company can offer him/her
salary, training and housing
at no cost during that entire
time.
ICM: So, from the oil or
propane dealer’s point of view,
and I don’t want to sound
callous, but it sounds to me
like if I get a inquiry for a job
from a vet, the first thing that
should come to my mind is
dollar signs. I can train him/
her inexpensively. I can get
him/her health care inexpensively.
I can get tax benefits for
hiring them and probably get
a quality person at the same time.
There’s a real benefit for me from a
business standpoint aside from all
the altruistic reasons. I might want
to hire someone who gave“X” number
of years of his/her life to serving the
country but there is also something
in that for me.
ICM: What can be done to help make
this program better, more efficient
and wider in scope?
Lord: Being a non-profit, it always
comes down to the money. We
started this with a lot of volunteer
hours. Fortunately, individuals like
Mr. Skipper are out there and as we
begin to take on a larger operational
area and become more detailed in
our programs and our process, we
will need more like him as well as
the supporting roles needed in a
company to continue to expand. I
can tell you right now, if we had
the ability, would love to bring on
another two Jon Skippers.
Support from donations is always an
option and very much appreciated.
Companies that are looking to build
privatized programs is another way
to support us.
For a company that would really just
like to support our cause and help us
expand this, we ask that you reach
out to us to talk about your program
so we can identify how we can help
you and teach you how to finish.
Following a conversation like that,
or if you’ve already used our service
and hired a veteran, we ask that you
contact your State executive and
champion a proposal specific to the
association and how we can work
together so that other companies
and vets can benefit.
ICM: For the company putting
postings on your site and for the vet,
there’s no cost for any of this. It all
sounds like a labor of love. However,
there are costs associated with
maintaining any program. Do you
exist on donations or will you put
together a fee-for-service program?
Lord: We can. Not every company
out there has the money to donate
or build a program. I have never
once, nor will Jon ever say “no” if
a company picks up the phone and
Bob from ABC fuel calls and says,
Hey, I’m looking for only one driver,
I got four trucks and I want to hire
a vet. I don’t care if Bob will never,
ever support us financially or even
vocally. If Bob’s going to hire a
veteran...I’m going to help him.
ICM: How about a larger company
with ongoing employment activity
that might want to use your recourses
on a regular basis? They should
either donate or set up an ongoing
pay-for-service program, correct?
Lord: If you are a larger company
and you haven’t invested any time
or research into veterans programs,
I highly recommend that you reach
out to us. An hour of your time for
us to understand your program and
some recommendations could make
a huge financial difference.
But, as for a pay-for- service
agreement, that is something
that depends upon on
the level of engagement that
a company is looking for.
Any company, no matter
how large or small can take
advantage of programs specifically
designed to benefit
them both. Our involvement
is not necessarily a recurring
thing. We are not a
headhunting company. We
are a not-for-profit company
recruitment company. For
a fee we can build a system
with your staff, with your HR director
and your training staff. We build
a program that is certified in the
eyes of the DOD or the VA together.
This is all being run as a team so
that two months after we’re done installing
the entire system and going
through the certification process and
conducting outreach, we can we can
step back so that our role becomes
one of assistance or support.
We also conduct veteran engagements
where we bring vets and
companies together in a job fair-type
setting.
Companies can set up tables at a
military unit event where the soldiers
may be training. The soldiers
are briefed before hearing the types
of positions available and the pay
range. Once they hear about the possibilities,
there is often a line at each
table.
There is a very large and very capable
workforce out there, and more
as time goes on. With the quality
of the candidates and the financial
programs available, I hope every
company that sees this will consider
hiring a vet. ICM
facebook.com/Vets2TechsUSA
www.Vets2.org
VET 2 Tech Leadership Team
Leo Verruso, Co-Founder, Veterans Education and Transition Services.
General Manager, Advanced Fuel Solutions, Inc.
Gerry Brien, Co-Founder, Veteran Education and Transition Services.
Senior Vice President, The TankSure Program
Jesse Lord, Co-Founder, Veteran Education and Transition Services.
Account Executive, Accelerated Revenue Management Solutions
Jon Skipper,Co-Founder & Northeastern Director of Training and Education,
Veteran Education and Transition Services
8 ICM/September/October 2019