One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 130 years of family serving family
Who she is: Sue Antonello, Fort Rucker Exchange visual merchandiser manager
Years at the Exchange: 33
What brought her to the Exchange: Sue Antonello grew up as a military brat, with a father who served 22 years in the Army specializing in mechanical aviation. Her childhood looked different from that of many American kids. While much of her youth was spent at Fort Rucker, she also lived in Panama—where her mother was from and where she visited often—as well as Fort Stewart, Georgia and Hanau, Germany. As an adult, she lived in Italy at USAG Vicenza, where she later attended college on the installation, studying public affairs. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in business.
She earned two associate degrees —one in art and one in science—before completing her bachelor’s degree in business in 2012 while working as a visual merchandiser manager. She made a deliberate decision to shift her major to business, recognizing how it complemented her retail experience and leadership role. While raising a family with two children, she achieved these academic milestones with the support of the Exchange’s tuition assistance program.
“It was fantastic, I would never change that,” Antonello said. “Everybody goes to college, but I was able to also gain experience and travel Europe. I would never trade it.”
Her Exchange journey began in 1990 at the Burger King in Vicenza, but after realizing food service wasn’t her passion, she moved into a floater position. After a fire at the Vicenza Exchange main store during inventory, she left the Exchange to focus on school in 1992 before returning to the Fort Rucker Exchange in 1994.
Back in the States, she worked in the cashier’s cage while continuing her education. She later transitioned into a visual merchandiser role, drawn by her passion for art, design and creativity—an innate ability that naturally aligned with the position. She credits the Exchange with providing the flexibility needed to balance work, school and family life.
She still maintains the friendships she made overseas; she recently returned from visiting friends in Italy she met more than 30 years ago, including the very first friend she made while working at the Caserma Ederle Burger King in Vicenza.
Antonello has been the visual merchandiser manager for 23 of her 27 years as a VM, describing herself and other visual merchandisers as “jacks of all trades.”
“I like my job a lot,” she said. “This is the most suited for me because I like to be creative. It keeps me pretty busy. But it’s very exciting as well.”
Most memorable Exchange experience: “I’ve been able to go TDY,” she said. Her first TDY was to the now‑defunct Fort Gillem in 1999 to help prepare for a general managers conference, where she met other visual merchandisers she still keeps in touch with today. “I’ve made lifelong friends.”
She has also gone to Redstone Arsenal, Keesler Air Force Base and Fort Bragg in 1999, Fort Hood in 2015 and USAG Humphreys in South Korea in 2017 to assist with its grand openings.
During one visit to the Fort Rucker PX, she met her husband, Antony, while visiting another associate-turned-friend. They have now been married for 27 years.
Exchange through the years: Antonello recalls a time when the Exchange employed its own mechanics and chefs. “We used to have associates who worked as mechanics and cooks,” she said. “They were short-order cooks—like at a diner—who would whip up your food on the spot.” The mechanics serviced vehicles in the AutoPrides, while the cooks worked in food courts and at airfields.
Family serving family: “The military community is our family, and I take pride and ownership in how we serve them,” she said.
She also remembers a general manager telling her orientation group, “When you see trash on the floor, you pick it up. You wouldn’t go to your grandmother’s house and just walk over trash. You’re going to pick it up because they’re family.”
That message stuck with her. “We’re not just a team—this is our home, too. You take care of your environment and each other because we’re a family. That’s ‘family serving family.’”
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