• DALLAS 

Darryl Porter, the senior vice president (SVP) of Services and Food with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), retired after a 36-year career with the Exchange.

Porter will be replaced by Denise Hunter, who was formerly vice president (VP), Services Operations. 

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN 

Porter grew up in Mineral Springs, Ark. — a city of fewer than 1,500 people. 

He began his Exchange career at Fort Hood, Texas, as a college trainee at the Management Training Center. He completed his on-the-job training at Little Rock AFB, Ark., before being assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he became sales area manager in late 1989. 

“I’d never been west in my life,” he said. “My family didn’t really travel. And at the time, there was a lot going on at Bliss. Even to this day, Fort Bliss has been a huge part of my career.” 

Porter remained at Fort Bliss until late 1992, working in sales area manager and assistant retail manager positions. 

MAKING IT IN MEADE 

In December 1992, he got a change of scenery when he moved to serve as the PX stockroom manager at Fort Meade, Md., about 30 miles northeast of Washington, D.C. 

“That was one of my favorite jobs,” he said. “I liked driving a forklift, loading trucks and wearing steel-toed boots. I felt at home. I guess because I worked so hard, it’s really where my career took off.” 

He found that growing up in a small town, he had to adapt to the more populous area, but he had a head start. 

“I’d already experienced that by going to the University of Arkansas,” he said. “I’d gone from a town where there were 42 kids in my high school class to a major university, so I’d already been a fish out of water. It was hard to get acclimated to so many people in one room — there could be more people in one room than there were in my hometown.” 

It was in Maryland where he decided to commit to a career with the Exchange. He’d received a job offer that would have doubled his salary. He declined the offer after talking to his father.  

“He said, ‘Son, don’t leave your government job for a private-sector job; as soon as something goes down, they’re going to let you go. Don’t do that.’ So I didn’t. I wasn’t unhappy with AAFES at the time, and I liked the people I was working with.” 

At Meade, he and his wife bought their first home, when he was 25 years old, but they weren’t in the house very long before Porter received another assignment, this time on an island.  

ISLAND IN THE SUN (AND STORMS) 

In September 1994, Porter PCS’d to Puerto Rico, where he became operations manager at the Fort Buchanan Exchange.  

He worked in Puerto Rico until 1996. During the time he was there, 11 hurricanes and tropical storms hit the island. 

“The big one was Hurricane Luis, which came through in ’95,” he said. “That was something. I probably still have a recording of it on a VHS tape somewhere. It was crazy. You couldn’t get off the island because the airports were closed, so there was nowhere to go. You just hunkered down.” 

But Porter loved Puerto Rico. The people there reminded him of people from his home town. He felt at home and he loved his job.  

“The store manager was Matt Mennona and the sales and merchandise manager was Edil Quinones,” Porter said. “We would carpool together. I moved on post for a while — that was the only time I’d ever lived on post — and you’d see customers living across the street. I really enjoyed that assignment. The only thing that was difficult was being so far away from home.” 

The next move, in 1996, brought him closer to home. 

BACK TO TEXAS 

In October 1996, Porter became sales and merchandise manager at the NASJRB Fort Worth, Texas, Exchange, roughly 40 miles from Exchange headquarters in Dallas. 

After about three-and-a-half years at Carswell, Porter moved to headquarters, where he worked in a newly created “Cyber” Region, which provided resources to Internet, catalog, direct marketing, call centers and financial marketing functions. 

“I was a merchandise manager on the Hardlines side,” Porter said. “I got more of an appreciation for what buyers do. Online shopping was still in its infancy at the time. 

“Mike Beverly, who was the chief operating officer (COO), wanted a certain amount of items online,” he continued. “So we were looking everywhere we could to put stuff online.  

“And it was all done manually — we didn’t have the technologies we have today. But it was fun going to conferences and going out buying and talking to vendors.” 

After about a year and a half at headquarters, there was another change of scenery.  

BACK TO THE DESERT 

“When 9/11 happened, I was at headquarters,” Porter said. “We were frantic because we thought, ‘This is a federal building — it could be a target. We need to know what’s going on.’ 

“There was a lot of silence. Everyone was watching one TV. Tears were falling.” 

Less than two months later, Porter was assigned to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., where he became store manager in late October 2001.  

Less than three years later, he was promoted to general manager (GM) and oversaw the opening of a new BX at Davis-Monthan AFB. 

“I was a hero in that little community because we brought all these new food concepts in,” he said. “There was a Popeyes and a Starbucks. They gave me the credit for it, but I didn’t do anything — I think it had been planned for years. I just happened to be there when it came to fruition.” 

From September 2006 to September 2009, Porter was GM at the JB San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Exchange.  

MOVING UP 

Back when Porter was working at NAS JRB Fort Worth, one of his bosses was Bob Stack, who was main store manager. Porter met Bob’s wife Karen, who would ultimately become chief Logistics officer and executive vice president (EVP) before she retired in early 2024. 

“Karen Stack probably played the most impactful role in helping me throughout my career,” Porter said. “I’m an introvert. I don’t know why, but she pushed me and put me into positions where I could be exposed to people who could help me.” 

After Javier Cerna moved to another position, Karen Stack replaced him as chief of Western Region. 

“She’s the one who moved me to Fort Sam Houston,” Porter said. “And she’s the one who made me Western Region area manager, which is now a VP job.”  

As area manager, Porter oversaw operations throughout the Southwest at stores in San Antonio, West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. 

“The thing I liked about it was helping junior managers come up,” he said. “Everybody did really good at the time. We had some good results.”  

After about a year as area manager, Porter joined the Store Operations team, then became VP of Career Management and Talent in Human Resources (HR).  

He worked there until 2015, when he shifted to VP of Services and Commercial Leasing. 

“I’d always liked operations, and Services was getting back into operations, really,” he said. “But I enjoyed HR. I have a greater appreciation for it than I had prior to being in that role, because I could see how impactful it is.   

“We’re only as good as the people we employ, so trying to attract talent and help that talent appreciate the mission was rewarding.” 

After more than five years as VP of Services, Porter became VP of Food in December 2020. 

Having been VP of Services and VP of Food, Porter became SVP of both in July 2021. Both sides have thrived during his tenure, adding scores of self-service 24/7 stores, cell towers and new brand-name restaurants every year. 

“It’s going to be weird to not look at my email every 30 seconds, with someone telling me about a new requirement,” Porter said. “We get a lot of support from the field in making things happen, with services business managers and region chiefs.  

“We have bakeries, we have food plants, we have the School Meal Program overseas. I’d take calls or have meetings at 6 o’clock in the evening then go home and get right back online.”  

RETIREMENT  

Porter never deployed, but did get to travel a lot during his time at the Exchange, spanning the Southwest when he was area manager and visiting bakeries and plants in Germany and in the Pacific Region.  

As a retiree, he is looking forward to settling down. 

“I don’t really have any plans other than to decompress. I’m just blessed to have an opportunity to retire. 

“My parents are older. They’re still in Arkansas. So my biggest plan, I think, is to see after them. I’ve been trying to get there once every three months or so, and now I need to increase that cadence.”  

“FAMILY SERVING FAMILY”  

“Family serving family” has left its mark on Porter after 36 years at the Exchange. 

“I think we embody those words,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a cliché. I think we live that.  

Exchange associates are all about that. Taking care of the military and taking care of each other.” 

 

Source: AAFES 

Edited by Larry Lapka