Management
Vets filling the employment gap
Lord: When this idea came together,
it was solely a communication board
or a check board for companies
to connect with veterans seeking
employment. But today Vets 2 Techs
is a nonprofit organization that is active
primarily within the North Eastern
States. However, we have worked
with clients throughout the U.S.
ICM: You specifically seem to be
targeting the propane, HVAC and
heating oil markets for placement.
How did you land on that group?
Lord: Well, the whole reason that
we began within the Fuel Oil and
Propane industry is when I left the
military 2016, I worked primarily
within these industries. I attended
meetings and repeatedly heard that
recruitment and the lack of younger
individuals coming into the industry
was a serious problem. It was
through a serendipitous event that
I meet Gerry Brian and he told me
about this connectivity platform that
they attempted to put together called
Vets 2 Techs.
As a veteran myself, I was very
interested. Gerry explained to me the
biggest issue they faced with the
program was reaching the veteran
community. They had the companies
and they had the positions, however,
they couldn’t really get in front of
the veterans to tell them about the
options that were available and the
benefits that the industry has to
offer.
So, we partnered-up and started expanding
the program for about six or
seven months until by luck, we found
Jon Skipper.
Jon, at the time was running
the veterans employment
Outreach Program for the State
of Pennsylvania. He had the
information to bring it all together.
At the time, we could only make a
case to a potential employer of why
they should hire veterans focusing
primarily on the values and quality
of the individual. However, there
was an argument that we were
completely unaware of that Jon
brought to light and that was the
financial and business argument.
He told us about programs that were
available on the State and Federal
levels that were specifically created
to, not only help the veteran, which is
important to all of us, but also benefit
the company that would be hiring the
veteran.
In 2011, the Department of
Defense (DOD) identified a huge
unemployment rate among veterans.
They created a long list of programs
that our tax dollars pay for that
are available to any company that
hires a veteran candidate. I, myself
a veteran, had no idea that half of
these programs were out there.
It was Jon who brought this full
circle allowing us to extol the virtues
of veteran candidates and offer the
strong business argument that is
financially beneficial to the company
hiring.
Jesse Lord served in the
United States Army for 8 years.
Throughout his Career and as
a senior weapons sergeant
with the 7th special forces. He
was formally recognized and
awarded for his contributions,
dedication and leadership 19
times Including the Bronze Star
medal for his exceptionally
meritorious service during
combat operations in
Afghanistan throughout
Operation Freedom’s Sentinel
and Resolute Support Missions.
Vets2 Techs has a very
specific mission:
"To help provide a
stream of professional
talent, consisting of
military veterans to the
liquid energy industry
and its stakeholders."
Wanting to know more,
ICM chatted with two
of Vets 2 Techs'
founders, Jesse Lord
& Jon Skipper.
4 ICM/September/October 2019