In 1972, Bob White was 17 years old and had his eye on a car. His mother said that if he wanted the car, he’d have to go to work.
“I had a friend who had started with the Exchange,” said White, now Eastern Region senior vice president. “He said, ‘They’re pretty good to work for. I think you’ll do well.’”
He did well. Well enough to buy the car.
“It was a 1955 Buick Special,” White said. “It costs $895 and it’s probably my favorite car that I’ve owned, because I paid for it myself.
But he had no idea that a half-century later, he’d be marking his 50th anniversary with the Exchange. White was honored with a surprise celebration Thursday at the 2022 Express seminar in Orlando, Florida.
“When we met more than a decade ago, it was clear then your strong leadership is a significant force multiplier,” Exchange Director/Chief Executive Officer Tom Shull told White. “Your impact on developing and nurturing our talent has set the high bar. Your leadership example has been especially impactful as we have placed key teammates in senior leadership positions. We are a better organization because of you.”
Chief Operating Officer Jason Rosenberg, whose first general manager job was at Fort Lee in 2007, the year White became Eastern Region SVP, said he learned a lot from White, whom he called “one of the greatest operators in our history.”
“Bob White has already built a rare legacy in the Exchange through serving over five decades,” Rosenberg said. “The thousands of associates and millions of the best customers in the world he has directly impacted has left a significant mark on this organization! We are forever grateful for his leadership!”
Rosenberg noted several milestones during White’s tenure as SVP, including that more than 10,000 Exchange Teammates promoted to higher positions during White’s leadership (1,340 new managers); more than 1,000 associates were hired; and nearly 900 Veterans and more than 3,600 spouses were hired. Rosenberg also said there has been $27.9 billion in sales and $2.2 billion in earnings out of Eastern Region during White’s leadership.
That’s a long way from when White started as a teen who didn’t know that much about the organization or the military that it supported.
“It was just a place to make some money,” he said. “But I was fortunate enough to start at Fort Myer.” The northern Virginia base, now part of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, was close to Arlington National Cemetery. “Right across from the stables for the caisson that did all the funerals. I saw the funerals, and I was able to go to the cemetery because I worked nearby. That made an impression on me that this is something I can respect.”
A native of the area, White is the son of a longtime District of Columbia police officer, and his mother worked on Capitol Hill for more than 30 years. He expected to pursue a career in civil service.
“But I started at the Exchange, and one thing led to another,” he said. “I had good managers who saw something in me that I didn’t see and helped me along the way, pushed me in the right direction.”
By the time White earned his bachelor’s degree from George Mason University in nearby Fairfax, he had put in five or six years at the Exchange. After working various positions at Fort Myer, he was promoted into a management position at the Andrews Air Force Base Exchange. But the next move would take him away from northern Virginia. Far away.
“Tom Harmon, who was the HR manager at the old Cameron Station in the Capitol Exchange Region, came to me and said, ‘I’ve got a great offer for you. I can send you up to Thule, Greenland. I give you a promotion, you go up there for a year, and if you do a good job, you’ll come out with another promotion.’”
He did have to part with the Buick Special, which he still owned when he transferred. “I gave it to my brother,” he said. “He got a few good years out of it, too.”
Thule practically defines “remote”: It’s 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and Thule Air Base is the U.S. military’s most northernmost installation. Working there made an impression on White.
“It gave me an opportunity to make lifelong friendships with people who were in the Air Force at the time,” White said. “I was 23 years old, and they took me under their wing. We had a staff that was a mix of local-national Danish associates and off-duty Air Force members who helped us run the theater and restock the store. They helped me see, through their perspective, what service was.”
After Greenland, White worked in management positions at Exchanges at Langley AFB, Virginia,; Aviano Air Base, Italy; Comiso Air Base, Sicily; and at RAF Alconbury/Chicksands, United Kingdom.
“As a young manager, my most challenging assignment was Comiso Air Base,” he said. “It was during the height of cruise-missile protests. I recall going to work in Sicily when there’d be protesters jumping on the car and rocking it as it went into the installation. The workforce was all local-nationals with a few off-duty military. It was another group of people who made sure I was successful.”
White later returned to Fort Myer as general manager before serving for two years as executive assistant, Exchange Washington Office and the Pentagon. In 1998, he returned to Europe to work at Bitburg/Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, eventually becoming general manager at Ramstein Air Base’s Kaiserslautern Military Community. He returned to the U.S. to be general manager at Fort Campbell and was soon promoted to area manager, Omaha Area, Exchange Central Region, in 2003.
In September 2005, White was named vice president, Western Region. In November 2006, he moved to the Merchandising Directorate to serve as vice president of Hardlines. In October 2007, he became senior vice president of Eastern Region, a position he has held for 15 years, making him the longest-running current regional SVP.
Two other regional SVPs, Western Region’s Ronny Rexrode and Central’s Jesse Martinez, worked with White as Eastern region vice presidents.
“I think what I’m probably most proud of is seeing the great people who have worked with me and made me successful move up in the organization,” White said. “And seeing the success of my current group. It’s one of the strongest teams. After 15 years, most of the people in this region have been with me eight, 10, 12 years. They get my quirks.”
Those teammates have been with White through numerous natural disasters, including Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve all been through so many storms that it has just been second nature,” he said. “No matter what is thrown in front of this team, we just react and take care of the customer and take care of the business. I tend to forget all the things we’ve gone through because they’re second nature to this team.
“Eastern Region has a reputation for excellence,” he added. “I think you build that over the years. I think my biggest legacy is the people. I want people to say about me, ‘Bob took care of his folks. He gave them the opportunities to bring out their fullest potential. Because that’s what happened to me. I had people who saw something in me who helped me realize my potential.”
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