“Strong work ethic and dedication to their tasks.” As we prepare to celebrate Veterans Day and honor our military members who served or are currently serving to keep America safe, I remember that quote from an email interview I conducted earlier this year.
That quote comes courtesy of Jay Niblick, a U.S. Navy veteran and the co-founder and chief strategy officer at online hiring platform Wizehire, when talking about the benefits of hiring veterans for available positions in facility and maintenance and engineering positions, both as managers and front-line technicians.
I’ve come across many veterans during my time writing about facility management issues, and the connection between the military and managing buildings makes a ton of sense. The skills that veterans earn from their military experience translate well into facilities. Through military training, as Niblick noted, veterans learn how to:
Do those qualities transfer into successful facility employees? Seems spot on.
During a time when the industry is struggling to find quality employees to fill positions, facility managers should make military veterans a top priority. Wondering where to start? Attend veteran job fairs. Open communication lines with veteran organizations. Partner with military transition programs.
To the veterans in our facilities circle, thanks for your service to our country and your dedication to keeping our buildings safe. Your efforts in both professions do not go unrecognized.
To honor our facility veterans, here are a few we’ve profiled and featured over the years.
2022 Facility Champion Justin Tankersley
Anthony Caruso, VA Medical Center
2023 Facility Champion Steve Smith
2023 Facility Champion Richard Mason
Dave Lubach is the executive editor of the facilities market.
