14
ACT
FEBRUARY 2014
NEWS REPORT
growing labor shortage.
The unemployment rate for
veterans who have served
since 9/11 stood at 10
percent in November 2013,
with 246,000 out of work,
according to the U.S. Council
of Economic Advisors. The
rate threatens to grow as the
military begins to draw down
troops.
The Foundation’s landing
page informs veterans
of opportunities in the
industry including “welders,
mechanics, crane operators,
dispatchers, drivers, riggers
and more.” Such skills are
typically developed in the
military.
Like the SC&R Foundation,
HirePatriots.com is a 501c3
non-profit organization. All
of the services of HirePatriots.
com are offered at no cost,
but the organization depends
on the support of donations,
sponsorships and grants.
A posting for one-day jobs
is free for companies because
these opportunities fill such a
critical need for transitioning
troops and veterans. A
standard job posting for a
permanent full time or part-
time position that appears on
the Careers Job Board starts
at only $25 and is considered
a tax-deductible donation
to HirePatriots.com. Job
postings are sent out to more
than 100 partner sites that
feature jobs for veterans,
so it doesn’t just appear on
HirePatriots.com.
Veterans can search for
full-time, temporary or
one-day jobs by keywords,
category, city and state and the
advanced matching system
for skills and experience will
email a veteran once a job
is posted that meets their
skills. There are no fees to the
veterans, so they keep 100
percent of what they are paid.
Typically, more than 1,000
jobs were posted and 150
resumes are posted online at
any time.
Favorable publicity
HirePatriots.com and member
organizations often benefit
from favorable publicity
concerning the program’s
achievements. For example,
reports about the organization
have aired on ABC, CBS,
CNN, Fox News, NBC and
PBS.
“They volunteered to use
their bodies as weapons of
war and they’ve suffered
tremendously from doing so,”
said HirePatriots.com Founder
and CEO Mark Baird during
an interview shown on the
NBC Nightly News with Brian
Williams on August 3, 2013.
“It only seems right that we
return the favor.”
For successfully fulfilling
its mission of creating a
nationwide safety net for U.S.
veterans, HirePatriots.com
has been recognized with
numerous awards, including
the Congressional Medal
of Merit, the President’s
Volunteer Service Medal and
the U.S. Chamber’s Extra Mile
Award.
HirePatriots.com is a
program of Patriot Hearts,
which also offers veterans
no-cost programs including
military job fairs, vet-
entrepreneur mentoring,
military marriage enrichment
retreats, financial wellness
training, welcome home
parties, community service
chapters, school kid programs,
and more.
In addition to maintaining
a webpage on HirePatriots.
com, the SC&R Foundation is
working with the organization
on other mutually rewarding
efforts.
In March, SC&RA will
offer a free webinar by
HirePatriots.com on how to
recruit veterans. HirePatriots.
com plans to have a booth
at the Exhibit Center during
the SC&RA Specialized
Transportation Symposium
in Houston, March 19-21;
the Products Fair during the
SC&RA Annual Conference
in Boca Raton, FL, April
22-26; and the Exhibit Center
during the SC&RA Crane &
Rigging Workshop in Dallas,
September 24-26.
■
T
he SC&R Foundation
recently formed a
partnership with
HirePatriots.com, a website
that connects veterans with
employers through a one-day
job board and permanent job
postings. Since its launch in
2005, HirePatriots.com has
helped more than 500,000 U.S.
veterans find employment.
The Foundation’s board
and committees established
this partnership in response
to ongoing feedback
from member companies
of the SC&RA. Many
SC&RA members own or
manage companies with
an intensifying demand for
skilled labor as economic
conditions improve at a time
when baby boomers are
leaving the workforce and
high schools are graded on
how many students go to
college versus a vocational/
technical school or trade field.
Strong skills
The SC&R Foundation
believes veterans can provide
the solution to the industry’s
SC&R Foundation partnership
promotes hiring U.S. veterans.
HirePatriots.com connects
U.S. veterans, employers
Many skills developed in the military are similar to
those needed by crane and transport companies.
”
‘‘
They volunteered to use their bodies
as weapons of war and they’ve suffered
tremendously from doing so. It only seems
right that we return the favor.
MARK BAIRD
HirePatriots.com founder
