These Central Region associates understand the meaning of Family Serving Family and Serving the Best Customers in the World. They go above and beyond to ensure that the Exchange is providing service and a taste of home no matter where they serve. Thank you, Carlos Garcia, Rachel Estrada and Vuong Pham!
Carlos Garcia
Food Service Worker, Main Food Court
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston
Carlos Garcia is being recognized for his outstanding performance, dedication and exceptional attention to detail. Carlos consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to operational excellence, food safety and supporting the success of the food court team. In his overhead role, Carlos takes great pride in making sure that all assigned tasks are completed accurately, efficiently and to the highest standards. His responsibilities include maintaining food safety and sanitation standards, monitoring product quality, organizing and maintaining storage areas, ensuring proper stock rotation, supporting inventory control, receiving, storing products correctly and maintaining a clean and organized work environment. He consistently makes sure that equipment, preparation areas and back-of-house operations are always inspection-ready. Carlos’ work was instrumental in the success of our most recent Subway Brand Assessments, where the team achieved outstanding scores of 99.1% and 95%. His focus on cleanliness, organization, food safety compliance, and adherence to brand standards significantly contributed to these excellent results. He routinely goes above and beyond to address potential issues before they become concerns. Carlos is dependable, takes ownership of his responsibilities, and consistently demonstrates a positive attitude while supporting his teammates. His willingness to assist wherever needed, combined with his strong work ethic, makes him an asset to our organization. Carlos Garcia exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding associate through his professionalism, commitment to food safety and passion for operational excellence.
Rachel Estrada
Services Business Operations Assistant
Little Rock AFB Exchange
Within a month of transitioning into her role as services operations assistant, Rachel seamlessly assumed full services business manager (SBM) responsibilities while her SBM was on leave. Rachel demonstrated exceptional organizational skills. She successfully managed several high-impact initiatives, including the acquisition of five short-term vendors, along with two food trucks. Rachel has also launched Fan Stand, bringing $28,732 in sales since opening in April, and the opening of Anatolia Mediterranean Grill, bringing in $40,000 in its first month. Rachel’s drive brought a 10.9% increase in sales and a 14% increase in income. Rachel efficiently balanced these complex projects while maintaining the daily operational duties of both positions while her spouse was deployed. Her dedication makes her a true cornerstone of our team. We look forward to her continued impact on Little Rock Services.
Vuong Pham
Barbershop Owner
Fort McCoy Exchange
Vu is a high-impact leader who delivers measurable results while strengthening the Exchange mission. After more than 20 years of service, he elevated his contribution by signing the barbershop contract in June 2025, assuming full operational responsibility for Fort McCoy, Wisconsin; Twin Cities, Minnesota, and Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. His unwavering support has helped Fort McCoy, with his sales of $148.5K YTD or 29.75% above financial plan and 14.6% above prior year, giving the Exchange $11,600 YTD in earnings! These results were driven by his disciplined execution, elevated service standards and a relentless focus on the customer experience. Vu leads from the front, maintaining direct engagement with customers and associates, building trust, driving loyalty and ensuring consistent, high-quality performance across all locations. He has established a culture of accountability, ownership and pride, while strengthening partnerships with command and the community. Vu consistently delivers results, develops people, and executes at a high level—creating an environment where every customer leaves with a lasting positive experience.
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