130 Years of Family Serving Family: Melissa and Brian Culberson, HQ

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 130 years of family serving family

Who they are: Melissa Culberson, buyer III, small appliances and vacuums; and husband Brian Culberson, Human Resources technician, headquarters

Years at the Exchange: Melissa, 17 years; Brian, 19 years

Military connections: Both of Melissa’s grandfathers served in the Army, with her paternal grandfather receiving a Purple Heart.

Brian’s grandfather was in the Army for 22 years, with two tours in Vietnam. His dad served in the Army for four years. Toward the end of his father’s Army service, when he was stationed in Bremerhaven, Germany, he met Brian’s mother. They both worked at the Exchange in Germany and got married not long after meeting.

Exchange connections: Both of Brian’s parents worked at the Exchange. His mother, Diana Culberson, worked for the Exchange for 33 years, retiring as the vice president of Equal Employment Opportunity in Human Resources. His father, Charles Culberson III, retired as a shift manager at the Exchange headquarters Express after 31 years of service. Brian’s father deployed several times with the Exchange, most notably in Iraq and Bosnia. Brian’s brother, Charles Culberson IV, also worked in the food court at Burger King in Bitburg, Germany, for three years.

Including Brian, his parents, brother and wife, the Culberson family has a combined total of 102 years of Exchange tenure.

Growing up with the Exchange

Brian: “I grew up in Germany. I was born there and stayed there until I was about 7 or 8, and then we moved to the States for a few years. We were stationed in California, Colorado, Florida and then we went back over to Germany, where I graduated from high school at Kaiserslautern, or K-Town. My mom made sure we took full advantage of those MWR trips. We got to see all of Europe and just gain lifetime experiences that you can’t really get unless you’re in the military.

“I remember being a child model for the Exchange, where you dress up for the catalog or put on the polos and walk down a runway. We [Brian and his brother] also did a photoshoot in the food court for the old onboarding website. I was included in that ‘Apply for the Exchange’ landing page for a few years.

“Both of my parents had careers of over 30 years each, so growing up I was always going to different military bases. I was like a military brat, but a hybrid, so an AAFES brat.”

Melissa: “He vividly remembers getting the toy catalog as a kid. When I became a toy buyer, I started thinking of Brian. I buy enough product for them because Brian said they would wait for the launch of a Nintendo or an Xbox system, and they’d only be allocated 3 or 4 units for the whole base. And I think about that too from my side, where I’m like, ‘These are very special things to these people that are there. So please don’t disappoint all the little Brians out there who want the best toys while being overseas, they deserve the same experience.’

“Same for sweepstakes items. If I had a sweepstakes in the toy book, I wanted to make sure we could send it to Japan or Germany, and those kids had the same opportunity to win as the kids have stateside. 

How they met

Melissa: “I interviewed for a food court position with the foreman at the time, Earl, and it was in this little, closet-like office. I vividly remember Brian bursting through the door, not realizing the boss was interviewing somebody.

“He was like, ‘Oh, sorry!’, but just had a smile on his face already. I specifically remember that Earl had this cute little nickname for him, Brain. Earl goes, ‘Hey, Brain, what can I do for you?’ They discussed what Brian was looking for, but before he leaves, Brian turns to me and says, ‘Hi!’ He didn’t know if he was going to see me again or not, but it was so unique. I can pinpoint the moment I met him, and I remembered his smile forever.

“His joy is what drew me to him. He exudes this joy and kindness, and I still remember the first moment I met him. He still keeps that smile on his face to this day. I thought that was just a cool thing that I’ll never forget. The start of my career was also the day that I met him.”

Memorable moments on the job

Melissa: “My dream at the Exchange was to be a toy buyer and as part of that dream, I got to go TDY to Mattel and Hasbro headquarters. They have life-size Hot Wheels cars, a big Darth Vader and a Mr. Potato Head that is 10 feet tall.”

Brian fondly remembers taking a franchise course before becoming a restaurant manager.

Brian: “The Exchange invested the time and resources into me and into my career to open up and run the Subway franchise for our headquarters. Getting to be one of those managers entrusted with that responsibility really gave me that chance to shine.”

A family affair

This Culberson couple welcomed their second child in January, and their Exchange co-workers threw the couple a baby shower in November.

Melissa: “It’s amazing to think that the interview I had in January 2008 has led to an entire family. And we’re just so opposite. He comes from a legacy of Exchange employees, and I didn’t even know what the Exchange was when I applied.

“Now I get to continue and be part of that legacy. It’s just an amazing company to work for. The people we’ve met and the experiences we’ve had are just very unique, and it’s a privilege to be here.”

Brian: “Still to this day, I have people say, ‘Are you so and so’s son? How are Diana and Charlie doing in retirement?’ There’s a family connection that you don’t really lose that I haven’t seen in the outside civilian side.

“It sounds corny, but to me, the Exchange is always a work family. We take care of each other.

“It’s a workplace community that is still a real community.”

Family Serving Family

Melissa: “These service members are risking their lives for me, which is generally something you would only do for a family member. So, they are considering me family.

“It is a privilege for me to be able to provide a service or good that may bring them a bit of comfort or joy and remind them of home. That is an honor. We are each other’s family because they are risking their life for me.”

Brian: “I really enjoy being able to assist our Exchange associates directly with my HR position for employment verifications. I feel a sense of accomplishment to be able to do that process for them in a timely manner, but also knowing the impact of doing this action, they can move forward with whatever they’re trying to do.

“I always enjoy helping our associates directly and watching the butterfly effect of that interaction. If I help out, say John at the food court, he’s happier that day. So, he gives the extra big smile for the next service member, and so on.”