One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 130 years of family serving family
Who she is: Sophelia Gibson, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Exchange softlines sales area manager
Years at the Exchange: 29
First role at the Exchange: “I started here on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst at the warehouse in the stockroom.”
Military connections: Gibson’s family has a long history of military service. “My father was in the Army. He served four years as a medic. My grandfather was in the Navy and served in World War II. My uncle was also in the Army and served in Vietnam. I have a lot of cousins who’ve joined the Marines, Navy and Army too.”
What brought her to the Exchange: “I was searching for a job with a temp agency. I was told about a job here, so I ended up applying and became an associate. My dad got out of the Army when I was young, so I wasn’t familiar with the Exchange, but I was eager to learn more once I got here.”
Her Exchange career: Gibson became a reorder associate after starting in the warehouse. She was later moved to Services, where she worked as an assistant. She also held the role of price coordinator and revisited the role of reorder associate before becoming the sales area manager in softlines.
“My career has been good. I still love what I do to this day. I am someone that likes to keep learning. That’s what brings me joy.”
Memorable moments: “My trip to Korea in 2017 was one I could never forget. I met different people from all over the world, and we brought the USAG Humphreys store from the ground to the grand opening. I’ve only been here at this base my whole career. To go out to another country and see how we operate was eye-opening for me. I got to visit Yongsan and Osan as well. I got to see Seoul, too, and that was very special.
“I also got my service business manager certificate, even though I was an assistant. My mentors at the time worked in headquarters and had me train for seven months. Every month, I was in a different state training for this. Everything I needed to learn was broken down from A to Z in class. Other than being away from my home and family, I loved it. It was a lot of work, but it was a great learning experience. It’s a good feeling to understand your job and know how to do it correctly. When you know what you are doing, you can bring a better experience for the shoppers too.”
Family Serving Family: “Family is everything to me. We’re always out here to help families. I look at everyone’s family like they’re my own. If they need a hand, I’m always willing to help that person because they’re my family too.”
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