Assistant Store Manager Austin Foust, #1086, Phenix City, Alabama, is proud to be a veteran and grateful for the opportunity to work alongside veteran associates at his store.

Austin learned to be a strong leader as a U.S. Marine Corps reservist. And during his 7 years at Publix, he’s seen many parallels between working in retail and serving in the Marines.

“From basic training to navigating challenges as a high-ranking leader, the camaraderie and teamwork I built with fellow Marines helped me overcome every obstacle,” he said. “It’s the same thing here at Publix. One person can’t run a store or department by themselves. We all need to work hard together to be successful.”

As we celebrate Veterans Day this month, Austin is thankful for Publix’s support of veterans throughout the company and the meaningful relationships he’s built with the veterans and military families at his store.

“I’m able to connect with fellow veterans from personal experience and offer advice to associates on how to cope while their family member is away,” he said.

Austin loves that Publix hires veterans and those with different abilities.

“There are veterans who were injured during deployment who have found a role that fits them at Publix,” he said. “There’s a place for everyone here, which means a lot to those who’ve served.”

Publix is a family — a big, 255,000-person one — with backgrounds from across the country and around the world. This article is part of a series featuring associates from a variety of backgrounds, age groups and cultures, and we love sharing their successes. We hope our articles help you learn a little more about your fellow associates who make up our Publix family.