129 Years of Family Serving Family: Richard Smith, Aberdeen Proving Ground Exchange

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

Who he is: Richard Smith, warehouse worker, Aberdeen Proving Ground Exchange

Years at the Exchange: 42 years. Smith started as a warehouse worker in 1983.

Military connections: Smith is a Veteran, serving with the Maryland Air National Guard for five years as an Airman First Class. His father served in the Army for 20 years. His grandfather has also served.

What brought him to the Exchange: “My mom used to go the PX and the commissary on base, so she suggested that I try there while looking for a job. I got a part-time job just out of high school.”

Early Exchange memories: “People in the Guard knew I worked for the Exchange. A lot of times, I would come back to Aberdeen and try to get stuff for them back down there at Warfield Air National Guard. They would give me a list of things, then say, ‘Go up to the main Exchange and see if they have this for me.’ If we had it, I would get it sent down to them through a courier. I was just the middleman to shuffle things around.”

Memorable moments: “I remember when we had a grand opening for the Express in 1996. I remember that first Friday night, it was so, so busy and our coolers were just wiped out in one night. I have never seen anything like that.

“During that time, we moved the Class Six store to the new Express and put it all together. That was interesting to me because I’d never seen all we had before. I learned how we get our product off the truck, stock and organize. It was an amazing opportunity.

“There was also a blizzard in 1996 and I couldn’t believe how many people were here, again wiping out bread, milk, snacks and supplies. The first day, we were shut down. The next, we opened up after up and there was a mad rush of people, like they had run out of everything. There was a lot of shoveling – the hardest part was taking our time.”

Family Serving Family: “I’d say it is keeping the families going. A lot of times, you get to know not just the shopper, but their families as well. What we do helps them keep going.”