The Forward March Inc. 2014 Roundup

The Forward March Inc. Year in Review

This is just a small part of what we have done during 2014. Make sure to check our blog as we post regularly news and events.

Forward March, Inc. (FMI) is a Service Disabled Veteran-owned small business based in San Antonio, Texas.  FMI was formed in 2013 by retired US Military Members and successful business professionals with offices in San Antonio and Houston, Texas. We are Veterans serving our military members and corporate America.  FMI is an industry leader in client partner relationships offering second-to-none consultative expertise at an effective cost, making us a premier choice.  We provide our clients with highly qualified Veteran employees who know their business!  FMI offers flexible solutions for your business needs, specializing in:

  • Military Talent Pipeline Services
    – Helping companies find the right military talent, at the right time, for the right skill-set
  • Leadership Training
    – Corporate leadership training with a military flair
  • Strategic Business Services
    – Helping businesses achieve their performance goals
  • Military Hiring 101 Workshops
    – Teaching the information needed to start a military talent pipeline no matter the size
  • Camouflage to Corporate Conferences
    – Providing the tools for mission success through military talent for a more focused, motivated and productive team

We put the HOOAH! in business!

Screen Shot 2014-12-30 at 8.20.57 AM

Forward March Inc. (FMI) opened the doors to our new offices in July and hit the ground running. We are a small company of men and women who are likeminded in our desire to help veterans find meaningful careers while helping industry move America forward with the highest caliber military talent. We don’t just stop there as we offer Leadership Training, Strategic Business Services, and the very best workshops and conferences that your company or organization can attend.

Below are some highlights of our year.

Screen Shot 2014-12-30 at 8.21.17 AM

New year, new website!

IMG_1827

We started off our year with a trip to Washington D.C. and a meeting with the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Joint Chief of Staff.

C2C

IMG_1910

Forward March Inc. held our Camouflage to Corporate Conference in Houston, Texas. This was an outstanding conference giving businesses and organizations an in-depth understanding of how to find, attract, hire and retain high quality military talent.

DSC03872

New offices were opened in July. Forward March Inc. has hosted training sessions, AUSA breakfast meetings, and much more since then.

da FMI guys

A few of Team FMI at the USAA/Disney Veteran’s Institute conference. We make friends everywhere we go!

20140531_152201

The FMI Operation Outreach program Maui Warrior Appreciation Vacation was started by Farzad Azad working with local businesses around Lahaina, Maui. The mission of the Maui Warrior Appreciation Vacation is to thank veterans for their sacrifice and service to our nation by providing them a one week all expenses paid vacation. Farzad (pictured below) is arguably the most patriotic man on Maui and has made it his mission to give back to those who have given so much for our freedom. Farzad is also the owner of Java Jazz and provides all the food and dining for the vacations. Forward March Inc. and Farzad have formed a partnership to grow the Maui Warrior Appreciation Vacation program and increase its outreach.

Fred_Astaire_Dance_Studios_Logo

FMI continued our work with the Fred Astaire Dance Studios through Dancing with our Heroes raising well over $300,000 for The Fisher House Foundation helping wounded veterans and their families.

MILITARY HIRING 101 EVENT

FMI hosted our Military Hiring 101 workshop in the fall which gave businesses concentrated training to achieve their military hiring goals.

IMG_2818

ACAP to job fairs, FMI could be seen around the town working hard to connect veterans with meaningful careers.

IMG_2828

Through the Forward March Inc. Operation Outreach program we are reaching out to help veterans in our community. Through our Professional Women’s Veterans Coalition we hosted a number of very successful events including a job fair for veterans highlighting the importance of employment for women veterans.

IMG_6846

The fall ushered in our second Camouflage to Corporate conference, this one held in San Antonio.

IMG_3334

FMI is a company of veterans helping veterans. November saw our first Veteran Employment Transition Networking event which was a great success.

IMG_3311

Forward Marc Inc. can train your organization in leadership, hiring, and sales. Here we are with the outstanding folks at Design Materials Inc. at the completion of their sales force training.

IMG_3292

2014 was an exciting year for Forward March Inc. and our partners. 2015 promises to be even better so make sure to join us.

 

Merry Christmas

fmixmas3All of us here at Forward March Inc. want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. Take the time to enjoy family, friendship and the warmth of the season.

Last Sunday some of the Forward March Inc. team had the opportunity to spent the afternoon at Saint PJ’s  Children’s orphanage lending a hand with their annual Christmas party. We also had the opportunity to deliver the donations that we had collected with DMI and all those who made donations during our annual Holiday Mixer.

FullSizeRender-1

FullSizeRender

Have an outstanding Christmas and come back on December 29th when we will resume our regular news posts.

Holiday Cheer Filled the FMI Offices This Week

RED FRIDAY COPTERS

Its Friday again, so break out those red shirts! R.E.D. Friday is here so remember everyone deployed!

Learn more about RED Fridays:

http://redshirtfridays.org/  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Support_our_troops

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-Our-Troops-Wear-Red-Fridays/188809874489323

weekly roundup 22

Here is the weekly roundup.

We are always moving forward at a high rate of speed here at Forward March Inc.

FullSizeRender

Did you catch Richard Abrams at the Hiring Our Heroes job fair? Richard is the Director of Strategic Development for Forward March Inc. You may have seen him on our social media pics in costume as a chef. Well, truth is, that is no costume. Richard is also an accomplished chef and has taken it upon himself to make sure that we eat really well at our FMI events!

Paul

Paul (President of FMI) and Stephanie Volpe wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

This week the folks here at Forward March Inc. got together at Paul Volpe’s home and had our first annual Christmas party. With spouses and children present there was more than enough holiday cheer to go around.

Don

Don Palen (CEO of FMI) and his wife Andrea bringing the festive spirit to our Christmas party.

family room

And the winner of a great time is… everyone! You just cannot beat getting together with the FMI family!

Richard2

Chef Richard and his lovely family enjoying the festive evening.

We also had an amazing first annual Holiday Networking Mixer on Wednesday which you can read about here…

For more pics of this great Christmas party check out our Facebook page! 

Monday we will resume our highly informative article posting. Have a safe weekend!

To learn more about Forward March Inc. click here…

Holiday Networking Mixer Recap

First things first. All the folks here at Forward March Inc. (FMI) would like to extend a huge THANK YOU TO ALL OUR FRIENDS who showed up to our holiday mixer last night. Each and every one of you, like us, have a huge place in your heart for veterans and your presence, fellowship, stories and joy made this event very special!

IMG_3535

FMI would also like to thank everyone for all the donations for St. Pj’s Children’s Home. We are still collecting so contact us anytime before December 19.

Wow, what a great week! There is never down time and its never dull trying to make American industry great through providing veterans with careers. If you ask anyone who works at FMI they will tell you that it’s the best job they have ever had. We are a company of veterans, from diverse backgrounds, that all share the same passion… helping our nation’s greatest treasure, our veterans. Our corporate culture is one that encompasses hard work and dedication but we also never pass up the opportunity to have a great time. We all know that life is short and we share the attitude that we want to make every moment count. These things cannot be summed up better than they were last night at our first annual Holiday Networking Mixer. FMI gathered together to exchange stories, enjoy good food and amazing live music.

IMG_3543

Our company is very honored to have a special relationship with veteran/wounded warrior/hero/musician/ and all around great guy J.P. Lane. J.P. Lane is a US Army wounded warrior from Green Bay, Wisconsin and is an amazing and up and coming musician so be sure to keep your eye on him in the future.  You can check him out on the web HERE. J.P. provided the live music for our gathering last night. He actually provided so much more from inspiration to entertainment. Make sure you follow FMI on our blog, Facebook, and Linkedin pages to keep up with some amazing things we are hoping to do with J.P. next year through our Forward March Inc. Operation Outreach non profit program. You can read more about our Operation Outreach programs here…

IMG_3540

FMI would like to give a shout out and heart-felt thanks to our neighbor Rob Deering and the Beacon Circle Coffee House and Gallery. Our party was held in our corporate offices and in the Beacon Circle Coffee House next door. You can learn more about the Beacon Circle Coffee House and Gallery which is a part of DMI here…

IMG_3526

To see more of the pics and vids from last night’s party friend us on Facebook here…

If you have pics, share them with us on Facebook!

73 Year Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack

Pearl Harbor 73

Just before 8:00 On December 7th, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack against the United States at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 2,403 U.S. citizens, to include 800 civilians, were killed during the attack and an additional 1,178 people were wounded. The U.S. had 8 battleships of the Pacific Fleet, which were sunk or badly damaged. This attack launched the U.S. into World War II. Today there are less than 5,000 survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack. Yesterday marked the 73rd anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

 Let us never forget the brave souls who lost their lives on that day 73 years ago.

Survivors Gather to Remember Pearl Harbor Attack.

Forward March Inc. Holiday Networking Mixer

Forward March Inc. will be hosting our first annual Holiday Networking Mixer at our worldwide headquarters in San Antonio Texas.

FMI Christmas Party

Forward March Inc. would like to invite you to our Holiday Networking Mixer. We will be hosting the event at our corporate office on December 10th. Come and join us for an enjoyable relaxed evening of networking. We will have heavy hors d’oeuvres as well as beer and wine. We will also be featuring our guest musician and wounded warrior J.P. Lane who will be providing our musical entertainment.
We will also be collecting gift cards or monetary donations on behalf of St. Pj’s Children’s Home a San Antonio foster home for children.

Happy Birthday to the Civil Air Patrol

Civil_Air_Patrol_sealHappy Birthday to the Civil Air Patrol. In the late 1930s, more than 150,000 volunteers with a love for aviation argued for an organization to put their planes and flying skills to use in defense of their country.  As a result, the Civil Air Patrol was born one week prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Read More Here….

Happy Thanksgiving from Forward March Inc.

Many people use Wednesday as a travel day for the Thanksgiving holiday so this will be our last post till Monday morning.

All the folks here at Forward March Inc.
want to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Freedom from Want - Norman Rockwell

Freedom from Want – Norman Rockwell

As we have said before we live in the greatest nation on earth. Once a year Americans come together with family and friends to express their gratitude for all that we have been blessed with as a nation. Norman Rockwell was a gifted American 20th century painter/illustrator who was able to express so much of what we experience during the Thanksgiving holiday with his paintings. He was arguably the quintessential Thanksgiving painter. We picked out a few of his works we like, you can probably guess why…

Thanksgiving 1944 - Norman Rockwell

Thanksgiving 1944 – Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving

Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving (Mother and Son Peeling Potatoes)

norman-rockwell-refugee-thanksgiving-november-27-1943

Refugee Thanksgiving – Norman Rockwell – 1943

Our freedom has been purchased at a very high price. America’s fine men and women in the armed forces have given their lives in service to something greater than themselves. Lets all be thankful for that and remember them this Thanksgiving.

U.S. soldiers stationed in Kabul praying before Thanksgiving supper. Photo credit - http://thechristians.com/?q=node/437

U.S. soldiers stationed in Kabul praying before Thanksgiving supper. Photo credit – http://thechristians.com/?q=node/437

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

The Forward March Inc. Weekly Roundup

red friday 12Its Friday again, so break out those red shirts! R.E.D. Friday is here so remember everyone deployed!

Learn more about RED Fridays:

http://redshirtfridays.org/  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Support_our_troops

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-Our-Troops-Wear-Red-Fridays/188809874489323

weekly roundup 22

Here is the weekly roundup.

Its been a busy week for us here at Forward March Inc. with our Camouflage to Corporate conference and Veteran Employment Transition Networking Event, both of which were held here in San Antonio on Monday. Check out the blog here to read more about those events.

Next week our great nation will celebrate Thanksgiving. Here at the Forward March Inc. world headquarters we celebrated a little early with our first annual Thanksgiving get together.

Its like one big (very) happy family when we have an event, no matter where we are.

IMG_3348

Forward March Inc. has a resident chef? Oh yeah! Richard Abrams is whipping up some culinary art for our Thanksgiving pot luck get together.

Its like one big (very) happy family when we have an event, no matter where we are.

JOBS:

If you are looking for a new job then check out these upcoming career fairs for Veterans and Transitioning Military during the month of December. Military.com has done a great job of lining up your hiring fairs, with a list this long there has got to be one near you! Check out the list here.

Recruit Military also has a nice list of veteran job fairs which you can find here… 

As always, if you hear of veteran hiring opportunities let us know and we will post them.

Have an OUTSTANDING weekend!

Veteran’s Day!

American-Flag copy
On November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day following World War I stating: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…” Since that November our nation has celebrated Veteran’s day. You can learn more about Veteran’s day here.

Today, is a day to put your flag out but its also a day to put yourself out there. Make it a point today to thank a Veteran for his or her service. Our nation is great because of the sacrifice that so many have made to insure our freedom. Today is a great day to call family members, friends, or acquaintances and say thank you for making our nation great.

Celebrate Veteran’s Day with your children. Teach your children about the holiday through local events and various activities. Military.com has some great ideas on how to do this here…  CNN has a nice article on how you can do more on Veteran’s Day here…

Here at Forward March Inc. we would like to take a moment to salute our veterans. 

DSC03872

Paul Volpe – President Forward March Inc.

paul volpe

Don Palen – CEO Forward March Inc.

IMG_2965

Jason Caswell – Director of Talent Resource and Training Development Forward March Inc. Jason (1)

Richard L. Abrams – Director of Strategic Development

Reenlisting from Germany

Tobin Pilotte – Director of Marketing and Technology

IMG_3177

Emma Lopez  – Director of Business Development, is a military spouse. (Don’t forget, November is Military Family Month)

10339659_10202984092916777_5926000535453870773_n

God Bless America, Home of the Brave Land of the Free!