The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce announced a partnership last spring with Hiring Our Heroes (HOH), a nationwide hiring effort to connect the military community with businesses as they transition out of the military into civilian life.
This year, the Chamber has welcomed yet another veteran’s recruiting asset to the partnership. John Olshefski, an executive-on-loan from Huntsville Utilities, has joined the Chamber team to help them in their hiring efforts among military veterans.
The moves lay the groundwork for filling thousands of new jobs in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, construction, logistics and technology Huntsville is projected to add over the next year.
According to Olshefski, a retired U.S. Army Garrison Commander at Redstone Arsenal, he plans to open a new space in the recruitment of these veterans.
“I am working with Lyndsay Ferguson (vice president of Workforce at the Chamber) to make a run on first and second level enlisted men and women leaving the Army at a young age, most still in their early 20s, and introducing them to high-paying blue-collar jobs in fields like advanced manufacturing where they can make $20 to $25 an hour and have excellent benefits,” said Olshelfski. “I believe companies like Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM), Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama (TMMAL), Raytheon, Boeing and many others, are interested in these young military folks because of their maturity, discipline and strong work ethic.”
Olshefski’s approach is a twist on traditional veteran recruitment that has always targeted retired generals and colonels into highly specialized consulting jobs, executive positions and technical support jobs in the extended military, aerospace and missile defense industries.
“Huntsville has so much to offer a young veteran and their families,” said Olshefski. “Great job opportunities, low property taxes, high quality schools and hospitals.
“A retired lieutenant or captain or even an E4 Army specialist or E5 Army corporal who specialized as a mechanic while in service, make excellent candidates for moving up to a production team worker on an assembly line or quality control manager.”
Lucia Cape, senior vice president of economic development, industry relations, and workforce at the Chamber agrees. She said servicemen and women are proven leaders and team players with valuable skills that transfer easily into our economy.
“Hiring Our Heroes is not only a natural fit for our aerospace and defense companies, but also for our manufacturers in automotive, electronics and other precision industries,” said Cape.
Olshefski and Ferguson will take their effort on the road in early March to Fort Campbell Army Base where they will observe the separation process and give their new recruiting strategy a run.
“Hiring Our Heroes is already in the system so our affiliation with them will help us to get on these military posts and sell these folks on why Huntsville is where they need to relocate to find the best job opportunities and quality of life,” he said.
When considering that MTM will hire an additional 1,200 team members over the next year, Olshefski’s plan sounds solid.
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