One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 130 years of family serving family.
Who he is: Steve Iosefo, replenishment allocation specialist, HQ
Years with the Exchange: 4 years
Military connections: Iosefo’s father served in the Army for 23 years.
“I grew up an Army brat,” he said. “I was born and raised in Hawaii, then lived in Washington, Germany and then Texas where I went to high school.”
Before the Exchange: Iosefo worked for contractor Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) as a recreation lead in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2004 to 2007, helping run sports and fitness contests with service members. From 2007 to 2012 he worked for Engineering Solutions & Products, issuing military gear at installations worldwide.
“I did a lot of traveling to different military installations, handing out uniform parts and showing troops how to use them before heading off to contingency areas,” he said.
What brought him to the Exchange: “When the war started to wind down, the contractor positions were eliminated and I ended doing various jobs in sales and with the school district in Killeen, Texas,” he said. “I knew I wanted to get back to military work somehow.”
Best part of working for the Exchange: “My favorite part of the job is being able to track the product and make sure it gets where it needs to go,” he said. “Especially for the locations overseas. That’s where my heart really is since I spent so much time there working with MWR.
“People who are over there miss home, so it’s exciting to see their reactions and their faces light up when there’s a piece of home stocked in their Exchange they weren’t expecting.”
Memorable moments: “Growing up as an Army brat, I always went to the Exchange,” he said. “Especially in Germany when I was in middle school and early high school, I loved being able to go there and get Burger King, California Cookies, Frank’s Franks hot dogs—we made that whole PX a hangout for all the American kids.”
Family Serving Family: “I definitely see this as my career now, as high as I can go,” he said. “I love being at the Exchange and don’t know why I didn’t choose it longer ago.
“I’ve always wanted to give back to the troops and their families because of the time I spent with them at one point in time. The way the Exchange takes care of people and works to make our service members happy is huge—I love being part of that.”
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