Mike Immler Deputy Director, Army and Air Force Exchange Service
Mike Immler is the Deputy Director for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange). He is the first civilian Deputy Director supporting the Director/CEO in leading a worldwide retail organization serving military service members, retirees, and family members.
Mr. Immler's duties include developing a forward-looking, executable strategic plan; aligning policies, tactics and a legislative agenda to enable achievement of strategies; and overseeing procurement, General Counsel and the Enterprise Project Management Office. He is also responsible for the Real Estate directorate with annual construction projects over $150 million, and Business Development and Business Intelligence.
The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense. Established in 1895, the Exchange today is the 56th largest retail organization in the U.S. With annual revenue of $8.3 billion, the Exchange employs approximately 34,000 associates, including military personnel. In 2016, the Exchange produced $384 million in earnings, all reinvested into the military community.
The Exchange operates more than 2,700 facilities, including department and convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants, theaters, and other specialty retail businesses on military installations in all 50 states, five U.S. territories and 36 countries. Additionally, the Exchange operates an approximately $2.6 billion receivables credit card portfolio. In order to support combat readiness and provide foreign-based service members and their families with U.S. products, the Exchange also operates bakeries in Europe and Asia and water plants in Europe under six licenses from U.S. consumer goods companies, including Wonder Bread, Krispy Kreme and Culligan.
Mr. Immler holds a Juris Doctor from Samford University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Auburn University. He has attended professional leadership courses at the Air War College and Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. He is also a graduate of the National Security Course, National Defense University in Washington, D.C. Mr. Immler is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Urban Land Institute, Alabama Bar Association and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He also serves on the National Retail Federation Policy Council. In 2016, Mr. Immler was named a National Association of Corporate Directors Governance Fellow.
Mr. Immler came to the Exchange as an Attorney Advisor in 1986 and later became the Principal Deputy General Counsel. He served as the chief legislative counsel for the Exchange; he also handled all Exchange real estate legal matters.
In 2007, Mr. Immler was named Vice President for Real Estate Development in the Strategic Partnership directorate. He led privatization efforts for the Exchange in the Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) arena and the development of real estate models for Lifestyle Centers. Mr. Immler was instrumental in developing models with the Department of Defense as well as Departments of the Army and Air Force for implementing EUL legislation.
In October 2009, Mr. Immler became Vice President of the Strategic Planning and Partnerships Directorate. He introduced industry best practices into the strategic planning function that resulted in the development and implementation of the first Exchange five-year strategic plan. Mr. Immler was named Senior Vice President of the directorate in October 2010. He became Executive Vice President in March 2014.
Mr. Immler retired after 30 years as a Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve after having served on the staff of The Judge Advocate General of the Air Force and senior legal posts throughout the United States.
He received the Exchange's Extraordinary Achievement and Superior Accomplishment Awards as well as a Community Service Award for his volunteer work as a judge for the City of Duncanville Teen Court.