Every year the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) honors an exclusive group of Michigan employers committed to recruiting, hiring, training and retaining veterans.
This year on December 4, in Lansing, Mich., the MVAA celebrated veteran-friendly employers at either gold, silver or bronze levels depending on the company’s size and resources allocated to recruiting, hiring, training and retaining veterans.
This year Brian Calley, Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, presented awards and recognitions to company representatives of the 265 qualified employers. These companies represent less than one percent of all of the Mich. employers who have hired over 28,000 veterans.
CAPTION: Brian Calley, Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, at the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency’s presentation ceremony, Dec. 4, 2018.
Of these 265 veteran-friendly companies, Holland was among the 23 employers to earn the Silver Level designation in 2018.
CAPTION: Holland was presented with a Certified Veteran-Friendly Employer Silver Level designation at the 2018 Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency’s presentation ceremony.
Holland has worked with the MVAA since the program’s inception to be known as a certified veteran-friendly employer.
Jason Schenkel, senior recruiter in Holland’s Talent Acquisition Department, is a firm believer in hiring veterans. After all, he is a veteran himself, having retired from the Army in 2015.
Veterans bring a wealth of knowledge and on-the-job experience as well as other invaluable qualities.
When asked why Holland recruits and hires veterans Jason answered, “We know that when we hire a veteran, we’re getting someone who is self-disciplined, a professional learner, and above all, someone who possesses great core values such as honesty, integrity, respect, honor and loyalty.”
Finding qualified truck drivers is extremely difficult in one of the toughest and tightest job markets in the nation. Jason believes Holland is tapping a previously under-served and under-employed population by growing programs dedicated to transitioning veterans.
“We have seen a steady growth in our veteran hires. We employ roughly 50-70 veterans each year and seek to double those figures in 2019 and 2020,” said Jason.
Retaining these valuable resources and expanding in-house training programs such as the Holland Dock-to-Driver program (where Holland pays for dedicated dock employees to attend a CDL driving school to become a qualified driver) is crucial to our continued success.
Gone are the days when a Terminal Manager has a stack of resumes and applications of qualified drivers sitting on his/her desk waiting for a call back.
“We have to grow our team and talent from within now. Programs like this are a great start,” Jason remarked at the ceremony.
With an industry-leading benefits package, award-winning veteran programs, and dedication to hiring top talent, Holland has positioned itself to remain among the top LTL carriers in our footprint.
CAPTION: Jason Schenkel accepts a 2018 Certified Veteran-Friendly Employer award for Holland from the MVAA. (Left to Right: David Dunckel, Outgoing Director of Strategy; Jason Schenkel, senior recruiter in Holland’s Talent Acquisition Department; James Redford, Director of MVAA; Kristina Leonardi, New Director of Strategy.)