129 Years of Family Serving Family: Mukesh Sahdeo, Fort Ord

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

Who he is: Mukesh Sahdeo, Express Manager, Fort Ord

Years with the Exchange: 43 years

Where he has worked: Sahdeo’s Exchange career has been spent at Fort Ord/Presidio of Monterey. He’s held positions from seasonal custodian to main store hardlines stocker, reorder associate and hardlines department manager before coming to the Express as manager in 2012.

What he did at first: Seasonal stocker, labor and custodian in the Toyland department at Fort Ord Exchange in December 1980.

Military connections: Sahdeo’s brother served in the Army.

What brought him to the Exchange: “I was looking for a part-time job while in high school, and my guidance counselor suggested I apply with the Exchange or the commissary,” Sahdeo said. “I was hired to work temporarily in the Toyland department for the Christmas season, and then was asked to work as a stocker for the hardlines department.”

Working on the West Coast: “Most of my family is in the Monterey area, and once you have a home, a family and work in one place and build these relationships with shoppers for so long, you don’t want to leave,” he said.

“Monterey is a beautiful place. You can’t beat it.”

Even with the downsizing of active-duty presence in the area over time, Sahdeo still has a long-standing customer base to take care of.

“There are still many people here who rely on the Exchange. This is a very popular area for retirees and they are very thankful to have the Express and gas station.”

Rock Your Sales award: Sahdeo accepted the Western Region Rock Your Sales Award at the Express Seminar in May after his store’s sales increased by 56.5% from the previous year.

“There was a big surge in contractors working on the installation throughout the year, which led to big surges during breakfast and lunch,” he said. “But it all comes down to our customer service. If someone doesn’t have a good experience, they won’t come back, so we make sure we do everything we can to give it a personal touch and do whatever we can to take care of our shoppers.”

Memorable moments: “I had a retired colonel come in recently and tell me about a particular wine that he was only able to find at the local wineries or in restaurants,” Sahdeo said. “He showed me a picture of it and asked if I’d be able to get it for him.

“I was able to check with our vendors and take care of that for him. It’s great when these people come back and make sure to stop inside and say hello, remembering that I took care of this gentleman like 20 years ago, and they still come and find you.”

Family serving family: “Taking my first position here is probably one of the best things I’ve ever done,” he said. “I’m very customer oriented—I served many active-duty service members who retired in this area, and some of them still come and seek you out.

“That’s exactly what the Exchange does and they become part of your family. When my son was growing up, he would always ask how I know so many customers personally. Just working all these years in the Exchange and serving this community, it becomes its own family.”