With food and hospitality as the starting point, leaders from the military exchange community united at Exchange headquarters to strengthen partnerships and share ideas that support those who serve.
Leaders from the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), and Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) gathered in Dallas in late March for the first summit focused on enhancing collaboration with food, services and fuel.
The summit began with an initial focus on food operations, but planning quickly revealed additional areas where the three military retailers can benefit from shared time and aligned problem-solving. Five participants attended from NEXCOM and MCX, mainly from services, food and fuel departments. Discussions included opportunities across services and vending, health and wellness, telecom, fuel, procurement, real estate and merchandising.
“The goal is to learn from one another and identify practical ways to align efforts that support the shared mission,” said Danita Jones, Exchange vice president of food and theater. “Collaboration includes shared services, coordinated initiatives and leveraging collective buying power where it makes sense.”
During overview presentations, each exchange shared operational trends, challenges, opportunities and successes, while giving peers a closer look at how each organization is structured and initiatives are executed.
“We aim to establish consistent standards for our kitchens and fresh food,” said Ric Pomeroy, MCX deputy director of Morale, Recreation and Welfare and hospitality. “I hope to learn best practices and understand how other exchanges serve their communities at this summit.”
Attendees highlighted examples already in motion, such as school meal program agreements; shared procurement processes; approaches to military feeding; uniform regulatory updates; and name-brand fast food portfolio optimization. All this can be expanded to reduce duplication of effort and improve outcomes for all three organizations.
As collaboration grows, leaders emphasized the importance of clear guardrails such as aligning organizational structures, strategies and priorities; understanding differences in military branch oversight; and accounting for funding considerations. This way, initiatives remain mission-focused and executable.
“The goal is to leave here with new information and to encourage collaboration,” said Dennis Wilkerson, NEXCOM vice president of food, fuel and service operations. “I found the Exchange [self-service markets] particularly interesting; they seem more portable, and I am eager to learn more about this venture I appreciate the hospitality from the Exchange, and I look forward to our next summit. Hopefully, we can maintain this momentum.”
Dallas was selected as the preferred location for the inaugural gathering, with the Exchange leading planning and hosting at headquarters. Hosting responsibilities will rotate annually among the three organizations.
“The exchanges are not competitors, but partners united in a shared commitment to serving Warfighters,” said Exchange Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Marla Randolph. “By working together across every line of business, the exchanges can be stronger, faster and more effective for those they serve.”
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