COMPANY PROFILE
Service Men, Women Come Home
to Home Depot
by Lisa Morris Josefak
Mike Jacobsen is one Vietnam War veteran who
is delighted to see that the corporate world has
pioneered into offering programs that welcome
military men and women back into civilian life. A
sales associate at The Home Depot’s Woodmen
Rd, Colorado Springs location for nearly 10 years,
Jacobsen has worked alongside many fellow
service men and women.
“I remember coming
back from service was
a rough start,” said
Jacobsen. “I am happy
the way The Home Depot
and other companies
treat the soldier today.”
Since 2004, The Home Depot has partnered with
the U.S. Departments of Defense, Labor and
Veterans Affairs to provide rewarding and challenging career opportunities in its stores and
distribution centers across the nation for current
and former members of America’s military. Since
the launch of this partnership, The Home Depot has hired more than 60,000 veterans across
the nation.
In the Pikes Peak/Colorado Springs area, The
Home Depot locations embark on many hiring
initiatives directed toward veterans and their
families throughout the year, said Michael Frazier, store manager at The Home Depot on Pikes
Peak Ave/N. Academy Blvd in Colorado Springs.
“Some of our hiring events take place on military
bases and some are in-store training workshops
10
that help us transition military talent into a retail
environment,” said Frazier, who is also the company’s community captain for the region. “This
transition period is one of the challenges veterans face coming out of the forces.”
Most recently, the Colorado Spring stores participated in Mission Transition workshops to boost
military employment. This program a bridge
into the work environment that values the skills
learned through military service, while providing the flexibility needed by those who serve in
the National Guard, reserves or who are military
spouses.
“Many of these Mission Transition Career Workshop are specifically designed and headed by
our managers who have served in the military,”
Frazier said. “They are our employed veterans
who speak to upcoming veterans who are preparing to retire and enter the civilian workforce.”
Additionally, The Home Depot supports other organizations that host job fairs, which specifically
welcome military talent into the workforce, including Goodwill.
“We spend time on hiring initiatives through other
companies that service our veterans, as well as
participate in events that the city has going on for
our veterans,” Frazier said. “So, we get a multiprong approach.”
The Home Depot’s hiring initiatives are geared
toward offering service men and women jobs at
The Home Depot, but also assist veterans in becoming comfortable with the interview process
as they seek other types of employment elsewhere.
“During these job fairs, we provides mock interviews and tips for interview techniques,” Frazier
said. “Military men and women get a first hand
knowledge of what an interview will be like and