Your San Antonio Chamber is hard at work making connections between our Military and the businesses who strive to support them. As the Nation’s first designated Military Spouse Economic Empowerment Zone (MSEEZ), San Antonio was host to the US Chamber Foundation’s local Working Group meeting. This meeting was arranged to further develop a strategy to engage organizations in San Antonio’s leading industries and the Military Spouses who are seeking to join their ranks.
Some of the industries identified for engagement are Financial Services, Defense, Cyber, IT, Oil and Gas, Education, Hospitality and Small Business/ Entrepreneurship. With support from industry leaders such as USAA, Booz Allen Hamilton, La Quinta, and Accenture, the goal is to establish a pipeline of talent by utilizing the Military Spouses to meet the hiring needs of local employers.
In addition to attending the Working Group meeting, Lori Stinson, VP for Military Affairs and Leadership Development for the Chamber, was honored to be counted among the guests at last Thursday’s Hiring Our Heroes reception hosted at USAA’s Bank lobby. Stinson, herself an Army Spouse of more than 24 years, was hired at the Chamber as a result of this reception hosted at USAA nearly three years ago. “Eighty percent of getting a job is who you know, and we move around so often it is hard to meet the right people and establish key networks for employment and business development,” says Stinson. “This reception is a special event to begin that process of meeting new people who are career minded and professionally connected locally.”
Through future working group meetings, networking opportunities with the Military Spouse Professional Network, joint Open Houses with volunteer organizations such as the USO and Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), and participation with other Hiring Events, the MSEEZ hopes to develop a wide array of opportunities for our Military Spouses to find meaningful employment while they live in San Antonio.
Guests included more than 100 Military Spouses and more than 20 large and small business employers such as First Command Financial, Booz Allen Hamilton, CarMax, B.E.A.T, LLC, Safelite Auto Glass and FastPort. Maj Gen (Ret) JR Reynes, Vice President of Operations for USAA, provided opening remarks, as well as Cyndi Raugh, spouse of COL David Raugh, Commander of the 502d Force Support Group. An Air Force Veteran herself, Raugh provided a perspective as both an Army Spouse and Service Member. “We are resilient, dedicated, strong, committed,” said Raugh of Military Spouses.
Since 2011, through grassroots efforts and public-private partnerships, the Hiring Our Heroes initiative has gained momentum in connecting more than 31,000 Veterans and Spouses to employment in a variety of career fields. Corporate Fellowships, Hiring Events, and Career Guidance are pillars to moving the needle forward in Veteran and Military Spouse unemployment rates.
For more information on the Military Spouse Economic Empowerment Zone, Hiring Our Heroes, and the Military Spouse Professional Network, please visit www.hiringourheroes.org.
