From Military Brat to Social Media Star: This Influencer Is Stealing the Spotlight at Yokota AB (With Video)

Meet Ricky Cabral, Yokota Air Base Exchange’s dynamic associate who’s taking social media by storm.

Cabral has been with the Exchange for 24 years and works as a sales area manager for the PowerZone department and manages the Military Clothing store. He’s garnered local fame and recognition from his energetic approach to producing social media content for the Yokota BX.

“I’m a military brat, an Air Force son,” Cabral said. “My dad is a retired master sergeant who also spent 11 years with the Department of Defense Dependents Schools for a combined 35 years of service. The majority of the time that I have been overseas has been in Japan. I grew up on Yokota, and I’m a part of the Yokota community.”

Many people on military bases are unaware of how goods arrive to the BX. Cabral, reflecting on his childhood experiences with the Exchange, became fascinated by the behind-the-scenes work needed to run the store. This interest led him to create videos showcasing operations at Yokota.

“One thing I never knew was what goes on behind the scenes,” he said.  “I took a lot of things for granted growing up on base, like the bakery or airline catering. I didn’t know where any of the stuff came from, and I thought it just magically appeared. So that’s what I try to highlight the operation of things and how it gets to the customer.”

The Yokota Exchange works with group commanders to schedule immersion tours and show introductory videos about Exchange resources for those newly arriving at the base.

“When we do an immersion tour, we reach out to a group commander and we show them the business of the Exchange and what we do. For instance, I created a short documentary about airline catering, how long it’s been in existence and how they serve the in-flight meals. During that tour, they are shown this video so that they would be more informed about the Exchange and how we benefit the community.

“We do these tours pretty frequently, and that has really helped build and continue the relations with Yokota because we’re not just seen as somebody trying to get a buck or whatnot. We show them the Quality of Life and what we’re giving back.”

Cabral has also created numerous videos on the Yokota AB Exchange Facebook page that show off the store’s exclusive deals and events. He credits some of the store’s success to the active engagement they receive from social media.

“We made a Black Friday video where I talked about different items that were going on sale and then posted it about four or five hours before, as people were lining up, and that one got a lot of views,” Cabral said. “It contributed to us being the second-best performing store in the region. We were up like 33% for Black Friday sales last year, and I think the social media aspect really helped.”

Customers regularly come up to Cabral about the videos he makes for social media and the store’s TVs.

“There is a buzz around Yokota that the Exchange is here for them,” he said. “Customers actively come up to me and say, ‘You guys are doing a lot.’ I credit our Yokota Exchange PA team because our monthly meetings really motivate me to come up with creative ideas. We do spousal tours and continue to keep the relations going with the community, and I can tell they really appreciate it.”