part of working for the Exchange is the relationships you form with people. I have worked for some of the best people in the world,” Callaway-Hout said. “I didn’t grow up around extended family, so the Exchange and military members are considered my family. My mom is in her early 80s and just celebrated her birthday with the wife of another Exchange manager—they’ve been friends for over 50 years.

“My sister is my best friend. We’ve experienced the world and our careers together. She’s been my rock and helped me through really tough times. When I received the invitation to do this Family Serving Family profile, I thought this is a way I can honor my family. They have lived extraordinary lives as well.”