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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!
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.
New year, new website!
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.
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.
New offices were opened in July. Forward March Inc. has hosted training sessions, AUSA breakfast meetings, and much more since then.
A few of Team FMI at the USAA/Disney Veteran’s Institute conference. We make friends everywhere we go!
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.
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.
FMI hosted our Military Hiring 101 workshop in the fall which gave businesses concentrated training to achieve their military hiring goals.
ACAP to job fairs, FMI could be seen around the town working hard to connect veterans with meaningful careers.
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.
The fall ushered in our second Camouflage to Corporate conference, this one held in San Antonio.
FMI is a company of veterans helping veterans. November saw our first Veteran Employment Transition Networking event which was a great success.
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.
2014 was an exciting year for Forward March Inc. and our partners. 2015 promises to be even better so make sure to join us.
Hiring Veterans, Serving Those Who Served
Did you hear the one about the kid who went to church one Sunday and asked the pastor, “Why are all those names on the wall of the church?” The pastor replied, “Those names are members of the church who died in the service.” The kid then asked, “Which one, the morning or afternoon service?”
As the child of a disabled veteran and a 24 year Army Veteran myself, I have spent my life around those outstanding Americans who have served their country. The key word here is SERVED. In fact, baby boomers, generally refer to the military as “the service”, but unfortunately we don’t hear that phrase much anymore. With less than 1% of the country serving in the military at any one time, it understandable that “service” has fallen from our collective psyche.
So what does this mean for our veterans? For starters, about 90% of the U.S. population are non-veterans. Furthermore, only about 20% of the prime enlistment age of 17-21 are even eligible for service and that number continues to grow. While the nation “Supports Our Troops”, the overall population just does not understand us.
Since a majority of the population does not understand what it means to serve in the military, the same applies to civilian recruiters and hiring managers. Although strides have been made in veteran unemployment, the number of unemployed veterans remains at about 722,000. With a continued drawdown of the military, with the Army alone losing 70-90K in 2015, much work still needs to be done to find veterans gainful careers.
Our veterans have already fulfilled their commitment to our nation selflessly serving to keep our country safe. Now it’s corporate America and small business’ turn to serve those who served. Here are five practices to help your organization attract and hire veterans.
- Develop a solid military recruiting strategy. Developing a strategy begins with the company’s vision. This should be a top down driven initiative with specific, measurable, and achievable goals that the entire organization understands. Once a plan is made, recruiters and hiring managers must then be trained and resourced to execute the plan. Furthermore, performance reviews should be tied to veteran hiring performance to ensure continued success.
- Leverage existing veteran employees. What better way to attract veterans than engaging current employees who have served. They have not only talked the talk, they have walked the walk. They understand the military transition process and can assist in military skills interpretation and veteran interviewing. The bottom line is this: a brother and sisterhood exists within the veteran population. Veterans who believe in their organization want to share it with others.
- Market your organization as the veteran employer of choice. Building your organization’s brand as a veteran friendly company is key to military hiring success. Part of this branding is leveraging current veteran employees and telling their success stories within the company. Create military specific brochures and other military marketing collateral when attending military hiring functions and use veteran employees as recruiters at such events. Create a veteran hiring site on your company webpage. Send veteran applicants a separate email thanking them for their service when they apply. Make veterans feel welcomed before they even step foot in your company.
- Get engaged with the military community. In order to find the veteran employee population, your organization must be engaged in the veteran community. Establish partnerships with non-profit veteran organizations such as the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars. Get to know people at local military transition centers and make routine visits to reach out to those leaving military service. Establish relationships with local National Guard and Reserve units. Encourage employees to get involved with volunteer programs supporting veterans.
- Don’t forget about military spouses. When developing a veteran recruiting and hiring strategy, do not forget about the military spouse. Although they do not wear the uniform, they possess many skills employers are looking for. Just like the service member, the military spouse is flexible, adaptive to change, conscious of cultural and regional differences, and focused on getting the job done.
As a nation, we owe it to those currently serving and those who served our country in the past, the opportunity to begin new careers after their military obligation is complete. Forward March, Inc., can train your organization to attract, hire, and retain top military talent. We help develop a veteran pipeline and a military hiring strategy for success of both your organization and our nation’s veterans. If your company is committed to hiring those who served, let FMI show you how.
~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services
Holiday Cheer Filled the FMI Offices This Week
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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Support_our_troops
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-Our-Troops-Wear-Red-Fridays/188809874489323
Here is the weekly roundup.
We are always moving forward at a high rate of speed here at Forward March Inc.
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 (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 Palen (CEO of FMI) and his wife Andrea bringing the festive spirit to our Christmas party.
And the winner of a great time is… everyone! You just cannot beat getting together with the FMI family!
Chef Richard and his lovely family enjoying the festive evening.
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!
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!
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.
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…
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…
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!
Super Millennials; Hiring the Best of a Generation
Its 0430 in the morning at a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Afghanistan. A 30-year old Platoon Sergeant performs a Pre-Combat Inspection (PCI) with her team. Helmets and ballistic eye protection are in place and canteens are filled. Weapons are cleaned, zeroed, and a function check has been performed. As she briefs her platoon on the current mission, it’s cold and windy, but the team is motivated and ready to get to work. Surprisingly, this well-oiled machine is made up entirely of millennials, the cohort of Americans born between 1980 and the mid-2000s.
For these Soldiers, their generation is known for being lazy, yet they are up while the rest of the word sleeps. The generation labeled as pampered has been sleeping on cots and eating Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) for months. They don’t make excuses. They and are held accountable for their actions and the actions of their team. Not everyone gets a trophy for being there. Only the best are called Corporal or Sergeant.
The global war on terror has largely been fought on the backs of this generation of outstanding and dedicated young people. In fact, nearly 70% of the Medals of Honor awarded in both Iraq and Afghanistan were earned by millennials. The remaining 30% were earned by Gen Xers.
Here are the top ten reasons to hire millennial veterans:
- Military veterans have a global perspective that most can only imagine. They have been stationed around the world and adapt easily to their environment. They are aware of, and have a respect for cultural differences.
- Millennial veterans are calm under pressure. They have operated in the most chaotic of situations and got the job done.
- Veterans are known for being team oriented and veteran millennials are no different. Soldiers, Sailor, Airmen, Guardians, and Marines rely on each other to accomplish the mission in life or death situations. Now that’s teamwork!
- Millennial veterans are excellent leaders forged in over thirteen years of global conflict. They are loyal, dedicated, and highly motivated.
- Millennials generally are viewed as over-confident. Millennial veterans, on the other hand, are professionals with a high degree of integrity. They have an air of respect and a sense of honor.
- Veterans are responsible. These millennials know how to make decisions and they take responsibility for their successes and failures.
- In an age of sedimentary life-styles spending all day behind a video game, millennial veterans are physically fit, generally drug free, and take fewer sick days than their contemporaries.
- Millennial veterans have thousands of dollars in training and educational benefits that often times go unused. If they need additional training, it will be paid for. There are tax incentives, as well, just for hiring them.
- Veterans are highly trained and well-educated with the skills the civilian workforce is looking for and millennial veterans are no different.
- Millennials are looking for meaningful work and they found it in the military. As they leave the service, they will join and stay with your company If you engage them and make them part of the team.
Attracting military talent can be an overwhelming task, especially for those organizations that do not understand military culture. Forward March’s (FMI) team has over 110 years of combined military experience with over 35 years dedicated specifically to hiring veterans. FMI can train your staff to attract, hire, and retain top military talent. We have a comprehensive Military Talent Hiring Guide and outstanding training that can get your department staffing positions very quickly. We can also help you to develop a pipeline and hiring strategy for success and train your human resource department on all the best ways to recruit military talent. If your company is committed to hiring military veterans, let FMI show you how.
~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services
November 5th Weekly Roundup
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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Support_our_troops
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-Our-Troops-Wear-Red-Fridays/188809874489323
Here is the weekly roundup.
Its been yet another busy week for us here at Forward March Inc. but we have put together some links for you to check out.
For Businesses:
We would encourage everyone who is even remotely entertaining the idea of hiring veterans to read the latest pro-veteran hiring article in Forbes magazine.
Why Every Company Should Consider Hiring Veterans: It Delivers Big Business Value
Courtney Billington, the author of this article, makes some very good points on veteran hiring for businesses. Just read this section to get a feel for what Billington says veterans can do for your organization.
Across industries, we need to challenge ourselves to translate the military experience to the corporate environment. There is a level of education, awareness, and openness needed to better understand the value of veterans and the skills they bring. Consider a few examples:
- “Distributed, accounted for, and transported mission critical equipment and supplies to over 20,000 personnel.” Now there’s someone who understands project and supply chain management!
- “Taught Unit Operations personnel fire mission processing and single-channel ground-to-air radio system digital and voice communications.” I think this person could handle training corporate personnel on technical matters or could manage our information technology projects.
- “Generated $2.3 million in savings, exceeding original objective of $500K, through management of 100+ high value commodities.” Financial acumen with an appreciation of business impact? No problem there!
For Veterans and Transitioning Military:
ATA sets 100,000-veteran, two-year hiring goal for US trucking
Veterans Put Their Skills on the Line at Toyota Texas
5 Fortune 500 companies transforming the job market for veterans
Howard Schultz and Starbucks are trying to shift how veterans are hired
More than 30 employers, all hiring, seek out veterans
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.
Are You a Great Military Talent Recruiter?
Good recruiters are not born, they are developed. They are developed through formal training, professional development, and operational experience. Great recruiters, on the other hand, not only develop themselves, but they make a habit of routinely doing exceptional things. Perhaps the most exceptional thing a recruiter can do is have no fear when it comes to attracting and hiring military veterans.
Whether you are a recruiter for a fortune 500 company or a small business, the fact is the military veteran population is a pool of highly qualified, well-trained, and motivated potential employees ready to work.
Here are some things that exceptional military talent recruiters have and do:
Passion. Recruiting is all about passion. It’s obvious that a great recruiter is passionate about the company he or she works for and they are passionate about the people who want to work there. A great military talent recruiter is even more passionate for our veterans and those currently serving. Thanking a veteran for their service is great, but what we should be doing is giving them opportunity. Move from words to concrete action. Making an extra effort to bring veterans to the team is true passion.
Competence. A great military talent recruiter understands the military culture. He or she understands what a Sergeant is and does. They understand what platoons, companies and battalions are. They understand military lingo and how to read a DD 214. This makes them great recruiters because they do not shy away from calling veterans in for an interview. Instead of funneling veteran resumes to the trash bin, they take action. They believe in supporting our troops by hiring them.
Compassion. An outstanding military talent recruiter does not necessarily need to be a veteran, but they definitely need to be sensitive and empathetic to the life experiences of our service members. Knowing what to ask and not to ask during an interview prevents barriers to communication. Understanding potential disabilities, but not letting them skew the hiring decision is not only the right thing to do, it’s the law. Compassion comes from listening. Great recruiters pay outstanding attention to the needs of a veteran applicant.
Match people, not paper. I understand military resumes are sometimes confusing and do not always capture the true value of the veteran. As I have said many times before, our separating military members need to do a better job at military to civilian skills translation. While this remains an uphill battle for our military, great recruiters do two exceptional things here. First, they do not automatically dismiss military resumes. Second, outstanding recruiters can see past the jargon and are willing to give veterans a chance at an interview where the service member can truly highlight their skill-sets.
Not letting a computer do the recruiting. RECRUITING IS A PEOPLE BUSINESS! Allowing software to run key word obsessed recruiting for an organization is the wrong answer. Great recruiters understand this. They interact with people, not machines. A great military talent recruiter, is aware, however, of key words such as, Company Commander, Platoon Sergeant, Squad leader, Senior Chief, First Sergeant, Wing Commander, etc. These are the key words that identify true leaders and outstanding candidates.
Honesty. Within the military culture, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are provided initial counseling at the beginning of each new assignment. This counseling lays out all expectations from personal performance to what to expect on the job. Great military talent recruiters do the same thing. Outstanding recruiters are honest about the job they are hiring for. The job description is going to list the duties of a warehouse worker, but it’s up to the recruiter to tell the veteran that in the summer time the temperatures on the warehouse loading dock reach 95 plus degrees. The applicant needs to know that overtime is the norm and so is being called in on short notice when demand increases. The veteran needs to know it’s a high stress job with a high turn-over rate. Just lay it all out and the veteran employee will step up and make it happen.
Follow-ups. As I talk to many transitioning veterans and listen to their stories, I am completely baffled at the amount of recruiters who do not return a phone calls or e-mails. A great military talent recruiter understands the fighting spirit of our military members and understand that an aggressive follow-up by veteran applicants are par for the course. While I understand recruiters are extremely busy, that is no excuse for ignoring those who gave so much of themselves to protect the freedoms we enjoy. Outstanding military talent recruiters are never too busy to return a phone call or an e-mail and always keep the applicant informed.
Great recruiters are not born, they are developed. Let Forward March Inc. train your recruiters to be exceptional military talent scouts. We have a comprehensive Military Talent Hiring Guide and we can help develop a pipeline and hiring strategy for success as well as train your HR department on all the best ways to recruit military veterans. We will take your company from good to great!
Forward March Inc Military Hiring Guide
~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services
Hiring Our Heroes Hiring Fair – December 9 – 10
ATTENTION ALL MILITARY VETERANS AND TRANSITIONING MILITARY – Next week the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation will be holding their Hiring Our Heroes Hiring Fair. Forward March Inc. will be attending this hiring fair. Make sure you do not miss this event and be sure to stop by and meet with us as well.
San Antonio Hiring Fair
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 – 5:30pm to Wednesday, December 10, 2014 – 3:00pm
AT&T Center, 1 AT&T Center Pkwy
San Antonio, TX 78219
United States
If you are attending but want to make sure you are putting your best foot forward be sure to read our three part series on preparing for a job interview. This series covers interviewing tips, social media tips and resume suggestions. Read more here…
Don’t forget to check out our tools and resources page for veterans and transitioning military here…
For a really comprehensive list of military hiring fairs around the country check out Military.com here…
Forward March Inc. - News and Events 
