Month: January 2024

Every year, roughly 250,000 members of the armed forces take off their uniforms for the last time and step back into the civilian world ready to rejoin the U.S. workforce and begin the next chapter of their lives. That’s 250,000 highly skilled, team-oriented individuals with world-class training in specialized fields ready to apply their unique experience to new roles in the private sector.

But without access to reintegration education and preparation for that life-changing experience, this transition from soldier to civilian can be a difficult one.

The biggest challenge I faced was getting past human resources managers.

Ezell Tornes, US Army and Army National Guard, Material Management Supervisor

For Ezell Tornes, a 25-year veteran of the Army and Army National Guard who now works as a material management supervisor for Guardian Industries in DeWitt, Iowa, finding roles he qualified for or that interested him wasn’t difficult – the hardest part was simply getting a foot in the door. Tornes said, “Often, I wouldn’t even hear back from a company.”

I was aware that I had some marketable skills but had to translate that into something a company would understand.

Casey Olin, United States Air Force, Operations Manager

But for veterans like Casey Olin, a 14-year veteran of the United States Air Force and now an operations manager for GP Harmon Recycling, translating military skills and work experience into civilian terms was an even greater challenge. “It was a strange, new thing,” said Olin.

I think if I could go back, I would have definitely tried to find a mentor.”

Shannon Vivar, Marine Corps, Director of Risk Optimization

Five-year Marine Corps veteran Shannon Vivar, director of risk optimization with Koch Industries said, “And I would have tried to use some of the veteran organizations and resources available to help me understand where my comparative advantages were and what I was bringing to the table.”

We’re Proud To Employ Thousands Of Military Veterans Across All Koch Companies.

Meet just a few of the men and women whose service makes a difference every day and some advice they offer to those going through this process. Read more about them here.

This year alone, we’ve hired on vets across 20 different career fields.

John Buckley, US Army Colonel, Military Relations Manager

Since taking on the responsibility of military relations manager for Koch Industries in 2014, retired Army Colonel John Buckley has been busy working to make this transition easier for veterans like Vivar, Tornes and Owen. By doing so, Buckley has helped grow Koch Industries’ veteran population nearly four-fold and led the company to achieve Military Friendly silver status for the first time in 2018.

The Military Friendly designation is important to Buckley because it recognizes the Market-Based Management (MBM) philosophy that guides Koch culture is in direct alignment with the values soldiers exemplify in the service — and that’s something he wants veterans and those exiting the military to know. It’s that kind of alignment that makes Koch a cultural fit for veterans, and vice versa.

“From a growth perspective, we started out with seven career fields as a hiring focus at Koch, like business and engineering, and so on,” said Buckley. “This year alone, we’ve hired on vets across 20 different career fields. And we’re connecting them to MBM trainings and mentorship programs. But I continue to challenge the status quo in wondering how can we take it to the next level? Because I still feel like we’re leaving a lot of quality people on the table.”

This training and mentorship is part of Koch’s multifaceted approach to veteran recruiting and retention, which also integrates job training opportunities like Hiring Our Heroes and Heroes Make America, and provides online resources for transitioning soldiers.

Outside of Koch, Buckley has worked with other large businesses like GM, Textron and J.P Morgan to share best practices on veteran hiring and retention strategies, as well as counseled veterans in need of guidance. It’s this partnership with other organizations and willingness to collaborate beyond company walls that’s most telling of Buckley’s passion for helping veterans, whether with Koch or elsewhere.

Tony Leiding knows this better than anyone. Leiding, a U.S. Army captain and Blackhawk helicopter pilot who flew aeromedical evacuation missions, left the service in 2015 after eight years of active duty and began seeking opportunities to put his MBA to work. Through networking and more than 50 informational interviews with various companies in the Wichita area, Leiding connected with Buckley.

I’ve been able to take a lot of the pointers and tips he shared with me and pay it forward by passing that knowledge along to friends who’ve also transitioned out of the military.

Tony Leiding, US Army Captain, Director of Operations

“I sent him my resume, and I thought I had what I considered to be a pretty solid resume,” Leiding recalled. “But he had a very frank conversation with me about the need to make it more ‘civilianized,’ for lack of a better word – really make it clear what I did in the service and equate that to civilian experience. It was a hard conversation, but it was what I needed to hear.”

Leiding incorporated Buckley’s feedback and was in the process of applying for multiple positions with Koch when opportunity came knocking from another ethanol company. That company interviewed Leiding and hired him on the spot, and he’s been working there ever since. But he hasn’t forgotten the guidance he received that helped make it happen.

“John’s a wonderful guy, and he knows his stuff about transition,” said Leiding. “His guidance to me was certainly invaluable, and I’ve been able to take a lot of the pointers and tips he shared with me and pay it forward by passing that knowledge along to friends who’ve also transitioned out of the military.”

Every year, roughly 250,000 members of the armed forces take off their uniforms for the last time and step back into the civilian world ready to rejoin the U.S. workforce and begin the next chapter of their lives. That’s 250,000 highly skilled, team-oriented individuals with world-class training in specialized fields ready to apply their unique experience to new roles in the private sector.

But without access to reintegration education and preparation for that life-changing experience, this transition from soldier to civilian can be a difficult one.

The biggest challenge I faced was getting past human resources managers.

Ezell Tornes, US Army and Army National Guard, Material Management Supervisor

For Ezell Tornes, a 25-year veteran of the Army and Army National Guard who now works as a material management supervisor for Guardian Industries in DeWitt, Iowa, finding roles he qualified for or that interested him wasn’t difficult – the hardest part was simply getting a foot in the door. Tornes said, “Often, I wouldn’t even hear back from a company.”

I was aware that I had some marketable skills but had to translate that into something a company would understand.

Casey Olin, United States Air Force, Operations Manager

But for veterans like Casey Olin, a 14-year veteran of the United States Air Force and now an operations manager for GP Harmon Recycling, translating military skills and work experience into civilian terms was an even greater challenge. “It was a strange, new thing,” said Olin.

I think if I could go back, I would have definitely tried to find a mentor.”

Shannon Vivar, Marine Corps, Director of Risk Optimization

Five-year Marine Corps veteran Shannon Vivar, director of risk optimization with Koch Industries said, “And I would have tried to use some of the veteran organizations and resources available to help me understand where my comparative advantages were and what I was bringing to the table.”

We’re Proud To Employ Thousands Of Military Veterans Across All Koch Companies.

Meet just a few of the men and women whose service makes a difference every day and some advice they offer to those going through this process. Read more about them here.

This year alone, we’ve hired on vets across 20 different career fields.

John Buckley, US Army Colonel, Military Relations Manager

Since taking on the responsibility of military relations manager for Koch Industries in 2014, retired Army Colonel John Buckley has been busy working to make this transition easier for veterans like Vivar, Tornes and Owen. By doing so, Buckley has helped grow Koch Industries’ veteran population nearly four-fold and led the company to achieve Military Friendly silver status for the first time in 2018.

The Military Friendly designation is important to Buckley because it recognizes the Market-Based Management (MBM) philosophy that guides Koch culture is in direct alignment with the values soldiers exemplify in the service — and that’s something he wants veterans and those exiting the military to know. It’s that kind of alignment that makes Koch a cultural fit for veterans, and vice versa.

“From a growth perspective, we started out with seven career fields as a hiring focus at Koch, like business and engineering, and so on,” said Buckley. “This year alone, we’ve hired on vets across 20 different career fields. And we’re connecting them to MBM trainings and mentorship programs. But I continue to challenge the status quo in wondering how can we take it to the next level? Because I still feel like we’re leaving a lot of quality people on the table.”

This training and mentorship is part of Koch’s multifaceted approach to veteran recruiting and retention, which also integrates job training opportunities like Hiring Our Heroes and Heroes Make America, and provides online resources for transitioning soldiers.

Outside of Koch, Buckley has worked with other large businesses like GM, Textron and J.P Morgan to share best practices on veteran hiring and retention strategies, as well as counseled veterans in need of guidance. It’s this partnership with other organizations and willingness to collaborate beyond company walls that’s most telling of Buckley’s passion for helping veterans, whether with Koch or elsewhere.

Tony Leiding knows this better than anyone. Leiding, a U.S. Army captain and Blackhawk helicopter pilot who flew aeromedical evacuation missions, left the service in 2015 after eight years of active duty and began seeking opportunities to put his MBA to work. Through networking and more than 50 informational interviews with various companies in the Wichita area, Leiding connected with Buckley.

I’ve been able to take a lot of the pointers and tips he shared with me and pay it forward by passing that knowledge along to friends who’ve also transitioned out of the military.

Tony Leiding, US Army Captain, Director of Operations

“I sent him my resume, and I thought I had what I considered to be a pretty solid resume,” Leiding recalled. “But he had a very frank conversation with me about the need to make it more ‘civilianized,’ for lack of a better word – really make it clear what I did in the service and equate that to civilian experience. It was a hard conversation, but it was what I needed to hear.”

Leiding incorporated Buckley’s feedback and was in the process of applying for multiple positions with Koch when opportunity came knocking from another ethanol company. That company interviewed Leiding and hired him on the spot, and he’s been working there ever since. But he hasn’t forgotten the guidance he received that helped make it happen.

“John’s a wonderful guy, and he knows his stuff about transition,” said Leiding. “His guidance to me was certainly invaluable, and I’ve been able to take a lot of the pointers and tips he shared with me and pay it forward by passing that knowledge along to friends who’ve also transitioned out of the military.”

Originally published by Women In Trucking

The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has announced Kierra Meyer as its January 2024 Member of the Month. Meyer is the Senior Manager of the Operations Academy at Sysco Corporation.

Meyer knew when she was in college that there was more extensive training needed for truck drivers. Little did she know though that she would end up being an intricate part of that training and so involved in the trucking industry.

Meyer and her team work on curriculum design for Sysco’s Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training facilities. Their in-house training is offered to existing employees to help them advance their career at Sysco by becoming CDL certified drivers. 

Continue reading here

Originally published by Women In Trucking

The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has announced Kierra Meyer as its January 2024 Member of the Month. Meyer is the Senior Manager of the Operations Academy at Sysco Corporation.

Meyer knew when she was in college that there was more extensive training needed for truck drivers. Little did she know though that she would end up being an intricate part of that training and so involved in the trucking industry.

Meyer and her team work on curriculum design for Sysco’s Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training facilities. Their in-house training is offered to existing employees to help them advance their career at Sysco by becoming CDL certified drivers. 

Continue reading here

We’d been paddling along the southern shore of the Arabian Gulf for about half an hour when M. Sanjayan, the CEO of Conservation International, stilled our chattering with a single word. “Listen,” he said.

At first we heard nothing. Then the lapping of water against our kayaks. The distant flapping of wings. Nothing, and then everything.

Thirty-five of us had traveled an hour and a half north from the artificially chilled conference rooms and crowded reception halls of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where we had spent the previous week at the UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28, joining government officials and nonprofit and private-sector leaders in advancing solutions to address the climate crisis. Today, though, was an opportunity to bring those conversations to life and remind us what we’re all fighting for.

In 2020, Mastercard founded the Priceless Planet Coalition with Conservation International and World Resources Institute, uniting the efforts of businesses and consumers to fight climate change, with a goal of restoring 100 million trees across six continents.

We work with scientific experts to design and identify projects and ensure the integrity of our restoration practices. We also collaborate closely with the people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the loss of these habitats — and who could benefit from careful and thoughtful restoration, like the Indigenous Arhuaco of the Colombian highlands, the fishing communities of Cambodia’s Tonle Sap lake, and the farmers of Australia’s Southern Tablelands.

In the Middle East, we set our sights on 25 acres of mangrove forest in the UAE, partnering with Emirates Nature-World Wildlife Fund to restore 50,000 mangrove trees along the Arabian Gulf. In addition to capturing carbon, these mangroves protect coastlines from storm surges and provide habitat for a wide variety of marine species, which in turn keep local fisheries healthy and the regional economy thriving

COP28 offered a perfect moment for our customers and partners to understand what makes the Priceless Planet Coalition extraordinary and distinct from other planting and restoration programs. On this day, they experienced a critical ecosystem firsthand, and contributed to its future by planting mangrove saplings. Our aim was to inspire them to launch their own campaigns to support the coalition’s goal of restoring 100 million trees.

We set off that morning with Sanjayan, Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Conservation International’s chief scientist, and other world-renowned conservation experts and climate scientists. Once we reached the aptly named Mangrove Beach in Umm Al Quwain, we learned more about the unique role coastal and marine systems play in combating climate change.

Mangrove forests thrive in salty coastal waters of the tropics and subtropics. Their dense masses of roots at and below the waterline are incredibly effective at storing “coastal blue carbon,” the term for carbon captured in saltwater ecosystems. (Sea grasses and salt marshes play the same role.)

Globally, these ecosystems have a smaller footprint than tropical rainforests but can sequester more carbon per acre, more quickly — making them a critical and irreplaceable tool in our fight against climate change. Sanjayan called these mangrove forests the “the hardest-working habitats on earth.”

We boarded our kayaks and paddled out under the beating sun, which sharpened every detail of our surroundings — the faintest ripples on the placid water, the black-tipped wings of flamingos in flight and slender stalks of mangrove saplings spearing the water’s surface as they stretched toward the sky. We learned more from our experts during our time on the water, but as Sanjayan suggested, we also let the beauty and peace of the landscape speak for itself. You can hear it; you just have to be willing to listen.

As the tide began to recede, we drew up to shore, eager for the main event. Toting foot-tall saplings, we walked along the beach to the planting site, brushing the dirt from the mangroves’ root balls and setting them carefully into the muddy soil. Our hands and knees were coated in silvery gray silt, our necks turned pink in the heat, our shoulders tight and sore — but our spirits high.

While everyone at COP28 understood the precariousness of the moment, this trip to Mangrove Beach underscored the possibility of our mission. It brought to life the potential of high-quality, science-based restoration and sparked honest conversations with our customers and coalition partners about our goals, where our strategies align, and how, by knitting together our networks, we can drive deeper impact.

Now, with our feet sunk in the mud, setting root to soil, something else flowered — our connections to the natural world, to each other and to our mission to fight climate change, one mangrove at a time.

Jim Colvine is a senior vice president who leads sustainability products for Mastercard, including the Priceless Planet Coalition and Carbon Calculator for consumers. He has worked in payments for two decades and holds a Ph.D. in tuberculosis research. Erin Goodhand is a director of sustainability and ESG who has worked for more than 15 years at the intersection of social impact, technology and communications and is focused on stakeholder engagement, including collaborating with NGO partners of the Priceless Planet Coalition.

Click here to view the original content

We’d been paddling along the southern shore of the Arabian Gulf for about half an hour when M. Sanjayan, the CEO of Conservation International, stilled our chattering with a single word. “Listen,” he said.

At first we heard nothing. Then the lapping of water against our kayaks. The distant flapping of wings. Nothing, and then everything.

Thirty-five of us had traveled an hour and a half north from the artificially chilled conference rooms and crowded reception halls of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where we had spent the previous week at the UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28, joining government officials and nonprofit and private-sector leaders in advancing solutions to address the climate crisis. Today, though, was an opportunity to bring those conversations to life and remind us what we’re all fighting for.

In 2020, Mastercard founded the Priceless Planet Coalition with Conservation International and World Resources Institute, uniting the efforts of businesses and consumers to fight climate change, with a goal of restoring 100 million trees across six continents.

We work with scientific experts to design and identify projects and ensure the integrity of our restoration practices. We also collaborate closely with the people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the loss of these habitats — and who could benefit from careful and thoughtful restoration, like the Indigenous Arhuaco of the Colombian highlands, the fishing communities of Cambodia’s Tonle Sap lake, and the farmers of Australia’s Southern Tablelands.

In the Middle East, we set our sights on 25 acres of mangrove forest in the UAE, partnering with Emirates Nature-World Wildlife Fund to restore 50,000 mangrove trees along the Arabian Gulf. In addition to capturing carbon, these mangroves protect coastlines from storm surges and provide habitat for a wide variety of marine species, which in turn keep local fisheries healthy and the regional economy thriving

COP28 offered a perfect moment for our customers and partners to understand what makes the Priceless Planet Coalition extraordinary and distinct from other planting and restoration programs. On this day, they experienced a critical ecosystem firsthand, and contributed to its future by planting mangrove saplings. Our aim was to inspire them to launch their own campaigns to support the coalition’s goal of restoring 100 million trees.

We set off that morning with Sanjayan, Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Conservation International’s chief scientist, and other world-renowned conservation experts and climate scientists. Once we reached the aptly named Mangrove Beach in Umm Al Quwain, we learned more about the unique role coastal and marine systems play in combating climate change.

Mangrove forests thrive in salty coastal waters of the tropics and subtropics. Their dense masses of roots at and below the waterline are incredibly effective at storing “coastal blue carbon,” the term for carbon captured in saltwater ecosystems. (Sea grasses and salt marshes play the same role.)

Globally, these ecosystems have a smaller footprint than tropical rainforests but can sequester more carbon per acre, more quickly — making them a critical and irreplaceable tool in our fight against climate change. Sanjayan called these mangrove forests the “the hardest-working habitats on earth.”

We boarded our kayaks and paddled out under the beating sun, which sharpened every detail of our surroundings — the faintest ripples on the placid water, the black-tipped wings of flamingos in flight and slender stalks of mangrove saplings spearing the water’s surface as they stretched toward the sky. We learned more from our experts during our time on the water, but as Sanjayan suggested, we also let the beauty and peace of the landscape speak for itself. You can hear it; you just have to be willing to listen.

As the tide began to recede, we drew up to shore, eager for the main event. Toting foot-tall saplings, we walked along the beach to the planting site, brushing the dirt from the mangroves’ root balls and setting them carefully into the muddy soil. Our hands and knees were coated in silvery gray silt, our necks turned pink in the heat, our shoulders tight and sore — but our spirits high.

While everyone at COP28 understood the precariousness of the moment, this trip to Mangrove Beach underscored the possibility of our mission. It brought to life the potential of high-quality, science-based restoration and sparked honest conversations with our customers and coalition partners about our goals, where our strategies align, and how, by knitting together our networks, we can drive deeper impact.

Now, with our feet sunk in the mud, setting root to soil, something else flowered — our connections to the natural world, to each other and to our mission to fight climate change, one mangrove at a time.

Jim Colvine is a senior vice president who leads sustainability products for Mastercard, including the Priceless Planet Coalition and Carbon Calculator for consumers. He has worked in payments for two decades and holds a Ph.D. in tuberculosis research. Erin Goodhand is a director of sustainability and ESG who has worked for more than 15 years at the intersection of social impact, technology and communications and is focused on stakeholder engagement, including collaborating with NGO partners of the Priceless Planet Coalition.

Click here to view the original content