Rear Adm. (Sel.) Glenn C. Robillard, SC, USN, and his family have always relied on the NEX wherever they were stationed. Now that he is at the helm of

the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), the new commander and chief executive officer (CEO) is taking pride and joy in carrying out the NEXCOM mission, and strength-ening the connections among the Exchange Service, the Navy, Sailors and their families, and the installations NEX-COM serves. In this two-part interview, which is continued in next month’s 65th anniversary salute to NEXCOM, Robil-lard shines a bright light on the efforts of his headquarters and district staff toward delivering the best possible value to patrons and the military; the “Premier Customer Service” he has seen in evidence at store level that is forging ever-stronger bonds with customers, and a full slate of partner-ship initiatives that add up to one “caring, committed and connected” Navy Family exchange benefit.

On how his Supply Corps experience and training have prepared him to take on his

new command …

Providing goods and services to Sailors has always been a core mission of Supply Corps officers, and that is exactly what the mission of NEXCOM is ... only on a much larger scale. Being a Supply Officer is great preparation for the job, and resale is a natural extension of that. Our varied and chal-lenging assignments teach us to be resourceful, flexible and creative problem-solvers. These are great attributes for any job, but especially for a job so extensive and critical to our military’s quality of life.

I’ve learned to appreciate the science of retailing and marketing, which is entirely different from some of the op-erations science I’ve experienced. However, when I talk with some of my fellow Supply Corps officers about my new job, it’s always eye opening. One thing that always stands out in the conversations is that this is really one of the areas where as a Supply Corps officer in the military, you get to experi-ence the full range of a business — from one end of the sup-ply chain to the other, and all the way to the point of contact with the customer.

On his experiences of Navy Exchanges during his career…

My family and I have always shopped our NEXs and commissaries wherever we have been stationed, from the smallest of exchanges such as NPS Monterey, Calif., to large stores at NB San Diego, Calif., and NS Norfolk, Va. We’ve always felt the benefit and pricing of commissaries and NEXs was to our advantage.

When deployed, my fondest memories of the NEXs were when pulling into port. It was always a great feeling. It was a time to shop for essentials, pick up a few souvenirs, get a phone card or a book, and just feel “a little bit of home.” I know that nearly every Sailor makes a visit to the NEX as one of their first stops when going ashore. Most would tell

‘It’s “a little bit of home,” no matter where you are stationed. I think it’s something that you’ll never be able to put on a bottom line but it really

makes a big difference.’ — NEXCOM Commander Rear Adm. (Sel.) Glenn C. Robillard, SC, USN

Caring, Connected and Committed

To Sailors and their Families

NEXCOM Commander and Chief Executive

Officer, Rear Adm. (Sel.) Glenn C.

Robillard, SC, USN

Robillard visits with store staff at NB San Diego, Calif.N

EXC

OM

Ph

OtO

FEBRUARY 2011 | 19EXChANGE and COMMISSARY NEWS

NEXCOM Interview

On his observations during store and district visits …

My goal for my first six months as NEXCOM com-mander was to go out and visit as many locations and associates as possible. Since August, I’ve been in the Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, California, Guanta-namo Bay, Guam, Japan and Singapore. I have found these visits to be of immeasurable value in terms of be-ing able to communicate to all our associates. It also provides the opportunity to see first hand the state of our facilities, and facilities under construction, as well as any issues an area may be experiencing.

Just as with our headquarters staff, our associates in the field are an incredibly talented and dedicated group of professionals with an enormous wealth of experience. Whether starting with the NEX or join-ing us from the business world, our associates in the field are some of the most committed people I have ever met. And most stay with us for a long time ... because they love what they do. I am so very proud to have such a great team in the field. They face the customer every day; they are the front line.

During my visits, one of the things I have been most struck by is the enthusiasm of our associates and the genuine concern they have for ensuring that the needs of our customers are met. This attitude is prevalent from the district vice presidents, cashiers and associates who all go above and beyond to pro-vide exceptional customer service. They truly know who their customers are, as many of them are mili-tary family members and retirees themselves. They understand the benefit and truly respect the sacrifices these military members make each and every day while protecting our freedoms.

The feeling that I get is that they are incredibly connected and committed to providing service to Sailors and their families, and are very connected to the bases that they serve.

Many general mangers and district managers serve as a department head on that installation’s staff. They are in lockstep with the commanding officer in

providing services to that base, which is criti-cal, because we are not just another retailer on the base. We are viewed as an essential ele-ment of that base’s quality of life.

On what it means to operate NEX-COM as a business, a benefit, and a Navy support command, while also

providing a dividend to morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) …

Yes, we are a business and operate like one. But I am very quick to remind everyone that foremost, we are a Navy Command, and that means we have a very specific set of rules and regulations that we must follow, and it’s my job to keep everything on track and in bal-ance. We have a primary mission ... to provide quality goods and services at a savings. Our stakeholders are our military members day in and day out. Our secondary mission is to provide dividends to MWR, and we continue to meet that obligation. In 2009, that dividend to MWR programs was just over $50 million.

you they love having a NEX; the ability to go there when they are overseas, it almost makes a service-member feel like they have gone back to the U.S. for a moment. It’s “a little bit of home,” no matter where you are stationed. I think it’s something that you’ll never be able to put on a bottom line but it really makes a big difference.

When stationed overseas in Italy, my family and I relied on our NEX for all the basics. We shopped the local economy on occasion, for the cultural experi-ence, but the NEX really made the overseas assign-ment affordable and comfortable for my family.

I think this is true of any overseas assignment; the fact that servicemembers have those stores re-ally is a force enabler. It also allows Sailors to take their families overseas, and maintain a quality of life closer to that which they are used to.

On his initial impressions of the expertise and professionalism of the

NEXCOM headquarters merchandising and retail operations staff …

“Incredibly talented” are probably the best words I could use to describe the headquarters staff. This talent has been at the heart of our incredible growth and success. They truly know, understand and appre-ciate who their customers are, and work hard each and every day to ensure they have what they need. They are also true professionals who understand the retail world and how to run a successful business. Some have come up through this organization; oth-ers have come directly from the commercial world. Together, they provide the right blend of experience and expertise to understand and exceed our custom-ers’ needs and expectations.

Robillard (far left) presents awards to the winners of the

humvee pull, during “Customer Appreciation Day” at Guanta-namo Bay, Cuba, in October

2010.

NEXCOM Commander Rear Adm. (Sel.) Glenn C. Robillard SC, USN, emphasizes that al-though NEXCOM is a business and operates like one, he is very quick to remind everyone that foremost, NEXCOM is a Navy Command, and that means the exchange service has “a very specific set of rules and regula-tions that we must follow, and it’s my job to keep everything

on track and in balance.”

NEX

CO

M P

hO

tO

EXChANGE and COMMISSARY NEWS20 | FEBRUARY 2011

NEXCOM Interview

resolution, which rose seven points in 2010. Other areas that showed increases were checkout, associ-ates, returns, store environment, pricing, sales flyers and merchandise. Just as important, both overseas and CONUS districts showed increases as well. Plus, for the first time, there are no NEXs with scores be-low 70.

I attribute a great deal of those strong scores to the associates embracing our Premier customer ser-vice training program. We view customer service as one of our key foundations and an area where we differentiate ourselves from other retailers.

This interview with NEXCOM Commander Rear Adm. (Sel.) Glenn C. Robillard, SC, USN, is contin-ued in next month’s 65th anniversary salute issue to NEXCOM.

—E and C NEWS

tions are held by military family members. We have a family mem-ber “continuity of employment” program that provides priority placement as they move with their active duty spouse, affording an opportunity for a long-term career with NEX.

We are also very excited to have hired our first associate through the NEXCOM Wounded Warrior Program. This program was estab-lished to provide employment op-portunities for severely wounded, ill and injured servicemembers and veterans who were wounded or be-came ill during their service in con-tingency operations.

We offer many developmental opportunities for associates, includ-ing a Tuition Assistance Program for degree-seeking associates, the Premier Customer Service Suite of Learning Tools, on-the-job learning, leadership development programs, supervisory and management skills development programs, retail nego-tiation skills training, and product knowledge training such as the Gemological Institute of America Accred-ited (GIA) Jewelry Professional.

On his message to the staff and associates of NEXCOM, worldwide …

I am honored to lead such an incredibly dedicated and committed team of professionals. I am not only the NEXCOM commander, I am their biggest fan.

We recently received the results of our 2010 Cus-tomer Satisfaction Index (CSI) survey. I’m happy to report that our score went up one point to 83. With a score that high, we rank among the upper tier of retailers in the U.S.; that’s quite an achievement. Our biggest jump in score came in the area of problem

On his sense of the contribution and commitment to the exchange mission

of NEXCOM’s industry partners …

Our industry partners are invaluable. They are truly an extension of the NEX team. Without them, we could not provide the level of excitement and enthusiasm for events such as our “Customer Ap-preciation” weekends, health and wellness festivals, and pet events, as well as our grand opening celebra-tions. These special events connect us with the Navy community and the installations they support. I had the chance to experience it firsthand in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, last October at the “Customer Appre-ciation Days,” and it was incredible. The Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and families really felt like they were valued and appreciated, and it couldn’t have happened without our vendor contributions. In fact, the vendors and celebrities made it all happen. We just hosted it. It’s the same with the new Kinect for Xbox 360 system donated to the Wounded Warrior program at Balboa [NMC San Diego, Calif.], NNSY Portsmouth, Va., and NNMC Bethesda, Md., again on behalf of our generous vendor. Those heroes re-ally felt appreciated!

On professional development, human resources and the important next steps

for the NEXCOM organization …

As I mentioned earlier, many of our associates have been with us for some time, so we need to be thinking more and more about succession planning. In a worldwide organization such as NEXCOM, there are many possibilities for our associates, not only training, but education, travel and even living and working overseas. It is important for our NEX leaders to encourage associates to take the initiative to learn new skills and job competencies as job re-quirements change, with a focus on flexibility and continual learning. One key is employing family members. Twenty-seven percent of our U.S. posi-

Premier Customer Service

According to NEXCOM Commander and Chief Executive Of-ficer Rear Adm. (Sel.) Glenn C. Robillard, SC, USN, “Premier customer service” is different from other training programs

because it is customized to the NEX. It combines fundamental customer service skills, such as smiling and making eye con-tact, along with NEX-specific programs and policies. One of the advanced modules, “Making It Right,” helps managers and supervisors develop techniques to confidently ad-dress issues and find viable solutions for our customers. “We’ve rolled this out to all our NEXs worldwide and are currently working on a model for our headquar-ters. Our associates have embraced this new training and put it to practical use, as you can see by our CSI scores,” Robillard reports.

“Finally,” he said, “I look forward to meeting each and every one of our associates in the months ahead, and know that we will continue to exceed customer expectations in everything we do.”

Premier Customer Service Chief Executive Of-

ficer Rear Adm. (Sel.) Glenn C. Robillard, SC, USN, “Premier customer service” is different from other training programs

because it is customized to the NEX. It combines fundamental customer service skills, such as smiling and making eye con-tact, along with NEX-specific programs and policies. One of the advanced modules, “Making It Right,” helps managers and supervisors develop techniques to confidently ad-dress issues and find viable solutions for our customers.

NEXCOM Commander Rear Adm. (Sel) Glenn C. Robillard SC, USN, (center) visits a facility with deputy under secretary of defense (DUSD) for Military Com-munity and Family Policy (MCFP) Robert L. Gordon, III (left), and NEXCOM Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Good. the new commander has found store- and district-level visits across CONUS and OCO-NUS to be of immeasurable value in terms of being able to communicate with NEXCOM associates and to observe firsthand the state of NEXCOM’s facilities.

EXChANGE and COMMISSARY NEWS22 | FEBRUARY 2011

NEXCOM Interview