Why Hiring Veterans Should be on the Forefront of Your Recruiting Goals

Veterans help contribute to a company’s bottom line thanks to their leadership skills and work ethic. Here’s what some industry organizations and firms are doing to attract more veterans to the industry.

Why Hiring Veterans Should be on the Forefront of Your Recruiting Goals

Soldier holding machine gun with national flag

Across the U.S., businesses are looking to hire veterans, and veterans are looking to be hired.

On Veteran’s Day, it’s worth considering whether or not businesses in the integration industry could be doing more to focus on hiring veterans.

Who’s Hiring Veterans?

Industry associations such as NSCA have taken action towards recruiting more veterans to the AV industry.

The NSCA Education Foundation has established the Hester Scholarship, funded by a gift of $25,000 from Mike and Kiffie Hester. The Hester Scholarship will be used as seed money to create a program that helps attract and recruit veterans to the systems integration industry.

NSCA executive director, Chuck Wilson, has, so far, received 19 applications from veterans looking to move into the AV industry. Recipients receive funding to get certification, training and education.

In addition to the NSCA, many companies within the industry have focused on hiring veterans.

Advance Technology has at least an inclination toward hiring military veterans. At one point when CI editors were touring its Maine headquarters and talking to four employees around a drafting table, it came to light that all of them were veterans.

Advance Technology president Rob Simopoulos says he’s found success recruiting even more former military personnel for the company’s apprenticeship program.

Along with Advance Technology, ATHIO Technologies has also focused heavily on hiring military veterans.

CI reported on ATHIO Technologies’ mission to hire veterans in 2014.

“You can train someone to do the work, but you can’t teach someone to have integrity.”                —Joshua Ellis, ATHIO Technologies

The company’s founder, Joshua Ellis, who served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division as a radio communication specialist, said, “I want to hire people based on their character and then train them in the field and put them back to work. You can train someone to do the work, but you can’t teach someone to have integrity.”

Beyond recruitment, a few companies within the industry have also contributed to the treatment and recovery of veterans who suffer from PTSD.

Dallas-based integration firm Imagine That, along with Unlimited Integration and other manufacturers, helped install audio, video, home theater, controls, HVAC and networking in the Lone Survivor Foundation (LSF) retreat in Crystal Beach, Texas in 2015.

Photos: Inside the LSF Veterans Retreat

The LSF facility was built with the idea of creating a neutral space, where veterans can come and relax with their families while also being treated for PTSD, brain injuries and pain management. Among the services offered at LSF are computers that monitor and image the patient’s brain as they work through the challenges of PTSD.

Hiring Veterans Helps the Bottom Line

It’s important the integration industry keeps veterans in mind when hiring and recruiting. Veterans are fantastic leaders, hard workers and ultimately contribute to your business’s bottom line.

On this Veteran’s Day, take some time to reflect on whether or not your business is doing enough to recruit veterans.

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