[House Hearing, 113 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
TEXAS' INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO JOBS AND EMPLOYMENT FOR VETERANS
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
of the
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
Wednesday November 6, 2013
__________
Serial No. 113-42
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov
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COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
JEFF MILLER, Chairman
DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine, Ranking
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida Minority Member
DAVID P. ROE, Tennessee CORRINE BROWN, Florida
BILL FLORES, Texas MARK TAKANO, California
JEFF DENHAM, California JULIA BROWNLEY, California
JON RUNYAN, New Jersey DINA TITUS, Nevada
DAN BENISHEK, Michigan ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona
TIM HUELSKAMP, Kansas RAUL RUIZ, California
MARK E. AMODEI, Nevada GLORIA NEGRETE MCLEOD, California
MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire
BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio BETO O'ROURKE, Texas
PAUL COOK, California TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
JACKIE WALORSKI, Indiana
Jon Towers, Staff Director
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY (EO)
BILL FLORES, Texas, Chairman
JON RUNYAN, New Jersey MARK TAKANO, California Ranking
MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado Minority Member
PAUL COOK, California JULIA BROWNLEY, California
BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio DINA TITUS, Nevada
ANN M. KIRKPATRICK, Arizona
Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, public
hearing records of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs are also
published in electronic form. The printed hearing record remains the
official version. Because electronic submissions are used to prepare
both printed and electronic versions of the hearing record, the process
of converting between various electronic formats may introduce
unintentional errors or omissions. Such occurrences are inherent in the
current publication process and should diminish as the process is
further refined.
C O N T E N T S
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Page
November 6, 2013
Texas' Innovative Approaches To Jobs And Employment For Veterans 1
OPENING STATEMENT
Hon. Bill Flores, Chairman of the Subcommittee of Economic
Opportunity 1
Prepared Statement........................................... 2
Statement of the Hon. Mark Takano, Ranking Minority Member 4
WITNESSES
Ms. Mary Kennedy Thompson, President, Mr. Rooter, LLC
Oral Statement............................................... 7
Prepared Statement........................................... 9
Mr. David Amsden, Vice President, Recruiting Cognizant Technology
Solutions
Oral Statement............................................... 13
Prepared Statement........................................... 15
Mr. Chris Burton, Store Manager The Home Depot
Oral Statement............................................... 18
Prepared Statement........................................... 20
Mr. John Vizner, Facility Manager Caterpillar Global Work Tools--
Waco
Oral Statement............................................... 22
Prepared Statement........................................... 24
Mr. Joseph Kosper, CEO RideScout
Oral Statement............................................... 27
Prepared Statement........................................... 29
Dr. Janet Bagby, VETS Coordinator Senior Lecturer, Department of
Education Psychology Baylor University
Oral Statement............................................... 38
Prepared Statement........................................... 40
Mrs. Kris Cervantes, Veterans Specialist McLennan Community
College
Oral Statement............................................... 42
Prepared Statement........................................... 44
Mr. Rob Wolaver, Executive Vice-President Texas State Technical
College--Waco
Oral Statement............................................... 47
Prepared Statement........................................... 48
Col. Gerald ``Jerry'' L. Smith USMC (Ret.), Director Veteran
Resource and Support Center Texas A`M University
Oral Statement............................................... 52
Prepared Statement........................................... 54
Mr. Andres Alcantar, Chairman Texas Workforce Commission
Oral Statement............................................... 70
Prepared Statement........................................... 72
Mr. Shawn Deabay, Director, Veterans Employment Services Texas
Veterans Commission
Oral Statement............................................... 74
Prepared Statement........................................... 76
APPENDIX
Aggie Vet Connect Program........................................ 87
TEXAS' INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO JOBS AND EMPLOYMENT FOR VETERANS
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Wednesday, November 6, 2013
House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Washington, D.C.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:04 a.m., at
the Bill Daniel Student Center, Baylor University, 1311 South
5th Street, Waco, Texas, Hon. Bill Flores [chairman of the
subcommittee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Flores and Takano.
Also Present: Representative Williams.
OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN BILL FLORES,
Mr. Flores. Good morning. I would like to call the
subcommittee to order.
And the first thing I would like to do is to introduce
Judge Ken Starr, the president of Baylor University, who is
going to say a few words. Before he gets up here, I would like
to ask us all to give him and all of the Baylor team a round of
applause for being such great hosts today.
[Applause.]
Judge Starr. Mr. Chairman, thank you.
We are honored at Baylor to have you here, from Riverside
and the great Inland Empire of California to Fort Worth and the
great district that runs from Tarrant County down to Hays
County. And of course, the chairman is our own Member of the
House of Representatives. So, Congressman Flores, Mr. Chairman,
we are delighted that you are here.
You know, at Baylor, we have billboards that say things
such as ``Baylor loves Waco.'' We could quite readily have a
billboard that says ``Baylor loves veterans.''
We have close to 100 student veterans here who are very
active in the organization that really promotes veteran
welfare, beginning right here at home on the Baylor campus, but
also much more generally. You know, it was General Washington,
who was quite a veteran himself, in that magnificent speech, a
member of his own officers--when he was facing a mutiny of this
one officer--was talking about growing old in the service of
his country.
And at a dramatic moment, he reached into his breast pocket
and pulled out his spectacles and paused dramatically. And he
asked his officers, who were on the verge of mutiny, to bear
with him because of his growing old in the service of his
country.
We owe again to General Washington and the great sons of
the Revolution, century after century, down to the 21st
century, an unpayable debt, a moral debt and other debts to our
veterans. And so, we are so thankful that you are here to focus
on issues that are of concern to the veterans, their loved
ones, but also to the American people.
So God bless this committee. We are able to say that here
at Baylor University. We love the fact that our elected
representatives from Texas, from California, and our own
congressman has seen fit to honor Baylor University, the oldest
continually operating university in the State of Texas
chartered by the Republic of Texas, older than Texas itself.
Welcome to Baylor University.
[Applause.]
Mr. Flores. I thank everyone for joining us today for
today's field hearing of the Subcommittee on Economic
Opportunity of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
I am Congressman Bill Flores, and not only is it my
pleasure to serve as congressman for the great City of Waco and
the rest of the 17th District of Texas, but also to serve as
the chairman of this subcommittee. Whether it is the popular
post 9/11 GI bill or rehabilitation and training for disabled
veterans, the goal of the subcommittee is to ensure that our
veterans have economic opportunity and success.
I am proud of the work that--the great work that we have
already accomplished this year by improving the Transition
Assistance Program, which assists service members' transition
to civilian life, streamlining the processing of the GI bill
benefits, examining educational outcomes for student veterans,
and various other legislative and oversight accomplishments to
improve the lives of America's veterans.
I am joined here this morning by my colleague and ranking
Democratic member of the subcommittee, Mr. Mark Takano of
California. Mr. Takano is a former educator from Riverside,
California, and it was a pleasure to be in his district on
Monday for another field hearing on educational opportunities
for veterans. We had a great turnout, and we learned a lot from
the panelists and the witnesses at that hearing.
I am very happy to have him here today, and I hope all of
you will show him some of our Texas hospitality while he is
with us. So welcome to you, Mr. Takano, and thanks again for
traveling to Waco to be with us today.
[Applause.]
STATEMENT OF THE HON. BILL FLORES, Chairman
``Texas' Innovative Approaches to Jobs and Employment for
Veterans''
November 6, 2013
Good morning everyone and the Subcommittee will come to
order.
I thank everyone for joining us for today's field hearing
of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House
Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
As many of you know, I am Congressman Bill Flores and not
only is it my pleasure to serve as the congressman for the
great city of Waco and the rest of the 17th district of Texas,
but to also serve as the Chairman of this Subcommittee.
Whether it is the popular Post 9/11 G.I. Bill or
rehabilitation and training for disabled veterans, the goal of
the subcommittee is ensuring that veterans have economic
opportunity and success.
I am proud of the great work we have already accomplished
this year by improving the transition assistance program which
assists servicemembers' transition to civilian life,
streamlining the processing of G.I. Bill benefits, examining
education outcomes for student veterans, and various other
legislative and oversight accomplishments to improve the lives
of America's veterans.
I am joined here this morning by my colleague and Ranking
Democratic Member of the Subcommittee, Mr. Mark Takano of
California. Mr. Takano is a former educator from Riverside,
California, and it was a pleasure to be in his district on
Monday for another field hearing.
I am very happy to have him here today and I hope you all
will show him some of our famous Texas hospitality while he is
with us. So welcome to you Mr. Takano and thanks again for
traveling to Waco to be with us today.
I also want to extend a special thanks to Baylor University
who has graciously provided the facilities for our use today.
We are here this morning to focus on one of the most
important goals I have for this subcommittee - reducing
unemployment amongst our nation's veterans. While this is a
hearing we could easily have had in Washington, DC, I think it
is very important to hear from folks first hand here in Texas
about this issue.
We are lucky, that the unemployment rate for veterans in
Texas was 5.5% for the month of September, which is well below
the national average of 6.8%.
We all know that some of the reasons for this difference is
our great state's focus on pro-growth policies, low taxes, and
efficient and innovative government programs that partner with
the private and non-profit sector to give unemployed veterans
the little boost they need to be successful.
I would also be remiss if I did not highlight the people of
Texas' long standing commitment to the military and those who
have served as another major reason for our success. This is
shown not only in the priority our small and large businesses
place on hiring veterans, but on the policies, programs, and
benefits our institutions of higher learning offer to these
heroes.
I am excited for our witnesses today to bring attention to
these laudable efforts and hope we can bottle a bit of that
Texas magic and share it with the rest of the country.
Congress can write all the laws and create all the programs
they want, but as a former businessman myself, I know that jobs
for veterans start and end with continued commitment from
American enterprise.
While we will hear about many successes today, our work in
Congress is never complete, and I look forward to hearing from
our distinguished panelists about how we can improve the
oversight of federal programs to help put our veterans back to
work.
A few housekeeping items before I recognize the Ranking
Member. I want to remind our audience that today's hearing is
not a town hall and we will be hearing only from members and
invited panelists. My staff and I would be happy to speak with
members of the public following the hearing. I would also like
to point out Penny Forrest and Jessica McKinney with my staff,
who are available to help you with any veteran casework issues
you may have.
Finally, I want to thank my Texas colleague and good
friend, Roger Williams, for being with us for this important
hearing today. Mr. Williams represents Texas' 25th
Congressional District and has a number of Texas veterans in
his district. I ask that our colleague Mr. Williams be allowed
to sit at the dais and ask questions. Hearing no objection so
ordered.
I now recognize Mr. Takano for any opening remarks he may
have.
OPENING STATEMENT OF THE HON. MARK TAKANO
Mr. Takano. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am very happy to be in Waco this morning, meeting so many
of your constituents involved in finding good-paying, long-term
jobs for America's veterans. I know I certainly appreciate the
way in which you have conducted the hearings and the way you
run our committee.
We have a strong bipartisan history on the Veterans'
Committee. While much of the Congress is at odds with each
other, at the Veterans' Committee, we often pass legislation by
voice vote, and certainly your subcommittee is line with that
tradition.
I appreciate the opportunity to hear firsthand about the
innovative approaches to hiring and educating veterans in
Texas. I am very interested in hearing about the successful
outcomes of these approaches.
We heard from my local colleges on Monday, and today I look
forward to hearing from Baylor and your own alma mater, Texas
A&M University. Employment continues to be a challenge for
veterans across the country, and looking at different models
for assisting veterans in finding jobs is very helpful,
especially as we review national policy.
I also want to highlight a program in my own State of
California that is doing great things to assist unemployed
members of the National Guard to find jobs. The Work for
Warriors program places unemployed CNG members directly into
jobs.
Staff members connect with businesses to identify job
openings, find qualified unemployed CNG members, and guide CNG
members through resume and interview preparation and other
elements of the hiring process. Since its establishment in
2012, WFW has successfully placed over 16,005 Guardsmen in
jobs, 2 to 3 placements per day.
While successful Federal veterans employment initiatives
typically cost over $10,000 per placement, the program--this
program that I am talking about has a total per placement cost
roughly of $500 per placement. This is something I would like
to see replicated for Reservists and veterans, and I hope it
will soon spread to other States.
I know the Texas Veterans Commission seeks to advocate and
provide superior services to veterans to significantly improve
their lives. Thank you for what you do in Texas, and for all
our veterans who retire here and decide to come back to Texas.
And I just want to add offhand, I know that California took
Texas' lead in the size of the backlog. The way you are trying
to solve the backlog problem in the State of Texas by
supplementing the number of case workers at the VA with state
workers is something we in California, are trying to do too
after looking at the successful implementation here.
I look forward to hearing the witnesses' testimony. Thank
you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Takano.
I also would like to extend a special thanks to Baylor
University, who has graciously provided the facilities for our
use today.
We are here this morning to focus on one of the most
important goals that I have for this subcommittee, and that is
reducing unemployment amongst our Nation's veterans. While this
is a hearing that we could easily have in Washington, D.C., I
think it is very important to hear from folks firsthand here in
Texas about this issue.
Nobody knows these issues better than those right here in
the real world. We are lucky that the unemployment rate in
Texas for veterans was 5.5 percent last month, which is well
below the national average of 6.8 percent. But still, we need
to do more.
We all know that some of the reasons for this difference is
our great State's focus on pro-growth policies, low taxes, and
efficient and innovative government programs that partner with
the private and nonprofit sector to give unemployed veterans
the helpful tools that they need to be successful.
I would also be remiss if I did not highlight the people of
Texas' longstanding commitment to the military and those who
have served us as another major reason for our success. This is
shown not only in the priority that our small and large
businesses place on hiring veterans, but also on policies,
programs, and benefits that our institutions of higher learning
offer to these heroes.
I am excited for our witnesses today to bring attention to
these laudable efforts, and I hope that we can bottle a little
bit of that Texas experience and share it with the rest of the
country, particularly back in Washington.
As we all know, Congress can write all the laws and create
all the programs that it wants. But as a former business person
myself, I know that jobs for veterans start and stop with the
continued commitment from American private enterprise. While we
will hear about many successes today, our work in Congress is
never complete, and I look forward to hearing from our
distinguished panelists about how we can improve the oversight
of Federal programs to help put more of our veterans back to
work.
Now a few housekeeping issues before I recognize other
persons on the dais today. I want to remind our audience that
today's hearing is not a town hall. We will be hearing only
today from the panelists and the Members of Congress.
My staff and I would be happy to speak with members of the
public following the hearing, and I would also like to point
out Jessie McKinney, with my staff--Jessie, will you please
stand? Over here. Jessica, with my staff, and Luke Connolly are
available here to answer any questions you may have.
We also have a veterans resource center that is available
outside the door, either immediately following the hearing.
Finally, I would like to thank my Texas colleague and good
friend Roger Williams for being with us today for this
important hearing. Mr. Williams represents the 25th
Congressional District and has a number of Texas veterans in
his district.
I ask that our colleague Mr. Williams be allowed to sit at
the dais and ask questions. Hearing no objection, so ordered.
I would also like to let everybody know that we have two
representatives from Congressman Carter's office here today
Greg Schannap and Cheryl Hassmann. Would you please stand? So
thank you for being here and representing Judge Carter at this
hearing today.
Mr. Takano, do you have any follow-on opening comments?
Mr. Takano. I do not, sir.
Mr. Flores. Okay. I now recognize Mr. Williams for any
opening comments that you may have.
Mr. Williams. Thank you, Chairman Flores.
And I would like to start by thanking you for all the work
you have done and appreciate that very much.
And Ranking Member Takano, one of my colleagues, for your
hard work and for your leadership.
I would also like to say real quick there is a football
game coming up Thursday.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Williams. And I am pretty good at predicting scores. So
I am going to predict the Baylor Bears over the Oklahoma
Sooners, 35-21.
[Applause.]
Mr. Williams. I would also want to thank all of those who
are here to testify today. Appreciate that. Your investment,
your leadership on this issue is greatly appreciated.
And at a point in time when Washington, I think my
colleagues will agree, seems very divided on just about
everything, supporting our veterans is something we can all and
will always agree on.
Many have signed up more in recent years to protect our
great Nation, stepping up to answer the call of duty, and we
are forever indebted and forever grateful for their service and
their sacrifice. It is now our duty to make sure these veterans
are given all the resources needed to transition back to a
civilian lifestyle.
In Texas' 25th Congressional District, which I represent, I
am fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Foot Hood and
its surrounding communities. And after speaking with many of
these communities, I can tell you they want veterans to stay.
Veterans are America's greatest asset. We must always
remember that. And they need to be given opportunities to
succeed as civilians.
Thus, we must create an environment that is friendly toward
our veterans, whether they are looking to step into the
workforce or further their education. And I am proud to say
that the House has recently passed H.R. 2011 and H.R. 2481 with
the help of Leader Flores, aimed to advance our veterans in
both the workforce and the classroom.
Our veterans deserve the very best, and the current
unemployment rate among veterans should never be the norm.
Texas is home to an extraordinary number of soldiers, sailors,
airmen, and Marines, many of whom call central Texas their
home. They are the true heroes and heroines of our country, and
I vow to continue, as my colleagues do, to stand for them, just
as they have stood for us and will stand for us.
So I appreciate being here today. And may God bless all of
you, and may God bless our troops and our veterans as we move
forward.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
[Applause.]
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Williams.
Our first panel will have Ms. Mary Kennedy Thompson, with
Mr. Rooter, LLC; Mr. David Amsden, with Cognizant Technology
Solutions; Mr. Chris Burton, with the Home Depot; Mr. John
Vizner, with Caterpillar Global Work Tools; and Mr. Joseph
Kopser from RideScout.
Each of you will be recognized for 5 minutes, and we will
begin with Ms. Thompson.
I would like to say this at the beginning. You will see
some lights on your table there. The green light means that you
have got--your time has started. The yellow light means that
you have a minute left. The red light means that we need to
wrap up pretty quickly.
So, with that, I would like to recognize Ms. Thompson.
STATEMENT OF MARY KENNEDY THOMPSON
Ms. Thompson. Good morning, Chairman Flores, Ranking Member
Takano, and the subcommittee. Thank you so much for bringing us
here together today.
I am Mary Kennedy Thompson, and I am the president of Mr.
Rooter Plumbing, which is the world's largest all-franchised
plumbing company.
I am a veteran, having served 8 years in the United States
Marine Corps as a logistics officer. I am the daughter of a
Vietnam veteran. I am the wife of a veteran. I am the sister of
a veteran, and I am a friend of many veterans across the United
States and across the world.
As the president of Mr. Rooter, I am a proud brand of the
Dwyer Group brands that include Aire Serv, Glass Doctor,
Grounds Guys, Mr. Electric, Mr. Appliance, Rainbow, and Mr.
Rooter. And in 2006, I was chosen to be the first female
president of the 40-year-old Mr. Rooter brand. It is my honor
to be here talking to you today.
I am here representing the Dwyer Group and the
International Franchise Association in our work with VetFran.
In 2012, PricewaterhouseCoopers conducted a study that showed
that 820,000 franchise establishments are across the United
States, generating 17 million jobs. That is close to one in
eight jobs in the United States.
I came into franchising as a franchisee first. When I left
the Marine Corps, I came in as a Cookies by Design franchisee,
and that company helped create wealth for me. It helped create
jobs for my community. And when I was a multi-unit franchisee
in Austin, Texas, I employed close to 50 employees during my
time.
Franchising is the great American dream, and it created for
me and my family something that I had looked for for a long
time after serving in the Marine Corps.
VetFran was started right here in Waco, Texas. It was
founded by Don Dwyer Sr., who was the CEO of the Dwyer Group at
the time and the founder. And he decided in 1991 that we had to
come together and we had to offer our veterans opportunities in
small business ownership and asked franchisors to come together
and offer their best discounts.
And then, in 9/11, Dina Dwyer-Owens, who is the CEO of the
Dwyer Group now, she relaunched VetFran and said we have got to
do more. We have got to offer more.
In 2011, we partnered with the first lady, who was doing
Joining Forces, and launched Operation Enduring Opportunity.
And with Operation Enduring Opportunity, we pledged the
franchising community to hire 80,000 veterans by 2014. We
launched it November 10th of 2011.
I am proud to announce that with the Dwyer Group, we have--
since that time, we have brought in 298 veterans into small
business ownership, offering $1.8 million in discounts. And I
am announcing here for the first time that we, the franchising
community, have brought in and hired 151,557 veterans since
November of 2011.
We have also brought into small business ownership 5,192
veterans. Something that started here in Waco, Texas, has
affected 151,000 veterans.
Veterans make great franchisees, and they make great
employees in franchising because franchising is about the
systems, it is about the discipline, and it needs leaders. And
veterans have that. They understand what systems to the core of
their being. They understand and have had experience with
leadership, whether they are a staff sergeant or whether they
are a Navy captain. They understand that.
Since we launched Operation Enduring Opportunity at the
Dwyer Group, our brands have hired 624 veterans. I have two
veterans here with me today. Captain John Mendel, who is a
retired captain who served in Baghdad and Bahrain, is our new
vice president of operations for Mr. Rooter, joined us about a
year ago. And Jason Lee, staff sergeant in the United States
Army, and he has toured in Kuwait and Iraq. And I thank them
both for their service.
I would like to ask everyone here in this subcommittee to
consider bringing to the 113th Congress the Help Veterans Own
Franchises Act. It would offer a tax credit of 50 percent to
veterans for their franchise fee, and it would be capped at
$25,000.
I would just like to remind everybody that when that
veteran starts that small business not only is he providing a
job and opportunity for his family, but he is also providing
jobs for those in his community. And that is something that can
make a very large difference.
I would like to thank everyone here for what you are doing.
I remember watching a TV commercial once where everybody got up
and gave an ovation to all the veterans. And I would like to
say this. Let us not just give them an ovation. Let us give
them a vocation.
Let us give them the power to prosper, and I thank you for
your very good work here.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Thompson]
Testimony of Mary Kennedy Thompson
On Behalf of The Dwyer Group and International Franchise
Association
November 6, 2013
Good morning Congressman Flores and members of the
subcommittee. My name is Mary Kennedy Thompson and I am
President of Mr. Rooter Plumbing based in Waco, TX, which is a
proud brand of The Dwyer Group family of service enterprises
representing more than 1600 franchisees worldwide and 124
franchisees in Texas employing more than 850 people. I am
honored to have the opportunity to speak at this field hearing
of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on ``Texas'
Innovative Approaches to Jobs and Employment for Veterans.''
Taking care of our veterans who have faithfully served our
country is a subject that is very near and dear to my heart as
is the Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative, or VetFran.
In 1985, I received my commission as an officer in the U.S.
Marine Corps where I served for eight years and achieved the
rank of Captain while on active duty. During my service, I had
the honor to become the first female platoon commander for my
unit and my service took me around the world, including North
Carolina, California the Philippines and Japan. When I returned
home to Texas I made the decision to go into franchising. I
became a franchisee in the Cookies by Design system in Austin,
Texas where I earned company awards for Top Performer and
Outstanding Customer Service. After I sold my businesses, the
corporate office asked me to join the headquarters as the
Director of Franchise Operations, eventually becoming the
brand's President. I came to Mr. Rooter in October of 2006 to
proudly serve the 40 year old company as its first female
President.
I appear before you today on behalf of The Dwyer Group and
the International Franchise Association (IFA). The Dwyer Group
opened its doors in 1981 with only one brand and has grown to
become the holding company of seven service-based franchise
organizations: Aire Serv, Glass Doctor, Mr. Appliance, Mr.
Electric, Rainbow International, The Grounds Guys, and my brand
Mr. Rooter. We are an active member of the IFA and the founding
company for VetFran. As the largest and oldest franchising
trade group, the IFA's mission is to safeguard the business
environment for franchising worldwide. IFA protects, enhances
and promotes franchising by advancing the values of integrity,
respect, trust, commitment to excellence and diversity.
According to a 2012 study conducted by
PricewaterhouseCoopers, there are more than 820,000 franchised
establishments in the U.S. that are responsible for creating
more than 17 million American jobs and generating $2.1 trillion
in economic output. Franchising operates in a variety of
industries; including automotive, commercial and residential
services, restaurants, lodging, real estate and business and
personal services. One out of every eight private, non-farm
jobs in the United States comes from franchising. This is
especially true in Texas.
The IFA and its members have long supported the efforts of
this Subcommittee and the Department of Veterans Affairs'. For
several years, the IFA has maintained an ongoing dialogue with
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Center for Veteran
Enterprise, seeking ways to improve program outreach to
transitioning veterans.
Watching the events of the Gulf War unfold in 1990, the
president and founder of my parent company, The Dwyer Group,
Don Dwyer Sr., a veteran himself, decided he had to do more for
our service men and women. He considered the traditional ways
of support, but saw nothing that captured the spirit on the
scale he envisioned. A short time later, while attending the
IFA's 1991 annual convention, he conceived the ideal solution:
help our veterans achieve the American Dream by owning their
own franchised small business.
Just before Veterans Day in 1991, the program was
officially launched during a press conference in Washington,
D.C. and soon, more than 100 franchise systems were
participating as partners in the effort, providing financial
incentives for honorably-discharged veterans. Following the
events of September 11, 2001, the VetFran initiative was
reenergized by Dina Dwyer Owens, the CEO and Chairwoman of The
Dwyer Group and now boasts more than 600 franchise systems
participating offering veterans discounts, incentives to help
them in small business ownership and connecting them to jobs
throughout the United States as well as the great state of
Texas. I am so proud that an initiative started right here in
Waco, Texas by The Dwyer Group has had such an impact across
our nation.
In November 2011 the First Lady, Michelle Obama, partnered
with the IFA to launch Operation Enduring Opportunity. She was
looking to the business community to help hire and recruit
100,000 veterans as business owners and team members by 2014.
Our franchising community pledged to hire 80,000 veterans. To
date, I am so proud to announce that a program first started in
Texas by The Dwyer Group and then built throughout the nation
as ensured that 151,557 veterans and military spouses have been
hired through franchising these past two years. Also 5,192
veterans have come into small business ownership through this
program. Veterans looking for opportunities in franchising can
begin by logging onto to www.VetFran.com to start their
journey. VetFran.com includes a veteran tool kit, information
on franchising, and a veterans job bank to help match veterans
to employers.
I am pleased to report that since 2002, The Dwyer Group had
brought in more than 298 veterans into small business ownership
with more than $1.8 million in discounts awarded to veterans.
When Operation Enduring Opportunity was launched we pledged to
hire 300 veterans throughout the United States as our promise.
To date our franchisees combined with our corporate
headquarters have hired more than 624 veterans. Some examples
include my Vice President of Operations, John Mendel, who
joined our company late last year after retiring as a Navy
Captain. He proudly served in Bahrain and Baghdad. Jason Lee,
the newest member of our marketing team joined us this past
July after serving in the Army as an E-4. He is our Public
Relations Specialist and at this very moment is in Kansas
performing his Army Reserve duty.
Franchising and Veterans - a Great Match
Franchising is the great American Dream. It allows people
to own a business and teaches them a system to help them be
successful. As a franchisee, you have control over what you are
doing in your life--you are your own boss. I grew up in a
military family and served in the military, we were not an
entrepreneurial family, and I did not know how to run a
business. However, I wanted that control--to be my own boss--I
was successful because I followed the system that the franchise
set up.
When I was in the Marine Corps, I became accustomed to
following the systems of the military, and it is has directly
helped me succeed in franchising where systems are the
foundation of success. That is why I believe that franchising
offers significant advantages over other types of business--
particularly for military veterans. As was the case with my
experience, we often say that franchising allows you to be in
business for yourself, but not by yourself. By choosing
franchising, an entrepreneur not only has immediate access to
support, training and expertise from the franchisor but is also
buying the rights to use a valuable and recognized name brand.
Furthermore, the franchisor provides the entrepreneur with a
business plan and operations manual that were developed to help
guide and direct the successful operation of the business.
Combined with ongoing support and teamwork, the franchise
business model gives entrepreneurs a solid foundation to be
successful and a leg up on the competition.
Franchising is an interdependent relationship in which the
franchisor licenses to the franchisee the right to use its
trademarks, intellectual property, and business and operating
plans in exchange for a fee. The result is a relationship in
which both the franchisor, who is able to develop new units
more effectively than through corporate ownership, and the
franchisee, who is able to operate an independent business
backed by the power of a recognized brand and proven operating
system, win. This mutually dependent relationship requires the
franchisor and the franchisee to collaborate to achieve mutual
success, since neither will be successful without the other.
As a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps, I can
attest to the fact that members of our armed forces are
disciplined, hard-working, passionate people who have an
ingrained trait to work within systems. They are accustomed to
following standard operating procedures, which is very similar
to franchising which uses manuals, systems and procedures to
maintain the integrity of the brand. That is the main reason
why former members of the military make excellent candidates
for franchise ownership as well as outstanding employees.
It is estimated that in the next five years more than a
million service men and women will transition out of the
military. These men and women are looking forward to rejoining
their families, going back to school or starting their own
business. With the diversity of jobs in the military, veterans
reenter civilian life with the skills needed to succeed in
franchising whether it's as a small business owner or an
employee of a franchisee. Their Military Occupation Specialty,
which is the military's way to identify an individual's
particular specialty, can help our returning service men and
women identify the best franchise system that meets their
skills and training.
Helping fellow veterans make the transition to civilian
life and realize their dream of small business ownership is one
of my passions. In addition to recruiting veterans to Mr.
Rooter Plumbing, I am the Director of Veteran Affairs for The
Dwyer Group, and from 2010 to 2013 served as the chairwoman of
the IFA's VetFran Committee. In this role, I worked with other
members of the IFA and VetFran participating companies to
encourage more systems to offer veterans discounts and benefits
when purchasing a franchise as well as provide employment
opportunities for our returning veterans. In that two year
period we grew participation in the program by 79% and launched
Operation Enduring Opportunity. In addition, I teach the
franchising class at the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans
with Disabilities hosted by the Center for New Ventures and
Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University.
As we at The Dwyer Group and IFA strive to honor our
nation's returning veterans I ask this committee to help pass
legislation to aid our veterans' investment in their future.
The Help Veterans Own Franchises Act (HVOFA) introduced by
Representative Aaron Schock (R-Ill) and Senator Bob Casey (D-
Pa.) in the 112th Congress would have provided significant
incentives for veterans to own their own franchise business.
This legislation establishes a tax credit for franchise
businesses offering qualified veterans a discounted initial
franchise fee. The tax credit would amount to 50% of the total
franchise fee discount offered by the franchisor, capped at
$25,000 per unit, and also provides a tax credit to the veteran
for the remaining initial franchise fee paid. Enactment of this
tax credit will encourage economic growth and create more jobs.
Our veterans deserve this chance after so faithfully serving
our county. IFA is engaged with members of Congress to re-
introduce the HVOFA in the 113th Congress. Franchising has
shown it's commitment to hiring veterans and veterans hire
veterans. Let's help get more veterans into small business
ownership and provide more jobs here in Texas and our great
nation.
Again, on behalf of the International Franchise Association
as well as Mr. Rooter Plumbing and the entire Dwyer Group
family of brands, we sincerely appreciate the good work of this
subcommittee. We strongly urge you to support and help pass the
Help Veterans Own Franchises Act, so that more of our veterans
may return home to begin building a bright future for
themselves, their families and their communities through small
business ownership. The members of the IFA look forward to a
continued working relationship with this Subcommittee as well
as supporting the initiatives underway at the Department of
Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration to
assist our returning men and women of the Armed Services.
Thank you and God Bless America.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Ms. Thompson. Well said.
Mr. Amsden, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF DAVID AMSDEN
Mr. Amsden. Thank you, sir.
On behalf of Cognizant Technology Solutions, I want to
thank the Subcommittee Chairman Flores and Ranking Member
Takano for holding the field hearing on veterans hiring, a
topic that I hold very close to my heart and in which the
company I represent here has made great strides.
On a personal note, I am a graduate of the Virginia
Military Institute and come from a long line in family members
that served in the United States military. I was honored to be
an Army officer and follow in the footsteps of both my father
and grandfather, each of whom wore the uniform of our country.
For those who may not have heard of Cognizant, we are well
known to many of the businesses in your State. We provide
information technology solutions, consulting, and business
process services to hundreds of companies in the United States.
Our 27,000 employees in the U.S. tend to work for energy
companies and at pharmaceutical companies, banking
institutions, healthcare payers and providers, manufacturers,
retailers, and colleges and universities in the 49 States where
we have employees.
Texas is and has been a very important State to our
company. It is the third-largest presence in the U.S. for
Cognizant, with over 2,000 employees. And to date, our Texas
clients include energy, healthcare, financial services
companies, in addition to universities. We work and live
locally, pay taxes, and patronize local businesses throughout
the State. We appreciate the business-friendly environment that
the State offers to innovative companies such as ours.
The overall goal of our company is to help our customers
build stronger businesses by both running better or driving
performance efficiencies and effectiveness and running
different or driving growth through innovation and business
transformation. But we have an additional goal to give back to
our communities in which we live and work. I acknowledge to
some that those may just seem like a sound bite.
But I can assure you that this is a creed that has been
engrained here in my company, at Cognizant, and makes our
business better in every way.
In 2008, our company leadership saw that soldiers arriving
back from Iraq and Afghanistan needed support to find
employment. This was underscored by a growing number of
unemployed veterans.
In response, Cognizant launched a multi-tiered program
aimed to helping those veterans get trained and help that they
needed to secure job interviews and stable employment
situations.
The goals of our Veterans in Technology program, or what we
call VIT, are twofold. First, to design and implement
initiatives that not just create a military-friendly work
environment, but also allow the veterans and their families to
assimilate into the private sector. And second, to maintain a
disability program that is ADAAA compliant for all disabled
employees.
We are currently involved in several different initiatives
focused on addressing the issue of veteran unemployment in this
country.
Cognizant is working with Virginia Military Institute--of
course, my alma mater--to become a member of the military
outplacement program and is also connecting with all the
military academies, such as West Point, Air Force Academy,
Naval Academy, and Coast Guard.
We also entered into a partnership with SAP, another large
technology company, to hire recently separated veterans as part
of a pilot program. SAP, our partner veterans to work program,
should certainly be acknowledged in our national technology
economy. They are providing certification to areas to include
HANA, ASC, business intelligence, Web intelligence, and the
Sybase unwired program--all really, really important programs
in our technology platform.
Cognizant is developing a job transition program also,
called Public To Private, which we will help veterans with
basic job search skills, such as resume writing, interview
skills, job searching techniques via the Internet, networking,
use of alumni programs, and these are complementary programs
that our company has built to help veterans. Several of these
programs have already taken place across the country in this
past year. We have several more scheduled in the coming months,
one of which will be here in Texas.
Cognizant has also partnered with Monster, the Internet
site, and will be taking part in the 100,000 Jobs Mission
established by JP Morgan Chase and other big-branded
organizations that are very passionate about hiring veterans.
We have briefed the White House on these initiatives, and they
are supportive of our veteran recruitment programs. We will
continue to update them as we make progress and grow these
efforts.
Although we are pleased with our successes so far, it would
be pertinent to highlight a few challenges, both from our
perspective and of the veterans.
From the company's perspective, the challenges--and these,
I think, are very important that you hear from the field what
is going on--are finding that veterans with the right skills,
we have a hard time finding veterans with the right skills for
our specific jobs and those that have interest in training for
highly technical skills and translating veteran resumes into
specific job requirements.
From the veterans' perspective, one key challenge that they
are not sure how their interests--that they are not sure how
their interests, skills, and experience translate into civilian
jobs. Frequently, they do not have experience marketing
themselves with resumes and interviewing. The veteran and
military community is relatively less familiar with my
Cognizant brand and other major brands as well. So veterans do
not approach Cognizant on their own, and there is a lack of
formalized training programs to build and augment technical
skills of veteran hires.
We know that we can overcome these challenges, particularly
because there is a natural compatibility between Cognizant and
the veteran workforce. Those that served in our armed forces
now form a workforce that comes with certain key qualities,
such as leadership, teamwork, critical thinking, problem
solving, and the ability to work under pressure--qualities that
both Cognizant and companies we work with value tremendously.
This past year, in 2013, Cognizant added over 100 veterans,
and as a company, we currently employ over 200 veterans and
growing. The number of veterans hired thus far has been higher
than what we originally projected because those hires have
proven to be such exceptional employees.
The company is very proud of these accomplishments but
knows there is more to be done.
Cognizant's Veterans in Technology program aims to increase
veteran hiring in 2013 and 2014 by up to 30 percent year-over-
year through continued programming and increased partnerships.
Discussions are already underway with Texas A&M and other
colleges in the State of Texas and universities that would
significantly expand our Veterans in Training program,
particularly--also particularly on the west coast.
Our recruiting mission includes building and maintaining a
community of employees who have served in the U.S. military,
providing opportunities for veterans and their families. We
want to help make it possible for them to lead productive,
satisfying, prosperous lives, contributing in the private
sector after completion of their distinguished military
service.
I am extremely proud to work for--for the work that we have
been doing with the veteran community. We have created a strong
foundation that we can expand upon for years to come.
Again, I am grateful for the opportunity to testify today,
to share what Cognizant has been doing to recruit and help
retain our Nation's veterans in the private workforce.We are
grateful to you, Mr. Chairman, and to all the members of this
committee for your attention to the needs of our Nation's
veterans.
Thank you very much, and on a last note, wishing everyone a
great Veterans Day on Monday.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Amsden]
Testimony of David Amsden
Vice President, Recruiting
Cognizant Technology Solutions
Before the US House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
Committee on Veterans Affairs
November 6, 2013
Waco, Texas
On behalf of Cognizant Technology Solutions, I want to
thank Subcommittee Chairman Bill Flores and Ranking Member Mark
Takano for holding this field hearing on Veterans Hiring, a
topic that I hold very close to my heart, and in which the
company I represent here has made great strides.
On a personal note, I am a graduate of the Virginia
Military Institute and come from a long line of family members
that served in the United States military. I was honored to be
an Army officer and follow in the footsteps of both my father
and grandfather, each of whom also wore the uniform of our
country.
For those who may not have heard of Cognizant, we are well
known to many of the businesses in your state. We provide
information technology, consulting, and business process
services to hundreds of companies in the U.S.
Our 27,000 employees in the U.S. tend to work for energy
companies and at pharmaceutical companies, banking
institutions, healthcare payers and providers, manufacturers,
retailers, and colleges and universities in the 49 states where
we have employees.
Texas is and has been a very important state to the
company; it is our 3rd largest presence in the U.S. with over
2,000 employees to date. Our Texas clients include energy,
healthcare and financial services companies, in addition to
universities. We work and live locally, pay taxes and patronize
local businesses throughout the state. We appreciate the
business-friendly environment that the state offers to
innovative companies such as ours.
The overall goal of our company is to help our customers
build stronger businesses, by both running better, or driving
performance efficiencies and effectiveness, and running
different, or driving growth through innovation and business
transformation. But we have an additional goal: to give back to
the communities in which we live and work. I acknowledge to
some that those words may just seem like a sound bite, but I
can assure you, this is a creed that is ingrained in us and
makes our business better in every way.
In 2008, our company's leadership saw that soldiers
arriving back from Iraq and Afghanistan needed support to find
employment. This was underscored by a growing number of
unemployed veterans.
In response, Cognizant launched a multi-tiered program
aimed at helping those veterans get the training and help they
needed to secure job interviews and stable employment
situations.
The goals of our Veterans in Technology (VIT) program are
twofold: First, to design and implement initiatives that not
just create a military-friendly work environment, but also
allow the veterans and their families to assimilate into the
private sector. And second, to maintain a disability program
that is ADAAA compliant for all disabled employees.
We are currently involved in several different initiatives
focused on addressing the issue of veteran unemployment in this
country.
Cognizant is working with Virginia Military Institute to
become a member of the Military outplacement program and will
be connecting with other Military academies such as West Point,
Air Force Academy and Coast Guard.
We entered into a Partnership with SAP - another technology
company - to hire recently separated veterans as part of a
pilot program. SAP's Veterans-to-Work Program provides
certification in areas that include HANA, ASE, Business
Intelligence, Web intelligence, and the Sybase Unwired Program.
Cognizant is developing a job transition program called
``Public to Private,'' which will help veterans with basic job
search skills such as resume writing, interviewing skills, job
search via internet, networking and using alumni programs.
Several of these programs have already taken place across the
country this past year and we have several more scheduled in
the coming months.
Cognizant has also partnered with Monster and will be
taking part in the ``100,000 jobs'' mission established by JP
Morgan Chase.
We have briefed the White House on these initiatives and
they are supportive of our veteran recruitment programs. We
will continue to update them as we progress and grow these
efforts.
Although we are pleased with our successes so far, it would
be pertinent to highlight a few challenges - both from our
perspective and from that of the veterans.
From the company's perspective, the challenges have
included: finding the veterans with the right skills or those
that have interest in training for the skills; and translating
veteran resumes into specific job requirements.
From the veterans' perspective, the one key challenge is
that they are not sure how their interests, skills and
experience translate into civilian jobs; frequently they do not
have experience marketing themselves with resumes and
interviewing. The veteran/military community is relatively less
familiar with the Cognizant brand. So veterans do not approach
Cognizant on their own. And there is a lack of formalized
training programs to build and augment the technical skill sets
of veteran hires.
We know that we can overcome these challenges, particularly
because there is a natural compatibility between Cognizant and
the veteran workforce. Those that served in our armed forces
now form a workforce that comes with certain key qualities such
as leadership, teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving and
the ability to work under pressure; qualities that both
Cognizant and the companies we work with value tremendously.
This past year, in 2013, Cognizant added over 100 veterans,
and, as a company, we currently employ over 200 veterans and
growing. The number of veterans hired thus far has been higher
than what we originally projected because those hires have
proven to be such exceptional employees.
The company is very proud of these accomplishments but
knows that there is more to be done.
Cognizant's Veterans in Technology program aims to increase
Veteran hiring in 2013 and 2014 through continued programming
and an increase in partnerships. Discussions are already
underway with Texas A&M and other colleges and universities
that would significantly expand our Veterans in Training
program, particularly on the west coast.
Our recruiting mission includes building and maintaining a
community of employees who have served in the US military and
providing opportunities for veterans and their families. We
want to help make it possible for them to lead productive,
satisfying, prosperous lives, contributing in the private
sector after completion of their military service.
I am extremely proud of the work we have been doing with
the veteran community. We have created a strong foundation that
we can expand upon for years to come.
Again, I am grateful for the opportunity to testify today
to share some of what Cognizant has been doing to recruit and
help our nation's veterans enter the private workforce. We are
grateful to you, Mr. Chairman, and to all of the members of
this committee for your attention to the needs of our nation's
veterans.
Biography
David Amsden
Vice President, Recruiting Cognizant Technology Solutions
David Amsden is the leader of Talent Acquisition and
serving his 9th year with Cognizant; during the last 9 + years
Cognizant has grown from under 5,000 employees to over 165,000
employees. David leads a global team of over 130+ recruiting
professionals supporting all functions within Cognizant. He
leads hiring across all vertical and horizontal business
platforms including H1, H2 and H3, the Future of Work, Campus,
Veteran and Diversity programs. David is a distinguished
graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and proudly served
in the United States Army. David resides in Dover, MA with his
three daughters-Alexandra, Katharine and Isabel.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Amsden.
Mr. Burton, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF CHRIS BURTON
Mr. Burton. Good morning, Chairman Flores, Ranking Member
Takano, and Congressman Williams.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today on behalf of
the Home Depot about our commitment to veterans, especially in
Texas. As the world's largest home improvement retailer, we
employ more than 300,000 associates, 35,000 of them veterans,
thousands more that are military spouses. And at any given
time, we have approximately 1,500 Reservists who are currently
serving on active duty while working at the Home Depot.
Since our founding in 1978, the Home Depot's dedication to
quality and excellence has been the foundation of our success.
We recognize and respect the same spirit of determination in
the members of our U.S. military community and seek to support
our soldiers and their families in every way possible.
Veterans work in every part of our organization, from the
president of our Western Division, who is a former enlisted
Marine, to store managers who are logistics and IT
professionals, also store employees who are experts in every
kind of trade you can imagine.
The Home Depot believes that veterans are one of the most
talented applicant pools from which we can recruit. I know this
firsthand as a U.S. Marine myself and now store manager of the
Home Depot here in Waco, Texas. I came to the Home Depot 26
years ago--my anniversary is actually today--during a 6-year
tour as an active duty Marine Reservist. I worked as a sales
associate in many, multiple departments and directly benefited
from the support of the Home Depot, provided as my unit was
activated multiples times to support Operation Desert Storm.
I have had the opportunity throughout my Home Depot career
to give back, helping my employees prepare themselves and their
families for deployment, especially during the Iraq war--as I
was the store manager of the Killeen Home Depot at that time--
and current operations in Afghanistan as well. I have also
hosted several military job-related fairs.
In the military, men and women gain valuable skills that
are transferable to civilian workforces. Unfortunately, it can
be difficult to translate those skills into civilian
terminology. That is why we created our new military skills
translator available at the homedepotmilitary.com.
The online program allows applicants to enter their service
pay grade, their military job title, and translate that to
experience in the civilian world and skills. It also allows the
applicant to add those items to refined searches to view
available jobs available at the Home Depot.
Our newest military-friendly hiring program is an online
social network community for job seekers, called the HomeTown,
available at the homedepotcommunity.com Web site. Military job
seekers can attend live chats, read and comment on military-
related topics, participate in webinars, and interact with
actual Home Depot employees.
Another way we have engaged veterans is through our
civilian career workshops. On October 27, 2012, the Home Depot
stores across the country hosted these events, which were
designed to help service members and veterans understand how to
successfully navigate the transition into the civilian
workforce, whether the Home Depot or any other employer that
they might be interested in.
These workshops included sessions focused on job search
strategies, resume optimization, and interviewing techniques.
Throughout the 100-plus workshops, we were able to engage as
many as 5,000 participants across the Nation. In Texas, events
were held in Selma, Killeen, Lake Worth, El Paso.
We participate in nearly 100 veteran-focused career fairs
across the country each year. In partnership with the Recruit
Military, our most recent job fairs in Texas were held in San
Antonio, Dallas, and Houston.
Finally, we recently committed to the White House's Joining
Forces initiative to increase our veterans hiring by 10
percent, or 55,000 new veterans over the next 5 years.
Our commitment to veterans doesn't stop with our hiring
efforts. Through the Home Depot Foundation, we have pledged
over $80 million over 5 years to address veterans' housing
needs to ensure that every veteran and their family has a safe
place to call home.
In addition, through Team Depot, an associate-led volunteer
force, our employees are volunteering their time and skills to
repair and remodel veterans' homes and facilities. In Texas so
far this year, we have invested nearly $900,000 in grants to
renovate more than 100 veterans housing units and complete
rehab and repair projects for nonprofit facilities that serve
veterans in Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, and San Antonio.
All of these efforts are possible because we operate
businesses that succeed when customers come into our stores to
invest in improvements in their own homes. Therefore, we urge
Congress to support efforts that promote a strong economy and a
strong housing market.
We also encourage the support of the veteran hiring
organizations that we are partnered with, such as Operation
Career Front, a partnership between the U.S. Department of
Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs, GI Jobs, and the Military
Spouse Employment Program.
On behalf of the Home Depot, I am honored to testify today
and appreciate you in supporting our Nation's veterans.
Gentlemen, thank you for your service.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Burton]
Witness Testimony of Chris Burton, The Home Depot
House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic
Opportunity oversight field hearing on ``Texas' Innovative
Approaches to Jobs and Employment for Veterans.''
November 6, 2013
Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, and members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to speak today on
behalf of The Home Depot about our commitment to veterans,
especially in Texas. As the world's largest home improvement
retailer, we employ more than 300,000 associates: 35,000 of
them veterans, thousands more that are military spouses, and at
any given time have approximately 1,500 reservists who are
currently serving on active duty while working at The Home
Depot.
Since our founding in 1978, The Home Depot's dedication to
quality and excellence has been the foundation of our success.
We recognize and respect this same spirit of determination in
the members of our U.S. military community and seek to support
our soldiers and their families in every way possible.
Veterans work in every part of our organization - from the
president of our Western Division, who is a former enlisted
Marine, to store managers, logistics and IT professionals, to
store employees who are experts in every kind of trade you can
imagine. The Home Depot believes that veterans are one of the
most talented applicant pools from which you can recruit. I
know this first hand as a U.S. Marine veteran and now Store
Manager at The Home Depot here in Waco. I came to The Home
Depot 27 years ago--my anniversary is actually tomorrow--during
a six year tour as an active duty Marine reservist. I worked as
a sales associate in the lumber department and directly
benefitted from the support Home Depot provided as my unit was
activated multiple times to support Operation Desert Storm.
I've had the opportunity throughout my Home Depot career to
give back by helping my employees prepare themselves and their
families for deployment, especially during the Iraq War and our
current operation in Afghanistan. I have also hosted several
military related job fairs.
In the military, men and women gain valuable skills that
are transferable to the civilian workforce. Unfortunately, it
can be difficult to translate those skills into civilian
terminology. That's why we created our new military skills
translator, available at www.homedepotmilitary.com. The online
program allows applicants to enter their service, pay grade,
and military job title, translates that experience into
civilian skills, and allows the applicant to add those items to
a refined search to view available jobs at The Home Depot.
Our newest military-friendly hiring program is an online
social network community for job seekers called HomeTown,
available at www.homedepotcommunity.com. Military job seekers
can attend live chats, read and comment on military-related
articles, participate in webinars, and interact with Home Depot
employees.
Another way we have engaged veterans is through our
Civilian Career Workshops. On October 27, 2012, Home Depot
stores across the country hosted these events which were
designed to help service members and veterans understand how to
successfully navigate the transition into the civilian
workforce, whether with The Home Depot or any other employer.
These workshops included sessions focused on job search
strategies, resume optimization, and interviewing techniques.
Throughout the 100 plus workshops we were able to engage as
many as 5,000 participants across the nation. In Texas, events
were held in Selma, Killeen, Lake Worth, and El Paso.
We participate in nearly one hundred veterans-focused
career fairs across the country each year. In partnership with
Recruit Military, our most recent job fairs in Texas were held
in San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston.
Finally, we recently committed to The White House's Joining
Forces initiative to increase our veterans hiring by 10
percent, or 55,000 new veterans, over the next five years.
Our commitment to veterans doesn't stop with our hiring
efforts. Through The Home Depot Foundation, we have pledged $80
million over five years to address veterans' housing needs to
ensure that every veteran and their family has a safe place to
call home. In addition, through Team Depot, our associate-led
volunteer force, our employees are volunteering their time and
skills to repair and remodel veterans' homes and facilities. In
Texas so far this year, we have invested nearly $900,000 in
grants to renovate more than one hundred veterans' housing
units and to complete rehab and repair projects for nonprofit
facilities that serve veterans in Austin, Dallas, El Paso,
Houston and San Antonio.
All of these efforts are possible because we operate a
business that succeeds when customers come into our stores to
invest in improvements to their homes. Therefore, we urge
Congress to support efforts that promote a strong economy and
housing market. We also encourage the support of veteran hiring
organizations that we are partnered with such as Operation
Career Front--a partnership between the U.S. Departments of
Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs--GI Jobs, and the Military
Spouse Employment Program.
On behalf of The Home Depot, I am honored to testify today
and appreciate your work in supporting our nation's veterans.
Chris Burton is a Store Manager at The Home Depot in Waco,
Texas. He has nearly three decades of experience working for
the company in various roles from sales associate in the lumber
department to working as Store Manager for the last ten years.
He has worked in three different Texas markets: Austin,
Houston, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Chris came to the Home Depot
during a six year tour as an active duty Marine reservist and,
after witnessing the support he received from The Home Depot
during his service, has worked in various capacities to support
Home Depot employees who are veterans. Some examples include
supporting his employees as they prepare their families and
themselves for deployment especially during both the Iraq war
and Afghanistan operation, helping with various military
focused job fairs, and facilitating the Killeen Mission
Transition workshop in 2012 to help service members and
veterans successfully navigate the transition into the civilian
workforce. Chris lives in Waco with his wife and two children.
House Rule XI clause 2(g)(5) statement:
I have not received any federal grants in the past two
years.
Chris Burton, The Home Depot
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Burton. Did you say today is
your 26th anniversary at----
Mr. Burton. Yes, sir.
Mr. Flores. Well, congratulations.
Mr. Burton. Thank you.
Mr. Flores. Mr. Vizner, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF JOHN VIZNER
Mr. Vizner.
Good morning, Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, and
Congressman Williams.
My name is John Vizner. I am the facility manager for
Caterpillar's manufacturing plant here in Waco, Texas.
While we have 240 employees at our facility, there are
approximately 550 Caterpillar employees here in Waco and more
than 3,000 employees across the State of Texas. Caterpillar is
headquartered in Illinois, with more than 121,000 employees
worldwide.
Personally, I am a proud veteran, having served in the
United States Navy for 6 years from 1988 to '94. I completed
the Navy's nuclear power program and served 4 years on the USS
Jefferson City. After leaving the Navy, I attended Kansas State
University, where I received my degree in mechanical
engineering.
In '98, I joined Caterpillar as a design engineer and for
the past 15 years have held a variety of leadership roles where
my military experience really provided those core skills needed
for success.
So why veterans? At Caterpillar, we recognize the numerous
benefits of hiring military veterans. Veterans are an under
tapped employment resource. Their strong work ethics, their
values, their skills learned in the military translate well
into positions that are available within Caterpillar.
Nationally, Caterpillar supports our active and former
military employees through the Caterpillar Armed Forces Support
Network, which was launched in May of 2007. The employees
resource group has four primary committees--growth,
participation, partnership, and troop and family support. The
Caterpillar Armed Forces Support Network promotes and supports
personal and career development for Caterpillar military
veterans through networking and mentoring programs.
To focus on national recruiting initiatives, Caterpillar
created a new position in June of this year, a military
recruiting manager that is solely dedicated to creating and
launching a strategy and standardizing approaches for hiring
veterans. This will allow us to share successful practices
across the company, as well as provide focus on a few national
initiatives, such as the White House Joining Forces initiative,
Hiring Our Heroes, American Corporate Partners, and 100,000
Jobs Mission. I would like to take a few moments just to
discuss some of these programs.
Hiring Our Heroes, which was a program sponsored by the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to help veterans and
military spouses find meaningful employment by working with the
U.S. Chamber's vast network of State and local chambers and
other strategic partners. As an active member, Caterpillar has
access to a large military talent pool through the more than
530 job fairs across the country.
The next veteran-focused program we support is the 100,000
Jobs Mission. One hundred twenty-two leading U.S. companies
launched the 100,000 Jobs Mission in 2011, with the goal of
collectively hiring 100,000 transitioning service members and
military veterans by 2020.
As a collective group, we conduct career and hiring events,
provide resources to transition military members and make them
more competitive and expose them to job opportunities. As of
September 30th, the companies within this coalition have hired
over 92,000 veterans.
Next, we have joined the American Corporate Partners
Veterans Mentoring Program, which connects veteran protees with
corporate mentors for a yearlong mentorship. Caterpillar has
recently become a supporter of this nonprofit organization with
varying members of our executive office, including our CEO and
chairman, with military members. Over the course of the year,
they will meet to discuss things from resume building and
interview skills, to networking and small business development.
And finally, the U.S. Army PaYS program, which is a
partnership between the U.S. Army and a cross-section of
companies in the private sector. Caterpillar uses this program
to source talented military personnel.
Most recently, we have used this Army PaYS program to
recruit machinists and welders for our Waco facility and will
continue to use this program to increase awareness among the
military members that Caterpillar is a military-friendly
company.
To wrap up, I would like to discuss a few things we are
doing here locally in Waco. As I mentioned, we used the Army
PaYS to attract welders and machinists. We also participate in
the annual Hiring Red, White, and You job fair that happens
here in Waco and will take place next week.
Our facility is targeting significant growth over the next
several months and would like to leverage the talents of many
military veterans that are becoming available. We recently
launched a local chapter of the Caterpillar Armed Forces
Support Network. This veterans support group is gaining
traction quickly, as more of our employees are learning about
the benefits this group provides.
Further, we have been engaged with General Don Jones, U.S.
Army, Retired, and Crystal Dyer, a U.S. Army veteran, and their
efforts with the Warriors to the Workforce initiative. Their
focus is to improve the connection between veterans, local
colleges and universities, and potential employers. Though this
program is in its infancy, the vision of this program will have
a positive impact on connecting veterans to future careers.
So, as you can see, Caterpillar recognizes there are
numerous benefits of hiring military veterans and spouses.
Their strong work ethic, core values, and leadership skills
align well to the same values found in Caterpillar. Caterpillar
is committed to hiring our veterans and helping with their
transition from the military to the civilian life.
I appreciate the opportunity to testify today in this
hearing on this important subject, and I look forward to
questions that you may have.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Vizner]
Testimony of
John C. Vizner, Facility Manager
Caterpillar Inc.
House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic
Opportunity
Hearing on Texas' Innovative Approaches to Jobs and
Employment for Veterans
Introduction
Good morning. Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, and
members of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee
on Economic Opportunity, thank you for holding this important
hearing.
My name is John Vizner, and I am the Facility Manager of
the Waco, Texas facility of Caterpillar. While we have over 240
employees in our facility, there are approximately 550
Caterpillar employees in Waco and more than 3,000 employees
across the state of Texas. Caterpillar is headquartered in
Peoria, IL and employs more than 121,000 employees worldwide
and distributes products to more than 180 countries.
In my position, I oversee the manufacturing operations for
our Caterpillar Work Tool business unit here in Waco, where we
produce three product lines - buckets, couplers, and hydraulic
hammers - primarily attachments for our excavator equipment.
Personally, I am a proud veteran - I served in the United
States Navy for six years, from 1988 to 1994. I completed the
Navy's nuclear power program and was stationed on the USS
Jefferson City for four years. After leaving the Navy, I
attended Kansas State University where I received my bachelor's
degree in mechanical engineering.
In 1998, I joined Caterpillar as a design engineer. I have
held a variety of leadership roles over the past 15 years in
which my military experience provided me the core skills needed
for success.
Why Veterans?
At Caterpillar, we recognize the numerous benefits to
hiring military veterans and spouses. Veterans are an under-
tapped employment resource that has great potential to benefit
Caterpillar. Military personnel bring a strong work ethic and
values that were honed during their service time. Many of those
skills that were learned in the military can translate into
positions that we have within Caterpillar.
The skills, leadership and values that veterans parallel
the same values found in the Caterpillar culture and we want to
bring in as many qualified veterans in to work for our company.
Nationally, Caterpillar supports our active and former
military employees through the Caterpillar Armed Forces Support
Network (or CAFSN), which launched in May 2007. Through its
four principle committees--Troop & Family Support,
Partnerships, Participation and Growth--CAFSN promotes and
supports personal and career development for Caterpillar
military veterans through networking and mentoring programs.
CAFSN also is ready to serve those Caterpillar employees and
their families during times of re-activation and deployment.
Each of CAFSN's four committees focuses on an important
area. The Growth Committee explores opportunities to partner
with corporate organizations in order to showcase the
experience and knowledge of veterans who are seeking employment
with Caterpillar. The Participation Committee encourages the
membership to take part in various aspects of CAFSN activities.
The Partnership Committee establishes military and community
support networks that are able to partner in support of the
Armed Forces to meet the critical success factors of the CAFSN.
Finally, the Troop & Family Support Committee provides support
for Caterpillar Employees called to active duty and their
families.
CAFSN's other role is to assist with recruiting and career
development of veterans throughout the enterprise and Cat
dealers. CAFSN believes that the talents and ``can-do''
philosophy developed in the military can tremendously benefit
Caterpillar worldwide.
National Recruiting Initiatives
In June, Caterpillar created a new position that would be
solely dedicated to creating and launching a strategy that
would standardize our approach to hiring veterans. A corporate
approach would allow us to share successful recruiting
practices across division lines and give increased visibility
to the issues that are important to our veterans. We have
successfully launched a series of initiatives to identify and
recruit exceptional military talent. With the creation of a
comprehensive military recruiting strategy, our company will be
able to focus on the vital few national initiatives, such as
the White House Joining Forces Initiative, Hiring Our Heroes,
American Corporate Partners and 100,000 Jobs Mission, to
attract and develop our nation's military heroes. At this time,
I will elaborate on a few of the nationally-focus veteran
programs that we currently support, with plans to continue that
support throughout 2014.
Hiring Our Heroes
Hiring Our Heroes, which is a program sponsored by the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Foundation, was launched in March 2011 as a
nationwide initiative to help veterans and military spouses
find meaningful employment. Working with the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce's vast network of state and local chambers and other
strategic partners from the public, private, and non-profit
sectors, our goal is to create a movement across America in
hundreds of communities where veterans and military families
return every day. As an active member of this program,
Caterpillar has access to a larger military talent pool through
more than 530 hiring fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and
the District of Columbia.
100,000 Jobs Mission
The next veteran-focused program that our company supports
at a corporate level is the 100,000 Jobs Mission. A number of
leading U.S. companies launched the 100,000 Jobs Mission in
March 2011 with a goal of collectively hiring 100,000
transitioning service-members and military veterans by 2020. As
member companies of the coalition, we are committed to helping
transitioning service-members and other veterans lead
successful lives after their military service. As a collective
group, we conduct career and hiring events, as well as provide
resources to our transitioning military members to make them
more competitive in the private sector and expose them to more
job opportunities. As of September 30, the 122 companies
comprising the 100,000 Jobs Mission have hired 92,869 veterans
and we look forward to seeing that number grow.
American Corporate Partners
The American Corporate Partner's (ACP) Veteran Mentoring
Program connects Veteran Proteges with Corporate Mentors for a
yearlong mentorship. Caterpillar has recently become a
supporter of this non-profit organization and will pair members
of our Executive Office, including our Chairman and CEO, and
members of our organizational leadership teams with military
members who are currently serving or have served our country.
Over the course of the year, all Caterpillar mentors and their
paired protege will have at least 12 significant discussions,
ranging from resume building and interview skills to networking
and small business development.
U.S. Army PaYS Program
The Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) Program is a
strategic partnership between the U.S. Army and a cross section
of companies, and public sector agencies. This unique program
is part of the Army's effort to partner with and strengthen
relationships America's business community and those who have
served in the U.S. Army. Caterpillar uses this program to
source talented military personnel that learned skills in the
Army that could be used for positions within our company. Most
recently, we have used the Army PaYS Program to recruit
machinists and welders in the Waco facility, and we will
continue to use this program to increase awareness amongst
military members that Caterpillar is a military-friendly
company that recognizes the value they can bring to our
company.
Local Recruiting Initiatives
I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss what we are doing
locally, here in Waco. As I mentioned, we are utilizing the
Army PaYS program to attract military talent into our welding
and machining positions. We also participate in the ``Hiring
Red, White and You'' annual job fair for veterans here in Waco,
which will take place next week. Our facilities are targeting
significant growth over the next several months and would like
to leverage the talents of the many veterans that are becoming
available.
We also recently launched our local chapter of the
Caterpillar Armed Forces Support Network in Waco 3 months ago.
This veteran's support group is gaining traction quickly as
more of our employees are learning about the benefits this
group provides.
Further, we have been engaged with General Don Jones (U.S.
Army retired) and Crystal Dyer (U.S. Army veteran) in their
efforts with the Warriors to the Workforce initiative. Their
focus is to improve the connection between veterans, local
colleges and universities, and potential employers. Though this
program is in its infancy, the vision of this program will have
a positive effect on connecting veterans to future careers.
Conclusion
As you can see, Caterpillar recognizes that there are
numerous benefits to hiring military veterans and spouses.
Their strong work ethic, core values and leadership skills, and
values parallel the same values found in the Caterpillar
culture and we want to bring in as many qualified veterans in
to work for our company as possible. Caterpillar is committed
to hiring our veterans and helping with their transition from
military to civilian life.
I appreciate the opportunity to testify in today's hearing
on this important subject and I look forward to answering your
questions. Thank you.
John C. Vizner, Biography
Caterpillar Inc: 1998 - Present
2010 - PresentFacility Manager: Waco, TX
2006 - 2010Manufacturing Engineering Manager: Wamego, KS
2005 - 2006Scheduling Supervisor: Wamego, KS
2000 - 2005Manufacturing Engineer: Wamego, KS
(Lean Manufacturing Coordinator, 6 Sigma Black Belt)
1998 - 2000Design Engineer, Wamego KS
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS: 1994 - 1998
BS in Mechanical Engineering with Minor in Economics
U.S. Navy: 1988 - 1994
Machinist Mate: Nuclear Power Program
Current community involvement
* Board of Directors: Waco Chamber of Commerce
* Business Advisory Board: TSTC - Waco, TX (Weld Dept. and
MET Dept.)
* National Visiting Committee: National Center for Welding
Education & Training
* Business Advisory Board (President): Greater Waco
Advanced Manufacturing Academy
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Vizner.
Mr. Kopser, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF JOSEPH KOPSER
Mr. Kopser.
Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, Congressman
Williams, it is an honor to be here today to talk before this
committee. As a 20-year Army officer defending the U.S.
Constitution, to get to be here today with you all,
representing Article I, is really cool.
Yesterday, I had the high honor of being at the White House
to also talk about veterans initiatives. So that was Article II
of the Constitution. I figured tomorrow if I can argue before
the Supreme Court, it will be a perfect week.
Mr. Flores. There you go.
Mr. Kopser. In the interest of time, my colleagues at the
table have already done a great job of explaining the values
and qualities that veterans bring to the table. I think that is
almost a given. And so, in the interest of time, I would like
to submit as a written statement my comments before on the
record.
I want to go very straight, very quickly to the challenges
that veterans have because I just retired in May after 20
years, and so it is still fresh in my mind. I would like to
share those experiences.
Congress can stimulate the growth of a new economy and
leverage the talents and power of veterans and the resources we
have. But in short, the Government would be able to serve its
veterans best by giving us better access to capital and by
providing us the freedom to be able to succeed. If you can do
this, I promise you will not be disappointed in what we could
accomplish.
First, despite the great efforts of the VA and DoD over the
last 10 years, there is still a huge cliff at the end of time
in service before a person transitions on active duty, and
there are some very specific things we can do. The 2-week ACAT
program 6 months out before the end of service, retirement, or
ETS, PCS doesn't work.
If you are going to start a company and you don't
necessarily want to just sit in a cubical--because, remember,
the last 10 years we have created adrenaline junkies that want
to go out and serve their community like they served in Iraq
and Afghanistan. We need better access to capital, and we need
to understand the language of business and to get into the
business of business. And to be able to do that, this next
generation of volunteers that become members of the community
are going to need to do things differently than I do.
While I was teaching at the University of Texas for my
final 2 years in uniform, leading Texas Army ROTC, I had to
literally pull a Superman routine where I would change from
uniform to civilian clothes in the restroom to leave to go off
to events after work, to be able to be a part of the community
and understand how business would work now that I have retired.
Our military still frowns--because of our ethos frowns upon
the idea of some kind of a conflict of interest at the end of
your military career to begin this transition, and we need to
change it because it doesn't need to be that hard. We can
balance the issues of conflict of interest with being just very
clear and giving guidance.
We let these men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan work
millions of dollars and the lives of men and women overseas. We
can give them the balance that they need to be able to do
things a little bit differently.
Without asking for permission, I started auditing a class
at the Texas School of Business, the McCombs School of
Business, on entrepreneurship. We studied about Iraqi and
Afghan culture for years before we deployed, but there is very
little formal system to let us understand the business of
business.
The second major obstacle is the access to capital. Often
what we need is just a little seed funding to get going. As we
all know, as you know, military pay won't make you a
millionaire. We don't serve for the money. We serve for love of
country.
But to get a business off the ground takes seed capital,
and I have a few ideas because angel and investment groups are
looking for the 19-year-old Dorito bag eating, Red Bull
drinking young man or woman. And when they see them, they push
money into their pockets.
Not to a 42-year-old dad of 3 daughters living in central
Texas. We are not the typical entrepreneur. So we need to do
things specifically. Here are some ideas.
For every year of service you have in uniform, why not
provide a $1,000 matching grant for the amount of money that
they can either save or find from other investors? Most of the
money I started--or found to start my company, RideScout, came
from my West Point classmate Craig Cummings. Most of the money
I have achieved in the $1.2 million we have raised over the
last 2 years has come from veterans or people who understand
veterans. But I am the exception, not the rule. It should be
much easier.
We have served for 5 or 10 or 20 years, along the way
serving and protecting the American dream of free enterprise.
Now it is our turn to participate in the system, and Congress
can act to do things to make it easier to change the laws and
to help the military ease this ethos, the culture of sliding
into service.
At the end of the day, people matter, and that's what we do
very well. We want--if you want to help someone in your
community with a fundraiser, you find a veteran. You want
someone to help speak up at city council, find a veteran. Want
someone to partner with to do business, find a veteran.
We make things happen because of three things. We do well
in teams. We solve problems. And after being in combat, the
most of us, we don't sweat the small stuff.
So I am proud to testify today in front of this legislative
body. I am open not only to talk during the question and
answer, but hopefully afterwards, not only of my experiences
starting this company, RideScout, but those veterans like me
who follow behind me.
It shouldn't have to be this hard. We owe it to this next
greatest generation, and I appreciate the time to talk this
morning.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Kopser]
Ride Scout Testimony
Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, and distinguished
Members of the Committee:
As a simple Cavalryman from Texas, it is truly an honor to
be invited to testify in front of such an esteemed body. Thank
you for the opportunity.
Today we are in the midst of, and witness to, an historic
change in our veteran community. As the active duty military
continues to reduce its numbers in the coming years, hundreds
of thousands of military service members, along with their
families, will converge on the private sector. It is a
crossroads, a challenge, and also an incredible opportunity.
I say a challenge, because there are literally not enough
existing cubicles, desks, storefronts or jobsites in this great
country to absorb them all. And what's more, after more than 12
years at war, this generation of innovative and eclectic combat
veterans will likely not be satisfied by making PowerPoint
slides everyday sporting ties or high heels.
But every one of you there on the dais knows well the
challenge we face in this arena. What I would like to talk to
you about today is the great opportunity we can realize as a
nation if we recognize it and provide our support.
For the last decade we sent our volunteer military abroad
in defense of our nation to places like Iraq, Afghanistan, the
Arabian Peninsula and East Africa--often with a mission and
expectations that far exceeded the resources we gave them on
the way out the door. But they did not make excuses or come up
short on those expectations; they exceeded them.
The professional young men and women of our military merely
responded with an entrepreneurial spirit not unlike what our
forefathers witnessed after our Revolution when the first
patriots turned to the task of building an America worthy of
the American Dream.
They responded with a dedication not unlike what we saw
when our Veterans were called to heal and rebuild a nation torn
apart by a Civil War.
Our nation's veterans have responded throughout history
with a spirit and drive that welcomed challenge embraced risk
to pursue a better life for their families and their
communities.
And the Government has always been a key enabler and
reliable partner to our veterans.
When the nation mobilized for World Wars to keep the world
safe for democracy. We forged a new generation of leaders in
business, government and industry that we proudly called our
Greatest Generation because they helped to start a new economy
that rebuilt a country that was living in the shadows of the
Great Depression and 4 years of war.
And, with the help of a Congress that gave us the GI Bill,
we created a first generation of college educated Americans.
Now some of the logic behind incentivizing these vets to
attend college was that there were not enough jobs available
and higher education gave the economy the time and space to
absorb many of them. But far more important, education gave
them the skills and confidence they needed to start their own
companies and set the conditions for economic growth that
fueled an unprecedented six decades of economic growth.
The current generation of veterans shares with those
generations that came before them three very important traits.
First, we work well as teams. Regardless of demographic---
race, ethnicity, or gender--- the military taught us to work
with people we didn't previously know--or in some cases relate
to or understand.
Second, we solve problems. On the hillsides of Afghanistan
or on the roads in Iraq, we learned to solve problems with the
resources given without worrying or whining that our higher
headquarters did not give us enough.
Last, most of us experienced a post-traumatic growth. As
General Casey, former Army Chief of Staff, used to say, ``while
some of our veterans are experiencing a very real stress from a
post-traumatic experience--and they need our help and
assistance--the great majority of our veterans returned from
combat experiencing a very real, post-traumatic growth. We have
a new found sense of confidence. We have a perspective that
does not revolve around the petty or trivial. We know that in
tight situations, through teamwork and training, we can thrive
and survive.'' Simply put--we don't sweat the small stuff.
As was the case with our past generations, a public-private
partnership is more than necessary--it is essential. Today's
veterans need a basic education in the business of business,
along with introductions to the network of wealth and capital
that provide us the resources we need to get started.
I believe Congress can help stimulate the growth of a new
economy going forward it to provide the minimum access to
education, training and resources needed to start a business.
The cumbersome process of the Veteran-owned business concept
needs to be revised and streamlined. In short, the government
would serve its veterans best by providing access to capital
and then give them the freedom to succeed. If you do this, I
promise you will not be disappointed with what they accomplish.
I say these things with confidence because I am one of
those veterans. And for 20 years I worked with countless
professionals who embody the same spirit and commitment.
In creating RideScout, I was on a journey to make life
easier for everyday Americans to find the transportation they
needed in the hope they could leave their car behind. We waste
so much energy everyday sitting in traffic, burning fuel--I got
tired of it. I set out to find a web site or mobile App that
would show me all my options in one place. I found great sites
for buses and some for cabs and even a few carpool sites--but
nothing that brought them all together. In Iraq, I was involved
in making life better for Iraqis . . . Today, I'm proud to be
making life better for all Americans. While I think its great
that someone invented Angry Birds or SnapChat, I think it is a
mark of things to come that our company is designed to make a
real impact in improving the lives of people and our planet---
and if we happen to make a profit along the way for our
investors--there is nothing wrong with that either.
RideScout has found success in large part because I willed
it to be and because the culture that I grew up in does not
acknowledge failure as an option. But of course I could not
have started this company without help. I have spent the last
few minutes talking to you about the value of veteran human
capital and there is no better proof that I believe what I say
than the composition of my team. Four combat vets with over
four decades of military service. And when my team needed help
to get started--from advisors to sit on our board, to
investors, to mentors--I turned to veterans. And they responded
as you know they would: they ran to the sound of the guns.
For the last 5, 10 and in some case 20 years, we served our
country in support of defending the American dream of free
enterprise. Today marks our turn to participate in that dream.
And whether you are a for-profit business, a consumer of
American goods and services, or a member of Congress, the
Veteran is a wise repository in which to invest your time and
your money.
People matter.
Want help from someone for the school fundraiser? Find a
veteran.
Want someone to stand with you and speak up at City Council
on your behalf? Find a veteran.
Want to find a partner to start a business? Find a veteran.
Making it happen . . . it's what we do.
I am proud to testify today in front of a legislative body
that not only understands the challenge we face but also
embraces the opportunity to be a partner with and invest in one
of our nation's most important enterprises--the U.S. Military
Veteran.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Kopser.
Before we go on, I would like to go off script for a little
bit. If we have anybody in the audience that is active
military, Reservist, or Guard, would you please stand?
[Nonverbal response.]
Mr. Flores. And then any veterans in the crowd? I know we
have got a number of them, including most of the panel here. So
please stand.
[Nonverbal response.]
[Applause.]
Mr. Flores. I thank the first panel for their remarks, and
I now recognize myself for 5 minutes for questions.
This is a question for each of you, and I think, Mr.
Kopser, you hit on this. So I am going to start with you, if
that is all right, and then we will work back this way.
What types of characteristics do veterans have that make
them such great employees? I mean, you kind of went through
that. Why don't you go through that again for our benefit, if
you would?
Mr. Kopser. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
So, first and foremost, we work well in teams. The beauty
of the United States military, because we are a volunteer
force, we come from every county, every zip code, and every
congressional district in the U.S. You are forced very early on
in your military career to work with people you don't like, and
then, over time, you learn to like them because you value the
contribution of their talents rather than the color of their
skin, their ethnicity, or even the way they talk.
That is the first thing we do. We work really well in
teams.
Secondly, we solve problems. When we put young men and
women into Afghanistan and Iraq, we often put them, sadly,
without the resources they should have or deserve to have. But
we didn't allow them, and they didn't and we didn't accept
excuses as a reason to not accomplish the mission.
Whatever is legal, moral, and ethical, the United States
service member and veteran today will get it done, and they
will do it in a way that makes not only themselves proud, but
it benefits the community. So it is a win-win for all involved.
We solve problems.
And thirdly, and this is a real point, there is a lot of
discussion about post traumatic stress, or the after-effects of
trauma. And while there are a number of people who deserve and
need extra attention and care, there is a greater number of
veterans who experience what we call post traumatic growth. In
other words, after they have been through combat and they have
literally had people been shooting at them, and they learned
through training to their buddies out safely and to take care
of those needs, we come out with a sense of confidence, a sense
of purpose, and we are not going back to the old ways of doing
business, whether it be in training in our services today or
how we go into communities and solve problems.
That resiliency, that confidence is something that is rare
among people, except for some of our first responders, to ever
really put themselves in harm's way. So it is teamwork. It is
the problem solving, and it is that resiliency that make us
great in the civilian community as well as the military.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Kopser.
Mr. Vizner, I would like to ask you all to keep your
answers to about a minute.
Mr. Kopser. Sorry.
Mr. Flores. That is okay. I think there is a little bit of
passion at that end--well, through the whole table, but
particularly on that end of the table.
Mr. Vizner?
Mr. Vizner. To expand on the leadership portion of
teamwork, we see our veterans step up on these teams and
actually lead teams. From our hourly employees on the shop
floor, all the way up through our executive office. So we see
that teamwork is well beyond just participating, to really
leading the team efforts.
Lastly, accountability is probably one that comes to my
mind. We can count on our veterans every single day. The
workforce we have entering right now, the younger generation
that are not veterans, it is hard just to get them to show up
to work every day.
Our veterans are very accountable, and they are there to
serve us and to do what they can to be successful within our
company.
Mr. Flores. Mr. Burton?
Mr. Burton. Thank you. Thank you.
I think a poster child would be Mr. Kopser here. That would
be exactly what I would be looking for when I was looking to
bring somebody onto my team.
You know, we look for the same skills that we look for for
many of our associates, but a commitment to customer service
and a ``whatever it takes'' philosophy, which you will find in
most service people.
You know, obviously, leadership, the ability to critically
think, teamwork, empowerment, the ability to make decisions on
your own, you know, are something--many of the attributes that
many of our service people, servicemen and women, we look for.
And people that embrace, you know, the values that our
company were built on and the inclusion and passion for what
they are doing. Many of the panel members have already alluded
to just the things that are exhibited by most servicemen and
women.
Thank you.
Mr. Flores. Mr. Amsden?
Mr. Amsden. Very well said by all. There is only a few
things I could add, and that is so we are in a global economy.
And any experience that our veterans pick up serving around the
world is definitely transferable back to when they come back
home.
In terms of understanding cultures, their ability to learn
new cultures and translate that into the business workforce is
very effective. It helps their colleagues that might not have
global experience. So that is one thing.
The other thing is in business today, we don't know what 9-
to-5 is. We are not a 9-to-5 workforce anymore. We are in a
workforce that has no time barriers, has no time limits. It is
just about getting the job done and getting it done well as
quickly as possible.
And any of the veterans that we work with, they pick up
with this experience of it is a selfless service. It is we are
going to work until we get the job done, even if it impacts the
family at home. So these are things that you can't necessarily
teach just out in the community.
These are skills that these folks, these professionals pick
up while they are on active duty or in the Reserves or in the
Guards that they do make sacrifice. So, and they do know having
time barriers. So that is what today's global workforce is
about, and that is what these folks are picking up.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Amsden.
And I am running over time, but I do want to get to Ms.
Thompson. You made a suggestion in your testimony about getting
Congress to pass the Help Veterans Own Franchise Act. Do you
have an idea of the impact that would have had on the Dwyer
Group in terms of how many more franchisees you would have been
able to offer to veterans? Do you have a feel for that?
Ms. Thompson. I don't have a feel for that, but I will tell
you this. As someone who was a business owner, was a
franchisee, came into franchising right out of the Marine
Corps, and the Marine Corps did not pay a lot, I had to scrimp
and save. This tax credit will give the veteran more money for
getting them into business faster. It gets them on their feet
faster.
It allows them to hire more people faster and to get in
their community as quickly as possible. And veterans hire more
veterans. You know, when you ask about what do veterans do?
Veterans understand commitment.
I have a friend that always says the best thing about a
veteran is they can put on their resume--you want to understand
commitment--that they were willing to take a bullet for their
previous employer. They completely understand that commitment.
Mr. Flores. Okay. Thank you, Ms. Thompson.
Sorry I ran over a little bit on my questioning.
Mr. Takano, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Takano. Mr. Chairman, could you tell me more about Help
Veterans?--Is it referred to our committee and has it been
introduced?
Mr. Flores. It has been introduced, but I think it is in
Ways and Means.
Ms. Thompson. It was introduced in the 112th Congress, and
they didn't get it finished. So we are asking that it be
reintroduced in the 113th Congress. And what we--what we want
to do, all it does is it offers a tax credit to the veteran for
up to 50 percent of their franchise fee. It is capped at
$25,000.
And I would contend that as soon as they hire somebody,
what they are paying in payroll taxes will more than offset
that $25,000 tax credit.
Mr. Flores. So I think the jurisdiction is under Ways and
Means, but I will work with you so that we can prod that along.
Mr. Takano. Well, it is a very interesting.
Mr. Flores. No, but I want to take action and apologize
later about it.
Mr. Takano. That is okay.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Takano. Well, you know, it seems to me that there is a
way to synthesize some of the ideas here. Mr. Kopser, your idea
of $1,000 matching for every year, and the idea that people
build up educational benefits over time... and also, banking
investment potential while in military service are ideas that
could be coupled perhaps, to get veterans into franchising.
I am curious. Does this bill also deal with perhaps the
educating of the systems? I mean, what I like about franchising
is the fact that it is a proven concept. There are already
systems, a way to educate veterans toward the tail of their
career to go through a sort of mini business school.
Ms. Thompson. The beauty of franchising is that it is
systems based. I didn't even know what P&L stood for. I didn't
know it stood for profit and loss. But my franchisor taught me
that, and they taught me how to understand that, and they
taught me how to go in and run the business the way I needed
to.
And so, they can step into those systems which they
understand and they already appreciate. And once they get into
that franchise, they get franchise training. They get ongoing
training. They have got support, somebody who is going to go
out and work with them and help them get into that.
If I had started my first business by myself, I don't think
I could sit here and say I was a successful business woman
starting off. No one in my family had ever been an
entrepreneur.
I knew I wanted to run my own team. I wanted to lead a team
in a common mission. I wanted to be in business. I wanted to
settle down in my community. But I needed help, and franchising
was a great way to help.
Mr. Takano. I see. The same way you have training wheels to
work on a bicycle, franchising as a first business experience
maybe a good way to go.
I will tell you where I am coming from as a trustee of the
community colleges in California for a number of years. We were
toying with trying to set up a franchise center where the
community colleges would provide a lot of the coursework. But
we would have a one-stop shop where the student could learn
about the different business skills and the knowledge you need,
but also connect with the specific franchises that were a match
for them, and also the financing.
I can imagine something similar if we encouraged a
community college or some institution to supply that one-stop
shop or that transition for the veteran.
Ms. Thompson. And could you use part of your GI bill? Not
all military veterans who come out go right into college, but
if they could use that for franchise education to get them into
business quicker?
Mr. Takano. That is where I am also going with it, and I
also like the idea that they have a little pot of money that
they can put toward actually buying the franchise. Or we have
ways to help them finance purchase of the franchise.
Ms. Thompson. And with VetFran, the 600 participating
franchisors that participate, we offer our best discounts to
the veterans coming in because we want them to have working
capital as quickly as possible.
Mr. Takano. Well, that is--go ahead. I will let you
comment, Mr. Kopser.
Mr. Kopser. Thank you, Congressman.
The two points I hit and I want to reinforce is capital,
which we very clearly have identified, but the freedom. And
what I mean by the freedom is, whether it be a franchise or a
high-tech company like what we are building, the best freedom
for a transitioning service member is time.
And laced also to the $1,000 per year of honorable service
in the military would be 1 week of permissive TDY is what we
call it in the military, where you are not required to go to
your Army job or your military job, but you are still being
paid. So it is permissive TDY, temporary duty, where they could
either go to a community college model or go to a local
university and just audit, just sit in the back of the class--
not even for a grade, not even the whole semester--until they
got, as you say, the training wheels to go through it.
So it is to give them the flexibility. And that freedom
comes with time, as well as the capital in the form of money, a
direct grant.
Mr. Takano. Mr. Chairman, I will yield back at this point.
Mr. Flores. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Takano.
Mr. Williams, you are recognized for 5 minutes for
questions.
Mr. Williams. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
And I will be--I want to thank all of you for being here.
You are doing a fantastic job.
I will start with you, Ms. Thompson. I am a franchisee. My
family has been in the franchise business since 1939, and it is
the greatest opportunity for anybody to get into business.
Ms. Thompson. I agree.
Mr. Williams. And I want to let you know I support it very
much. I believe incentivizing rather than penalizing.
Ms. Thompson. Amen.
Mr. Williams. And the franchise system does that and
seeding and visibility unlimited to the franchisee. So I am
very ----
Ms. Thompson. It is the great American dream.
Mr. Williams. There is no question about it. And like I
say, since 1939, my family has been in it.
And but I also want to emphasize, too, and you have heard
support here from my two colleagues, the fact that you bring up
about the 50 percent franchise fee tax credit is a huge thing.
It converts to cash flow. That is the operating capital for
that franchisee.
And I will let you know I will support anything that has
anything to do with that because that is the way to help
franchisees get their seed capital.
And also just to remind everybody, small business is what
we are all talking about, is half the payroll, half the
workforce in America is what builds--is totally what builds
this country. So I want to tell you, you are on the right path,
and I will be more than glad to help you as we go through, too.
Ms. Thompson. On behalf of the veterans and franchising,
thank you. It matters. What you are doing really matters, and
this could make a big difference to someone going into business
2 years earlier or getting off the ground 3 months faster.
Mr. Williams. I am with you. I get it. So thank you.
And also, Mr. Amsden, thank you for your work today. I
found several things you said interesting. You talk about some
challenges you had, one of which you thought that vets need a
better way to market themselves.
And you know, the truth of the matter is, life is retail.
And when you have been in the service, sometimes you don't have
that opening to understand that until later. What--and very
briefly, what do you think we can do to help these vets market
themselves as the great people they are and the great workers
they will be and are?
Mr. Amsden. Well, I think you all can look at developing
some type of what I would call a shared services model. So
whether it is for additional capital, whether it is legal
services, where when you are starting a business, you need all
types of ancillary services, which any franchisee or any
entrepreneur needs to go through. It could be legal. It could
be accounting. It could be sales/marketing, whatever.
But now, so building a shared services model to support
entrepreneurial growth, if you guys could build something like
that, that would be very, very helpful to anyone that is trying
to build a business.
Now regarding the specific individuals, the soldiers that
are getting out of the service, I think it was very eloquently
stated, when these folks are first getting out of the service,
it is like a hard and fast stop. They work, work, work, and
there is no real serious transition phase for them to get
trained or to even give them the period to learn how to
interview, go take interviews.
They should be encouraged to partner with private business
and go take interviews, learn how to interview, learn how to
market their skills. And very importantly, these are
professionals that they have often gone around in the world in
their service, but their mindset when they get out is often to
come home--to come back to Texas, right?
Which I am not trying to push anyone away from Texas. But
the reality is, it's a national economy. And one of the things
that these folks need to learn is that there are jobs in
Seattle. There are jobs in California. There are jobs in
Massachusetts. And they need to market themselves not just to
Texas, but to our country in the private sector. And that is
one of the things they need to learn.
Mr. Williams. We want to work with you on that.
The next thing is to John. Thanks for your service.
Appreciate it very much.
Let me go back to Chris real quick. Thanks for what you
guys are doing. I found very interesting your translation
program, I think that is great, and I think you need to keep
that up. And anything we can do to help you with it. Because
that is important. Terms can mean a lot of different things to
people.
Mr. Burton. Yes, sir.
Mr. Williams. And I want to thank you. I want to thank you
for that.
And to John with Caterpillar, you guys do a fantastic job.
I picked up on where you said welders are something we need to
have. I can show where we have lost a lot of business right
here in Texas because we don't have enough welders. And keep
those things up.
And the 100,000 goal of employees by 2020, I think I
understood that.
Mr. Vizner. That is correct. But we are well beyond that
path. I believe there is over 92,000 with 6 to 7 years to go.
Mr. Williams. That is what I heard you say. That is great.
And ----
Mr. Vizner. We could set another milestone, though.
Mr. Williams.--we want to help you get to 200,000, if we
can.
And Joseph, you talked about angel investors. We have got a
lot of issues right now that we have got to do better to
promote angel investors. We need to instead of penalizing them,
we need to be able to promote them. Because in many cases, that
is the cash flow that these small business owners need to get.
I understand that, and I want to help you there.
And capital is the seed. We have got to be able to free up
capital and let investors, whether they be private investors,
banks, or whatever, be able to loan that capital, be able to
let people take risk, and be able to let people get rewarded.
That translates into entrepreneurship, capitalism, and the
great American dream. I think we all get that, and I appreciate
your words on that, and I think you can count on this group of
people here to work for it and help you there.
Mr. Kopser. Thank you, Congressman.
Mr. Williams. Thank you very much. I yield back.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Williams.
Normally, we don't do this. But I thought this panel was
particularly instructive. How many in the audience agree with
that? So ----
[Applause.]
Mr. Flores. Thank you for the first panel. We are going to
ask you to be dismissed, and then we will bring up our second
panel.
On our second panel, we are going to have Dr. Janet Bagby,
with Baylor University; Mrs. Kris Cervantes, with McLennan
Community College; Mr. Rob Wolaver, with the Texas State
Technical College; and finally, Colonel Gerald Smith, with
Texas A&M University.
I would like to thank the second panel for joining us
today, and I would like to start with you, Dr. Bagby. You are
recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF JANET BAGBY
Ms. Bagby.
Good morning.
Thank you, Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, and
Congressman Williams, for the opportunity to address this
subcommittee.
It is an honor to come before you and to represent Baylor
University. My name is Janet Bagby. I am a faculty member in
the School of Education and the VETS coordinator.
On behalf of our president, Judge Kenneth Starr, I welcome
you to our campus.
As Judge Starr said in his opening remarks, we have about
100 student veterans attending Baylor. Since Baylor is a
private school, the financial benefit provided by the GI bill
covers only about one semester of Baylor's tuition. By electing
to participate in the Yellow Ribbon program, Baylor has made
the financial commitment to support student veterans who choose
to attend our university.
While our student veteran enrollment may never match that
of public universities, I am extremely proud of the services
and support we are providing for those veterans who do attend.
After researching the needs of student veterans on campus,
Baylor created the Veteran Educational and Transition Services,
VETS, program in the fall of 2012 to support the academic
success of student veterans attending our campus. I work
closely with our campus VA certifying agent, who assists our
student veterans in their certification needs.
Through the VETS program, I serve as an advocate and mentor
for student veterans on campus. Undergraduate student veterans
during their first semester at Baylor take a 1-hour, 1-credit
course to assist in their transition to college and
specifically to Baylor. Coming from a highly structured
environment of the military to a highly unstructured
environment of a university can present challenges for incoming
student veterans.
For those veterans who need extra assistance with math
classes, the VETS program has partnered with our Air Force ROTC
to offer free tutoring by the cadets who are fifth-year
engineering majors. We have developed a similar partnership
with Army ROTC to provide tutoring for student veterans in
other content areas.
Although VETS has existed for only three semesters, we are
making a difference and positively impacting the lives of our
student veterans. We are tracking their progress and look
forward to sharing this data with you in the near future.
Last spring, a Baylor counselor informed me that Armando, a
senior philosophy major and an Army veteran, was in difficulty
and asked if I could help. During the fall semester, Armando
had been sitting on his motorcycle at a traffic light when a
car crashed into him. His injuries were so severe that he had
to take incompletes in all of his classes and postpone his
pending graduation.
In the spring semester, Armando worked with the professors
of his six classes to satisfy requirements. However, since he
was not formally registered for classes, Armando did not have
access to the library or the student athletic facility. He was
struggling to complete the required coursework without library
resources, and without access to the fitness equipment in the
Baylor Health Center, his physical healing suffered as well.
I immediately assumed an advocacy role and shared Armando's
story with the provost's office and the assistant vice
president for student financial services. Within several days,
Armando was enrolled in our VETS course, tuition free, and was
granted access to all Baylor facilities. I am happy to report
that he was able to complete all his coursework and graduated
in May.
The VETS program is currently partnering with Baylor's
Career Development Department to develop or adapt career
resources to specifically address the needs of our student
veterans. Three years ago, the Veterans of Baylor student
organization was chartered with the mission of providing a
community for student veterans on campaign. I serve as the
faculty adviser for Veterans of Baylor.
While Baylor has a long tradition of being military
friendly, we are now dedicated to becoming a military-embracing
campus by cooperating together for the good of our students. In
addition to partnering with our ROTC programs, career
development, and our law school, who provides free legal advice
for our veterans, we are also connecting with the veterans One-
Stop shop downtown Waco and local veterans in the business
community.
In conclusion, the VETS program, the Veterans of Baylor
student organization, Army ROTC, and Air Force ROTC are
cosponsoring a Veterans Day ceremony on November 11th at 5:00
p.m. on campus for the Baylor and the Waco communities.
Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano, Congressman
Williams, this concludes my testimony today, and I am happy to
answer any questions that you may have.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Bagby]
Preparing for Oral Testimony before Congressional Committee
Dr. Janet Bagby09 Baylor University
Opening Statement:
Good morning,
Thank you, Chairman Flores and Ranking member Takano for
the opportunity to address the subcommittee this morning. It is
an honor to come before you and to represent Baylor University.
My name is Dr. Janet Bagby, Senior Lecturer in the
Department of Educational Psychology and the VETS Coordinator.
On behalf of our President, Judge Kenneth Starr, I welcome you
to our campus.
Testimony:
Currently we have approximately 100 student veterans
attending Baylor. I say ``approximately'' because we cannot
identify our student veterans unless they are using VA benefits
to pay for their tuition. Beginning in 2015, students will have
the opportunity to check a box on the Baylor application if
they are veterans. At that point, we will be able to identify
all incoming Baylor student veterans not just those using GI
benefits. Since Baylor is a private school, the financial
benefit provided by the GI Bill covers only about one semester
of Baylor's tuition. By electing to participate in the Yellow
Ribbon Program, Baylor has made the financial commitment to
support student veterans who choose to attend our University.
While our student veteran enrollment may never match that of
public universities, I am extremely proud of the services and
support we are providing for those veterans who do attend.
After researching the needs of student veterans on campus,
Baylor created the Veteran Educational and Transition Services
(VETS) Program in the fall of 2012 to support the academic
success of student veterans attending the University. The VETS
office, located in the Army ROTC facility, is administratively
part of the Paul L. Foster Success Center that focuses on
meeting the academic and career needs of all Baylor students.
The VETS Program is staffed by LaNette Thompson, the VETS
Transition Coach and an Educational Psychology doctoral
student. Ms. Thompson's position has been generously funded by
Baylor's Graduate School Dean for the past two years. In
addition to my teaching responsibilities in the Educational
Psychology Department, I serve as the VETS Coordinator. The
Provost's office supports the VETS Program with an annual
operating budget. The Baylor Veterans' Coordinator is Ms.
Jessica Alford whose full-time responsibilities include
assisting our student veterans in their VA certification needs.
The VETS Program and the Veterans' Coordinator provide duel
support for Baylor's student veterans.
Through the VETS Program, I serve as an advocate and mentor
for student veterans on campus. Having loved my experience of
being a Baylor faculty member for over 20 years, I have
developed a strong passion for serving this special population.
Undergraduate student veterans, during their first semester
at Baylor, take a one-hour, for-credit course to assist in
their transition to college and specifically to Baylor. This
class gives student veterans an opportunity to connect on
campus. Coming from a highly structured environment of the
military to the highly unstructured environment of a university
can present challenges for incoming student veterans. Topics
covered in the course include:
Implementing study strategies
Utilizing Baylor's technology
Accessing support systems on campus
Registering for classes and securing tuition assistance
Planning a career path
Receiving free legal assistance through Baylor's Law School
The majority of these sessions are presented by key
faculty/administrators who have expertise in these areas and
who demonstrate their support by personally addressing the
students. One class member, an Army veteran whose husband was
just deployed, leaving her to cope alone with four small
children while at the same time beginning her college career,
has especially appreciated the support that the class provides.
As part of the course, student veterans submit a writing sample
and receive individual feedback on techniques for improving
their writing skills, a practice that is helping them in their
other classes. For those student veterans who need extra
assistance with math classes, besides options in the Paul L.
Foster Success Center, the VETS Program has partnered with Air
Force ROTC to offer free tutoring by the AF cadets who are
fifth year Engineering majors. We are in the process of
developing a similar partnership with Army ROTC to provide
tutoring for the student veterans in other content areas.
Although VETS has existed for only three semesters, we are
making a difference and positively impacting the lives of our
student veterans. Last spring, a Baylor counselor informed me
that Armando, a senior Philosophy major and an Army veteran,
was in difficulty and asked if I could help. Armando had been
sitting on his motorcycle at a traffic light when a car crashed
into him. His injuries were so severe that he had to take
incompletes in all his classes and postpone his impending
graduation. That spring, Armando worked with the professors of
his six classes to satisfy requirements. However, since he was
not formally registered for classes, Armando did not have
access to the library or the student athletic facility. He was
struggling to complete the required coursework without library
resources, and without access to the fitness equipment in the
Baylor health center, his physical healing suffered as well. I
immediately assumed an advocacy role and shared Armando's story
with the Provost's office and the Assistant Vice-President for
Student Financial Services. Within several days, Armando was
enrolled in our VETS course, tuition-free, and was granted
access to all Baylor facilities. I am happy to report that he
was able to complete all his coursework and graduated in May.
The VETS Program is currently partnering with Baylor's
Career Development Department to develop or adapt career
resources to specifically address the needs of our student
veterans. For example:
Resume/cover letters: Tailoring military language and
experience to civilian job market and skills
Interview practice: Customize specific questions veterans
might encounter in interview settings
Veteran Mentor Program: Develop a mentoring program where
student veterans are paired with successful alumni who are also
veterans.
A VETS Advisory Board, composed of key Baylor
administrators and community leaders, meets regularly to guide
and support the VETS Program.
Three years ago, the Veterans of Baylor student
organization was chartered with the mission of providing a
community for student veterans on campus. I serve as the
faculty advisor for Veterans of Baylor. With cooperation from
the Provost's office, we are in the process of identifying
Baylor faculty and staff who are veterans or who have immediate
family members currently serving in the military.
While Baylor has a long tradition of being ``military
friendly,'' we are now dedicated to becoming a ``military
embracing'' campus by cooperating together for the good of our
students. For example, the VETS program, the Veterans of Baylor
student organization, Army ROTC, and Air Force ROTC are co-
sponsoring a Veterans Day Ceremony on November 11th at 5:00 PM
on campus for the Baylor and Waco communities.
Conclusion:
Chairman Flores, Ranking member Takano this concludes my
testimony today. I am happy to answer any questions that you
may have.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Dr. Bagby. And thank you for what
you did to help Armando out.
Ms. Cervantes, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF KRIS CERVANTES
Ms. Cervantes. Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here.
My name is Kris Cervantes, and I am the veterans specialist
at McLennan Community College here in Waco. I am a military
spouse. My husband is now finished with the military and works
at the VA Center for Excellence.
At MCC, we have a program called RSVP, and it came to their
attention that veterans experience higher unemployment rates
than the general population. There are lots of causes for this,
but some of the contributing factors, according to the Texas
Veterans Commission and the VA Center for Excellence, are lacks
in the areas of personal support, up to date work experience
and resumes, and also that veterans aren't necessarily willing
to just settle for any old job. They want a job that has
meaningful purpose.
With that in mind, the RSVP program received funding from
the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the MCC
Foundation also applied for and received funding from the Texas
Veterans Commission to expand their offerings to veterans, and
the Connect-A-Vet program was created.
There is a reason that it is called military service.
Veterans want to give back to their community. And what
Connect-A-Vet does is it addressed all those lacks we
mentioned. It creates networks of personal support, allows the
opportunity for veterans to update their resumes, and provides
meaningful work that makes a difference.
And the way it does that is that if a veteran is referred
to Connect-A-Vet, they might come from the TVC, from the One-
Stop shop downtown, from me as the education officer at MCC.
They would come in and meet with a Connect-A-Vet counselor and
be paired with a veteran mentor. And then that veteran is
paired with an agency--an area nonprofit that they can
volunteer with.
This volunteer work is done while the veteran is adjusting
to community life, pursuing needed treatments, and exploring
education options. For example, a veteran with an MOS in
transportation might be assigned to a local area agency that
has a fleet of buses used to transport Head Start children. We
have nearly 1,000 in the Waco area alone.
In this way, the veteran's resume is going to be updated.
They are going to get a good reference, and they might
eventually be able to leverage that into a paid position.
Some other examples might be that somebody with experience
in inventory could be matched with Caritas, a local food back,
to help them deal with over 6,000 clients. A veteran who is
good with their hands might be assigned to work with Habitat
for Humanity.
A veteran who needs to change over to office work but lacks
some computer skills would be given some training through
Connect-A-Vet and MCC and then perhaps put into an
administrative position in a local nonprofit, and thereby, they
get some experience on the job so that they can translate that
into a position.
According to the National Survey on Giving, Volunteering,
and Participating, 28 percent of survey volunteers said their
unpaid service helped them obtain jobs. So far--and let me just
say this program is in its infancy. We really just started
accepting cases in September of this year.
So far, we have already had enrollment in case management
of 14 veterans. We have 11 mentors onboard, 9 of whom have
completed training. We have already done resource referral for
two military dependents. We have placed five veterans in local
nonprofit volunteer positions, and we have two veterans who
have already had paid employment as an outcome of their
connection with this program.
We do have a resource center at the MCC campus, which has a
beautiful framed flag from Congressman Flores' office. Thank
you.
Mr. Flores. You are welcome.
Ms. Cervantes. Some other Connect-A-Vet services that we
will be offering include resume building, resource referrals.
Of course, education information and referral, they are free to
send veterans to me, and whether the veteran wants to attend
MCC or another college, I will be happy to help them connect
with what their benefits are.
We have a small business development center on MCC's campus
that is award winning and can give them lots of great
information about how to start their own business. Career
planning, networking opportunities.
Emotional assessment services. One of the main things that
this program is meant to address is that feeling of disconnect
and sort of culture shock as a person leaves the military and
may not have gainful employment already set up. We want to help
them fill their days with something meaningful. And of course,
we will recognize their service.
McLennan Community College, as a college, has over 100
certificates and degrees which are approved for pursuit with
Federal education benefits. And we have partnerships with six
Texas public universities as well as Baylor. We have award-
winning programs and instructors in a wide variety of fields.
Most of the veterans that we see on campus are combat
veterans. They have seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. They
are family members. They have wives, children, husbands, et
cetera.
At MCC, last spring, I processed 575 State and Federal
claims for veterans and their dependents. So we have a fairly
large military population on campus. We have so far this fall
already processed 581 claims. So it is ahead of the curve, and
we expect those numbers to continue growing.
And that is all. If anybody has any questions, I would be
happy. And thank you for the opportunity to speak.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Cervantes]
Connect-a-Vet Project and Other Veterans' Services
RSVP, McLennan Community College and MCC Foundation
Presenter: Kris Cervantes, VA Specialist in the Office of
Financial Aid, McLennan Community College
CONNECT-A-VET PROJECT
Over 2.2 million veterans served in Iraq and Afghanistan as
part of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The
Department of Labor (DOL) state unemployment rates for these
returning veterans is more than 2% higher than the rates from
other combat eras and is 29.1% for those aged 18-24. Texas
Veteran's Commission (TVC) and the VA Center for Excellence
report that lack of personal support, current work experience
and meaningful purpose during the first months of transition to
civilian life is a contributing factor to these statistics.
Screened and referred by TVC and other organizations,
veterans will be placed in volunteer positions with partner
non-profit agencies. Participating agencies will sign an
updated Memorandum of Understanding that not only secures
proper supervision and safety, but will encourage learning
opportunities and job placement for the veterans when possible.
RSVP volunteers will provide training and mentor support, all
while our veterans provide manpower needed to meet growing
demands for social services. This project will assist veterans
in adjusting to their community while they, in turn, help build
the capacity of the nonprofit organizations. The concept
creates a two-fold impact.
Veterans can ``make a difference'' while they may also be
receiving treatment, counseling, attending school, seeking jobs
or re-connecting with their families. Resumes will be
strengthened and self-value will be increased. TVC reports
veterans often face months of uncertainty, plagued with dated
work experience, empty days and lack of direction. We will fill
that gap with 30 new RSVP volunteers to supervise veterans.
Over 800 HOT RSVP volunteers serve in McLennan, Hill,
Bosque, Falls, Freestone and Limestone counties, 15% of them
veterans. With the exception of Waco itself, the area is widely
rural with a total of 52,500 veterans living in our region.
This RSVP is only six miles from the Waco VA Medical Center, 30
miles from the Temple VA Medical Center and 46 miles from Fort
Hood's military installation. For these reasons among others,
Waco has been designated by USAA Magazine as the #1 location
nationally for military retirement, providing a ready supply of
new volunteers.
Some examples of how the project will work: A soldier
returns from duty with an MOS in transportation. He might
volunteer with our regional community action agency to maintain
a fleet of buses used to transport the 1,000 Head Start
children in this area. Another veteran has experience in
shipping and receiving supplies, a skill that could be utilized
by our local food bank in serving 6,000 clients monthly. Maybe
a third veteran was in combat for so long that she lost
relevant skills, or perhaps she simply has the desire to learn
something new. Habitat for Humanity could teach a building
trade. A veteran with new physical limitations could obtain
office or management experience. The possibilities are endless.
Some agencies may wish to hire our heroes and benefit from the
tax credits available. At the very least, these veterans have
added experience to their resume and begun the process of
rejoining their community. With a proven Emotional Assessment
Profile pre- and post-test given by trained professionals at
MCC, RSVP will be able to document that depression is lessened,
self-worth is increased, resources have become more accessible
and relationships built. As an added benefit, agencies will
have increased their capacity to serve this region.
Participating Agencies:
* HOT Veterans Coalition (Veterans One Stop)
* Congressman Bill Flores' District Office
* Waco Transit
* McLennan County Veterans Services
* Advocacy Center
* Waco Habitat for Humanity
* Friends for Life
* Mission Waco
* Caritas of Waco
* Area Agency on Aging/HOTCOG
* Tarleton University School of Social Work
* VA Medical Center
* MCC Mental Health Division
* MCC Adult Basic Education program
* San Saba RSVP (Ft. Hood)
* Meals and Wheels
* Helpings SNAP Outreach
Grants were provided to RSVP by the Corporation for
National and Community Service. The McLennan Foundation later
applied for an additional grant through the Texas Veterans
Commission, which allowed the RSVP program serving veterans to
be greatly expanded. McLennan Community College sponsors RSVP
in the Heart of Texas, which is funded by the Corporation for
National and Community Service and the Texas Department on
Aging.
McLENNAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE VETERANS' SERVICES
McLennan Community College offers more than 100 certificate
and degree programs which are approved for pursuit using
federal and state veterans' education benefits (visit http://
www.mclennan.edu/students/admissions/aprog.html for a list of
programs). We also partner with six state universities and
Baylor University to offer transfer programs which allow
students to complete a variety of Bachelor, Masters, and
Doctoral programs here in Waco.
Veterans are offered exceptional service through all
departments of the college, as well as personalized assistance
in using federal and state education benefits by the Veterans
Specialist within the Office of Financial Aid. MCC is a
Servicemembers' Opportunity College which has processed over
580 state and federal VA education claims so far this Fall
(2013):
* 11 students using Reserve education benefits.
* 25 veterans using the Veterans Retraining Assistance
Program.
* 33 students using VA Vocational Rehabilitation.
* 35 students using the Montgomery GI Bill.
* 87 dependents of deceased or 100% disabled veterans,
using the Dependents Education Assistance Program.
* 196 students using the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
* 63 veterans using Hazlewood alongside another VA benefit.
* 46 veterans using only the Hazlewood benefit.
* 24 dependents using the Hazlewood alongside their
dependent benefits.
* 61 dependents using only the Hazlewood benefit.
McLennan Community College's mission is to provide access
to excellent workforce and transfer programs, student services,
and continuing education that promotes student success
including proficiency in identified student learning outcomes,
successful course completion, graduation, employment, and
transfer to a senior institution. The college engages and
strengthens its community through successful educational
attainment, strong leadership, sustainability efforts, best
practices, community service, and integrity.
MCC is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the
Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate in Applied
Sciences, and Associate of Arts in Teaching degrees. The school
was established in 1965 by the citizens of McLennan County. MCC
provides equal educational opportunity for all qualified
students and does not discriminate on the basis of sex,
disability, race, creed or religion, color, age, national
origin or any other unlawful factors in its educational
program, activities, or employment, as required by Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, Total IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972
and the Age Discrimination Act of 1978.
FEDERAL GRANT AWARDS ACTIVE FOR FY2014
(Does not include Federal Student Financial Aid)
McLennan Community College
* Small Business Development Center (SBDC); $105,815
awarded by U.S. Small Business Administration.
* RSVP Continuation Grant; $62,865 by the Corporation for
National and Community Service.
* RSVP Veteran Augmentation Grant; $10,500 by the
Corporation for National and Community Service.
* Adult Basic Education Consortium; $513,416 plus
$67,891Federal TANF by U.S. Department of Education.
* TRIO Upward Bound; $342,068 by U.S. Department of
Education.
* TRIO Student Support Services; $305,051 by U.S.
Department of Education.
* Perkins; $711,119 by U.S. Department of Education.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Ms. Cervantes.
Mr. Wolaver, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF ROB WOLAVER
Mr. Wolaver. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member
Takano, Congressman Williams. Thank you for the opportunity for
Texas State Technical College to participate today.
My name is Rob Wolaver. I am the executive vice president.
I am here today representing Chancellor Mike Reeser, who is out
of town at our college's Board of Regents meeting.
TSTC is soon approaching our 50-year anniversary as a 2-
year institution of higher education, offering occupationally
oriented programs in advanced and emerging technical fields.
The core mission of TSTC and our programs is to produce top-
quality graduates and to place them in high-demand, high-
earning fields.
TSTC is the only State-supported technical college system
in the State of Texas. We have locations in Harlingen,
Marshall, Sweetwater, Waco, and centers that are located in
Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood, Hutto, Ingleside, Red Oak,
and Richmond.
TSTC system offers 151 associate of applied science degrees
and 7 associate of science degrees. We are very proud to have
produced 93,000 graduates in our 48-year history.
Currently, there are 611 veterans enrolled across the TSTC
system. Those students have the opportunity to participate in a
number of financial assistance programs, VRAP, post 9/11 GI
bill, the Reserve Educational Assistance Program, Montgomery GI
bill, Veterans Assistance Program, Rehabilitation Act, and
Hazlewood.
TSTC deploys various strategies specifically targeted
providing additional support to veteran students. The military
credit crosswalk is a Web-based tool that allows veterans to
determine ahead of time potential college credit for training
that they have received while in the service.
The Veterans Council, a group of individuals that represent
military support services, as well as college staff meet
monthly to promote awareness on veterans issues and to explore
additional assistance opportunities for veterans. The Veterans
Support Center, fully deployed at our Harlingen location and
currently in development at the Waco location, provides
enhanced intake services, expedited benefits assistance and
processing, specialized counseling services and referrals,
educational support through coaching and mentoring, social
activities, enhanced placement services.
In addition, the college actively conducts expanded
recruiting programs at military installations for veterans who
are in the process of processing out of services. For instance,
in Fort Hood, Congressman Williams.
Customized competency-based curriculum is a pilot project
that we have initiated which decouples skills development, a
student's skills development from a traditional semester
credit-hour format. This format allows a student to demonstrate
mastery of real-world job skills at their own pace, expediting
their path to a credential and placement in the workforce.
This curriculum is an important and viable option, we
believe, for veterans to utilize because it allows them to
utilize the skills that they learned in the service and advance
through an educational curriculum at an accelerated pace. This
program is currently fully deployed in one discipline at our
Harlingen location, and we are in the initial rollout stages of
this format at our East Williamson County Higher Education
Center, which is located in Hutto, in multiple disciplines.
We are very proud that in the past few years, TSTC has seen
a 32 percent increase in graduates and a 36 percent increase in
placements. TSTC has graduated 134 veterans this past year, and
TSTC Waco alone has graduated 279 veterans since 2009.
Texas State Technical College is committed to serving
veterans through a number of opportunities--the expansion of
support services that we offer to those, the development of new
methods of skills assessment allowing a veteran to progress
through a training curriculum at an advanced pace, additional
customized curriculums that allow for an efficient pathway to
employment and credential, and the development of specialized
short-term training programs that are targeted directly at
those veterans.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, Members of Congress, for the
opportunity for TSTC to be here today and to serve the veterans
of the United States.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Wolaver]
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Oversight Field Hearing for the Subcommittee on Economic
Opportunity
``Texas' Innovative Approaches to Jobs and Employment for
Veterans''
Presentation by
Texas State Technical College System
Mr. Rob Wolaver
Executive Vice President, TSTC Waco
Background and History
Texas State Technical College was established in 1965 as
the James Connally Technical Institute (JCTI) of Texas A & M
University to meet the state's evolving workforce needs. JCTI
was located in Central Texas at the former James Connally Air
Force Base in Waco. In 1967, JCTI expanded to include a South
Texas campus in Harlingen. Additional locations soon followed.
JCTI separated from Texas A&M University in 1969 and became
an independent state system with its own nine-member Board of
Regents and the name Texas State Technical Institute (TSTI). In
1991, the Texas Legislature elevated the status of TSTI's
campuses by designating them as technical colleges with the
name Texas State Technical College.
The four independent colleges within the Texas State
Technical College System (TSTC) are co-educational, two-year
institutions of higher education offering occupationally
oriented programs with supporting academic courses for
certificates or associate degrees. Emphasis is on advanced and
emerging technical programs not commonly offered by public
junior colleges with a core focus on placement and earnings
outcomes. For 48 years, TSTC has been producing top-quality
graduates, who are nationally recognized for their highly
specialized, technical capabilities and job-ready skills.
TSTC's strong relationship with business and industry ensures
that coursework focuses on the regional and statewide needs of
Texas' employers and leads to success in the job market.
TSTC is Texas' only state-supported technical college
system. Its statutory mission is to provide an articulated and
responsive technical education system aimed at identifying and
addressing industry needs. These two features make TSTC unique
among institutions of higher education. The TSTC System
currently has campuses in Waco, Harlingen, Marshall and West
Texas, with locations in Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood and
Sweetwater. The System also has extension centers in Hutto,
Ingleside, Red Oak and Richmond, in addition to partnerships
with many of the state's public junior colleges.
Accolades
TSTC's colleges consistently rank as top producers of
associate degrees in engineering, precision production,
computer information systems, computer & information sciences,
and enrollment of Hispanic students. In Community College
Week's annual report titled ``Top 100 Associate Degree
Producers,'' TSTC has ranked number one in Texas numerous times
in one or more categories and has consistently stayed among the
top 50 colleges in the nation in nearly every applicable
category.
In the 2012 report, TSTC Waco ranked number one in Texas
for graduating the most students in the categories of precision
production, engineering technologies/engineering-related
fields, and computer & information sciences & support services.
In both 2012 and 2013, the college ranked third in the nation
for conferring engineering-related associate degrees.
TSTC offers more than 151 Associate of Applied Science
(AAS) degrees and certificates and has produced more than
93,570 graduates in its 48-year history. TSTC Harlingen also
offers seven Associate of Science (AS) degrees in biology,
computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, nursing
preparatory and health professions.
Since 2009, the TSTC System has generated a 32 percent
increase in graduates and a 36 percent increase in job
placements. The combined first-year earnings of TSTC graduates
are projected to surpass $55 million in new salaries for Texas
- a 54 percent increase over the last four years.
Demographics
TSTC students across the System are a diverse group
demographically. They are 65.7 percent minority (56.91 percent
Hispanic, 8.60 percent black, 0.19 percent other minorities)
and 34.3 percent white. The student body is comprised of 39.83
percent females and 60.17 percent males. Students come from 200
of Texas' 254 counties, and nearly 63 percent are economically
disadvantaged.
Veterans at TSTC
TSTC is proud to have many veterans of the armed services
among its graduates. Since 2010, TSTC Waco alone has graduated
279 veterans. Roger Hinojosa, from Brownwood, Texas, served in
the United States Army as a combat medic prior to attending
TSTC Waco. Roger completed his Associate of Applied Science
degree in Avionics and is currently working for L3
Communications as an avionics cable assembly technician. Travis
Beach, from Chester, New York, served in the United States Army
as a generator mechanic. Travis completed his Associate of
Applied Science degree in Aviation Maintenance, also from TSTC
Waco, and is currently working for L3 Communications as a night
shift supervisor for the Manufacturing Division.
> TSTC System - Competency-Based Education, A New Approach
to Workplace Readiness
Central to TSTC's efforts to assist veterans in their
transition into the workplace is a new initiative intended to
shorten the time necessary to earn an award. The new
competency-based education model, however, does not sacrifice
the quality of skills learned. TSTC began offering this
competency-based approach in the fall of 2013 at two locations.
The model aligns particularly well with the needs of veterans,
displaced workers and career-focused high school graduates.
TSTC Harlingen has implemented the first competency-based
certificate in Industrial Systems Technology, part of the
growing field of Mechatronics. This prototype decouples skills
development from semester credit hours and is recognized as
being among the first competency-based certificates in Texas by
the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
TSTC's multi-institution teaching center in Hutto, the East
Williamson County Higher Education Center (EWCHEC), has
implemented competency-based instructional delivery across
multiple certificate and degree programs. The primary emphasis
is on skills mastery. Lecture materials are delivered online,
and class time is focused on applied learning in state-of-the-
art labs where students work both individually and in teams.
Students are routinely assessed for their ability to
demonstrate competency in skills which are linked to courses
within a semester.
Competency-based programming is designed to allow a student
to demonstrate mastery of real-world job skills at his or her
own pace. In this way, a student will not spend unnecessary
``seat time'' in classes reviewing information he or she
already knows, either through past job experience or through
military service. As a result, a two-year welding degree can
now be completed in as few as four semesters - saving time and
money while minimizing a student's deferred wages. Competency
programming also ensures that the student learns and masters
each required skill, rather than simply earning an average
score for a semester-long course.
> TSTC Waco - Veterans Enrichment Efforts
Although TSTC's smaller locations work with state and
community organizations to provide services to assist veterans,
the larger campuses have implemented a number of special
programs for veterans. For the sake of brevity and this
Congressional Field Hearing, the services and programs listed
below are specific to TSTC Waco.
Veterans' Council - Created in the spring of 2011,
the Veterans' Council meets monthly on the TSTC Waco campus in
order to bring awareness to activities, issues and/or
challenges that pertain to veteran students. The council is
comprised of TSTC staff, faculty, students and representatives
from several community support organizations. The council also
coordinates an annual Veterans' Day Appreciation Luncheon for
students, faculty and staff who are veterans. The 2013 luncheon
will be held November 7th at the Student Recreation Center on
campus.
Credit Crosswalk - Developed through a grant in
2010, the Credit Crosswalk provides veterans a tool to
determine if college credit can be awarded for their military
training. The Crosswalk compares military occupations to TSTC's
coursework and is used to determine if military training is
transferrable to TSTC. The Crosswalk is available online at
http://www.waco.tstc.edu/veterans/militaryoccupations, an
efficient tool available at the fingertips of any veteran
searching for the right place to continue his education.
Targeted Recruiting at Fort Hood in Killeen - TSTC
Waco's staff and faculty regularly make targeted recruiting
trips to Fort Hood, located nearby in the Central Texas area.
Hundreds of people transition from military assignments to
civilian life each month from this installation. Recruiters
attend transition events, along with job and career fairs. TSTC
Waco's information is disseminated to interested persons and
help is offered to veterans who wish to begin the enrollment
process. Also, Fort Hood personnel are regularly apprised of
the opportunities for veterans at TSTC Waco.
Veterans' Support Services Center - A Wagner-
Peyser grant proposal is currently under consideration within
the Texas Governor's Office. Although TSTC Waco traditionally
enrolls a significant population of veteran students, the
college's success in retaining and placing veteran students
needs improvement. During the 2012 - 2013 academic year, 571
veterans attended TSTC Waco, about 13 percent of the student
population. Historically, however, many of them leave without
earning a certificate or degree (see addendum). The college
currently has only one full-time staff member devoted to the
needs of veteran students. The Wagner-Peyser funding will
launch a Veterans' Support Services Center with the goal of
improving TSTC Waco's ability to recruit, enroll, retain and
graduate veteran students into high-demand occupations.
TSTC Waco's Veterans' Support Services Center will be
located within the Division of Student Development and will
provide the following services:
Expanded recruiting efforts, especially at Fort
Hood which is located approximately one hour south of campus
(In fiscal year 2013, approximately 11,000 soldiers will exit
the service from Fort Hood.)
Enhanced intake assistance, including review of
military training transcripts and TSTC Waco program
recommendations and including the use of Credit Crosswalk
software to review military transcripts for college credit
Expedited benefits assistance, processing and
validation
Social services support and referrals
Specialized counseling support and referrals
(PTSD, social adjustment, etc.)
Educational support (coaching, mentoring,
tutoring, etc.)
Enhanced placement assistance
The project will utilize strategies from the Texas
Workforce Commission's College Credit for Heroes, along with
the Credit Crosswalk developed at TSTC Waco, to ensure that
military training can be applied to a technical training
program.
TSTC Harlingen recently created a similar full-service
Veterans' Center, serving approximately 200 veteran students.
Services offered include benefit assistance, referrals for
support services, scholarships, tutoring, academic advisement
and veterans' event coordination with outside service agencies.
The college is also actively involved in the College Credit for
Heroes Scholarship Program.
Conclusion
Without exception, the colleges within the TSTC System are
committed to serving U.S. military veterans. That commitment
has led to the creation of a Veterans' Service Center on one
campus and to the development of plans for another. TSTC is
also committed to finding innovative educational pathways for
the efficient and cost-effective transition of veterans into
the workplace. The competency-based learning prototype is but
one such pathway. As part of Texas' Skilled Workforce
Initiative, the prototype is intended for statewide
implementation and is geared toward assisting veterans wanting
to maximize military training and earn a college credential.
With the competency-based learning model in place and access to
the Credit Crosswalk, veterans attending TSTC will be able to
make the most of their military training as they successfully
transition into the civilian workforce.
Texas State Technical College System / November 6,
20130Page 1
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Wolaver.
Colonel Smith, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF COLONEL GERALD ``JERRY'' L. SMITH
Colonel Smith. Yes, sir. Chairman Flores and distinguished
subcommittee members, as I look down the line to my colleagues
here, I don't have a fancy slide presentation, but I can offer
you a good, old-fashioned Texas A&M howdy.
Mr. Flores. Howdy back.
Colonel Smith. My name is Gerald Smith, and I have had the
privilege to serve as the Director of the Texas A&M Veteran
Resource and Support Center, or VRSC, for the last year. I
retired as a Colonel with 30 years of experience in the U.S.
Marine Corps when I opened the doors of our VRSC last year.
First, I would like to thank you for this opportunity.
Texas A&M deeply values the service and sacrifice of our
veterans and their families, and we also value your support of
our veterans. Given our rich military history, A&M is committed
to supporting our over 650 student veterans with a unique,
dual-office partnership.
The first office is our Financial Aid Veteran Services
Office. It is a direct extension of our original Aggie Veteran
Office that opened in 1946. They offer streamlined military
educational benefit processing, and they also award veterans
scholarships.
To better serve well those who have served, we opened our
VRSC last year, and we now perform all of the other functions
outside of those financial aid functions to identify and
provide uniquely tailored resources to our military-affiliated
students. Our two offices now together support veterans from
application to vocation.
Initially, our office focused on facilitating student
veteran transitions, and we launched our Aggie Veteran Network
to connect students with existing resources. Next year, we will
take this network and we will link it to our new Association of
Former Students Veteran and Military Constituent Network. In
the future, they will connect current student veterans to one
of the largest and most active former student organizations in
the country to promote countless employment and other
opportunities.
Back in 2008, our Mays School of Business introduced the
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, or
EBV, following the original program that started in 2007 at
Syracuse University. It offers experiential training in
entrepreneurship and small business management to veterans who
are disabled as a result of service since 9/11, and it is
entirely free to qualifying veterans.
Two-thirds of our participants have started and continue to
grow a business through the EBV. Along with Syracuse and Texas
A&M, it has also been adopted by six other universities across
the country.
Now within weeks of opening our VRSC, we immediately
partnered with our career center on campus. Our first
cosponsored event was called Boots to Business Suits, where we
brought in corporate leaders to discuss the skills valued in
veterans, job search techniques, and other employer assistance.
What we found is frequently we get prospective employers
would contact their office or our office to talk about veteran
employment, and we didn't always give them the full package. We
now have a very systematic plan to make sure both offices are
included in the discussion to better serve prospective
employers and students.
We have also started collecting security clearance
information in our student veterans so that we can use the
previous clearances to help connect them with Federal agency
opportunities out there, and that has paid us a lot of
dividends on the employment with Federal agencies.
In August, we held our first Aggie Veteran Camp. It is an
in-depth orientation for new student veterans, and typically,
these kind of orientations focus on the short-term transition
challenges. But we took a broader, longer-term perspective. We
brought in the career center to immediately stress the
importance of connecting with employment resources from the
time they first start their college experience.
Our career center also continues to develop other veteran-
specific programs. They have two dedicated student veteran
advisers, both with military experience. They have updated
their post graduation survey to track veteran employment
better. Their database flags both recruiters and student
veterans.
They specifically market existing programs for veteran
students. In the last year, they have had over 350 student
veteran advising contacts and 400 interviews on campus. Since
August, they have had over 200 student veterans access their
online recruiting system.
Some of our other veteran employment initiatives are going
to include next February, we are going to host Operation Vet
Success, which will be Texas A&M's first annual national
student veteran career fair. We also work with local Texas
workforce and TVC by referring students to these offices, and
we invite them on campus to meet with students. We use social
media to advertise, and we even provide them with the office
space. And we have had representatives from the Texas Veterans
Leadership Program also come to campus and provide one-on-one
campus resume reviews.
We assist in part-time employment for student veterans, and
we recently reorganized our Student Veteran Association. We had
a student veteran employment liaison officer to facilitate
employment for other members of the SVA. Future programs that
we are going to start will include student veteran family
programs to assist in numerous areas, including spouse
employment and scholarships.
Now our new office is just beginning to develop some of
these programs to serve veterans like James Rowin, who is with
me today. In his 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, he
went to Iraq three times and later deployed to the Horn of
Africa in a civilian capacity.
His wife is a U.S. Army Reserve officer. They are both
Aggie student veterans who exemplify another generation of
great Americans who have earned and deserve our support. Our
VRSC is determined to help develop innovative best practices to
enhance the future success of our student veterans.
Thank you again for this opportunity for myself and Texas
A&M to assist you in your efforts. God bless, and gig 'em.
[The prepared statement of Colonel Smith]
Written Testimony of
Colonel Gerald L. Smith, (USMC) Ret.
Director, Veteran Resource & Support Center, Texas A&M
University
Before the
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House Committee
on Veterans' Affairs
Field Hearing on ``Texas' Innovative Approaches to Jobs and
Employment for Veterans''
November 6, 2013
Chairman Flores and distinguished members of the
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House Committee on
Veterans' Affairs, my name is Gerald Smith and I have the
privilege of serving as Director of the new Veteran Resource &
Support Center at Texas A&M University. In addition, I am a
retired Colonel with 30 years of service in the US Marine
Corps.
I want to begin by thanking you for the chance to come
before you today to present testimony on important issues
relating to supporting veteran employment. At Texas A&M, we
deeply value the sacrifice and service of veterans and their
families. We appreciate this committee's actions to investigate
and focus on innovative ways to support meaningful employment
for our service men and women after they leave the military.
Today, Texas A&M remains committed to building upon our
rich military history. Since 1876, Texas A&M has produced
thousands of commissioned officers and has eight Congressional
Medal of Honor recipients. No university in the nation (other
than the service academies) has contributed more to military
service than Texas A&M. In our Post 9-11 world, Texas A&M is
undeniably veteran friendly; hence the large number of active
duty personnel and veterans on campus. Currently, the veteran
enrollment is approximately 650 students as Texas A&M continues
to support veterans by enhancing their future employment
opportunities through higher education.
Through a unique and powerful ``dual office partnership,''
Texas A&M offers numerous programs and resources that benefit
veterans. We now have two offices designed specifically to
support veterans. The Scholarships and Financial Aid Veteran
Service Office (VSO) is the direct extension of the original
Veterans Advisory Office that opened in 1946. To better ``serve
well those who have served,'' we opened the Veteran Resource
and Support Center (VRSC) in 2012. Together, these offices
provide a robust capability that truly supports our Aggie
veterans from ``application to vocation.''
The VSO offers streamlined processing of all federal and
state educational benefits, deferred tuition pending Veterans
Administration (VA) funds, veteran new student orientation,
faculty and staff mentor training and cross campus referrals
that reach campus wide. The VSO also identifies and awards
scholarships for veterans. We are a partner school with the Pat
Tillman Foundation and currently have recipients on campus that
benefit from that scholarship. Recent procedural improvements
in the VSO have significantly improved military educational
benefit processing to ensure the best possible financial
support for both veterans and military dependents.
The mission of the VRSC is to constantly enhance Texas
A&M's ``military friendly'' legacy by identifying, developing
and providing uniquely tailored resources & programs to
students that are: Veterans, Active Duty, Reserve or National
Guard, military dependents, survivors and families in order to
enrich their holistic development and overall academic success.
By embracing the ``application to vocation'' mindset, we
support veteran recruiting and college/career transitions by
leveraging our Aggie Core Values to ``Serve Well Those Who Have
Served!''
The VRSC vision is to become ``the Texas A&M System Model
University'' and improve our national ranking to truly become
the university known for personal, all-inclusive support to
Aggie Veterans and their families. As a highly visible
institutional single point of contact (``one-stop referral
shop''), the VRSC finds new avenues to maximize both TAMU and
external resources to ensure world class academic and
transition support that prepares Aggie Vets for future
leadership in a global society. In short, as the focal point of
Aggie Veteran collaboration and support, we foster a new sense
of Aggie tradition to ``Serve Well Those Who Have Served!''
Using these mission and vision statements as a guide, the
VRSC has developed and implemented a variety of new programs
that enhance veteran recognition, improve health service
access, increase academic support, connects students with local
community resources, and identifies employment opportunities
(both full and part time). The VRSC was designed to ensure that
Texas A&M continues to improve the quality of support as our
student veteran population increases.
The VRSC recently launched the Aggie Veteran Network (AVN).
It is designed to connect Aggie student vets, dependents,
military families, and veteran faculty/staff with each other
and with external organizations. The mission of the AVN is
twofold: First, to connect those who are providing, or are
willing to provide, resources and support to our students. The
second part of the AVN mission is to link our military
affiliated students with high-impact opportunities to support
each other and the local community. In the next year, the AVN
will link with the new Association of Former Student Aggie
Veteran & Military Constituent Network. As these programs grow,
they will become a foundational and innovative method to
effectively link and network current student veterans with one
of the largest and most active former student organizations in
the country to promote countless internship and employment
opportunities.
In 2008, the Mays School of Business at Texas A&M
University introduced the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for
Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) which followed on the heels of
a successful program launch at Syracuse University in 2007. At
Texas A&M, EBV is a collaboration between the Center for New
Ventures and Entrepreneurship, and the Center for Executive
Development and Mays Business School. The EBV initiative offers
cutting edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and
small business management to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and
Marines disabled as a result of their service supporting
operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The intent of
the program is to open the door to entrepreneurial opportunity
for these men and women, developing their competencies in the
many steps and activities associated with creating and
sustaining an entrepreneurial venture. Importantly, the program
is offered entirely free to qualifying veterans.
EBV has been a tremendously successful program for our
veterans, specifically highlighting the role that
entrepreneurship may play as a means through which our veterans
with disabilities can take meaningful steps toward
independence. Recent survey data highlighted that 66% of the
Texas A&M EBV participants (for the five year period) had
started and continued to grow a business. Of these respondents,
87% still had a business in operation at the time they took the
survey. Participant comments included the following:
? ``I have no words that can describe the effect this
program has made on me. Life-changing is the closest I can
think of. Dr. Lester, Ashley Crane, and Jennifer Cutler deserve
great praise for the time and effort spent on the program.''
? ``Hands-down one of the best experiences of my life.''
Along with Syracuse University and Texas A&M University the
program was also adopted by Florida State University, U.C.L.A.,
Purdue University, University of Connecticut, LSU, and Cornell.
In the first year, the Texas A&M VRSC also started numerous
other initiatives to fulfill the ``application to vocation''
mission to better support our student veterans (see Attachment
A for the complete summary). Many of the VRSC new programs are
focused on facilitating the veteran transition from the
military environment to the college campus. These efforts
included extensive partnerships, workshops, programs, and
events that are focused on academic success and ultimately,
meaningful employment after graduation.
To provide an immediate positive impact on the student
veteran transition and initial academic success, the VRSC
developed a series of initiatives in the new ``Aggie Vet
Connect Program'' (see Attachment B for details). As ``non-
traditional students,'' many of our veterans were unaware of
existing campus and community resources. Aggie Vet Connect was
designed to proactively provide student veterans with
information about available resources. The elements of Aggie
Vet Connect include: New student conference presentations; Vet
Camp; Faculty/Staff and Academic Advisor engagement
opportunities and student veteran awareness presentations and
panels; recreational sports/wounded warrior engagement; Peer-
to-Peer Mentoring Training/Programs; and special events to
promote veteran engagement with traditional students. As the
VRSC prepares for the second year, the initial success of the
Aggie Vet Connect Programs dictates that these programs will
increase in both size and scope.
Within weeks of opening, the VRSC established a new
partnership with the Texas A&M Career Center. With the Career
Center's dedicated focus on student veteran employment, this
partnership has continued to strengthen and grow over the past
year. This partnership has produced a number of effective
events and programs to include:
* One of the first events co-sponsored by these offices was
the ``Boots to Business Suits'' program. The Career Center
invited corporate leaders to discuss the skills valued in
veterans, how veterans can be successful in the job search
process, how employers assist veterans in making the successful
transition into their organizations, and how veterans can
continue to further their careers. As a result of the very
positive response from student veteran attendees, this type of
event will be repeated in the future.
* Throughout the year, numerous corporations and federal
agencies contact either the VRSC or the Career Center to
specifically discuss veteran internship and future employment
opportunities. Our offices have developed a systematic plan to
ensure that both the Career Center and VRSC staffs are
represented at these meetings. This partnership allows both
offices to better serve both prospective employers and our
student veterans. Additionally, the VRSC now confidentially
collects information about security clearances previously (or
currently) held by student veterans. We are rapidly learning
how to use this information to better ``connect'' students with
clearances to federal agencies and corporations that require
security clearances for future employment.
* In August 2013, the VRSC held the first ``Vet Camp'' to
provide an in-depth orientation for new student veterans prior
to the first day of classes. The typical ``best practices'' for
this type of orientation tend to focus only on the immediate
``transition to college'' challenges. The Texas A&M VRSC and
Career Center took a slightly different approach; we included
topics and information that incorporated a longer-term
perspective. The Career Center provided three presenters to
stress the importance of ``connecting'' with their office and
employment resources early in their college experience to
facilitate future employment.
In addition to partnership activities with the VRSC, the
Career Center continues to develop and expand their own veteran
specific programs. They have designated two staff members, both
of whom have military experience, to advise student veterans.
They added veteran specific questions to their post-graduation
survey to track veteran outcomes. In their employment system
database, they added a flag to tag those recruiters interested
in veteran students and they also added a flag for veteran
students to facilitate easier notification of veteran students
about employment opportunities. They have included student
veterans on panels during annual Recruiter Training and during
Advisory Council meetings. They have marketed existing
programs, including a National Security Panel, specifically to
veteran students.
In the past year, the staff of the Texas A&M Career Center
had more than 350 advising contacts with student veterans. In
addition, student veterans had more than 400 interviews on
campus through the Texas A&M Career Center last year. Finally,
more than 200 student veterans have accessed their online
recruiting system, ``HireAggies,'' since the beginning of the
fall 2013 semester.
In February 2014, the Student Government Vice President for
Veterans Affairs will host OPERATION VET SUCCESS; the 1st
Annual Texas A&M Student Veteran Career Fair. The mission of
this event is to improve or build student veterans career
preparation skills through the use of a national career fair,
workshops, and keynote speakers by providing the opportunity to
network with national veteran support organizations and
veterans enrolled in higher education from across the country.
The Texas A&M Career Center has been instrumental in the
development of this event.
The VRSC has established close ties with the local office
of both the Texas Workforce Commission and the Texas Veterans
Commission. We frequently refer students to these offices for
employment and other assistance. Periodically, the VRSC has
invited both TVC and TWC employees to campus to meet with
students. The VRSC used social media to advertise the ``office
hours'' and provided office space for these meetings.
Representatives from the Texas Veterans Leadership Program have
used a similar arrangement to provide ``one-on-one'' resume
reviews.
The VRSC has partnered with several university departments
to explore unique academic, recruiting and employment support.
The History Department (through funding by the Texas A&M
Association of Former Students) is currently teaching a
``Veteran Only'' History class to provide student veterans with
the opportunity to connect with each other in an academic
environment. The VRSC has partnered with Mays Business School
and the Construction Science Department to proactively recruit
more veterans to their programs. As the Aggie Veteran Network
expands, the VRSC will seek additional partnerships to assist
with recruiting and employment support for our student
veterans. We are only just now beginning to understand the
potential impact that can be realized through our networking
and partnerships.
In addition to full time employment assistance, the VRSC
also provides student veterans with numerous part time
employment opportunities that provide financial support while
enrolled in classes. The VRSC maintains lists of local
businesses (and other campus departments) that are actively
seeking to hire veterans. These employment opportunities are
advertised through the student veteran social media channels.
The VRSC and the VSO also employ approximately 8 VA work study
students on a part time basis to support the activities of both
offices.
As the Director of the VRSC, one of my roles is to serve as
the co-advisor for the Student Veteran Association (SVA) at
Texas A&M. In early 2013, we helped to facilitate the expansion
and reorganization of the SVA. The leadership structure was
expanded from five to 22 students. One of the new leadership
positions is the Student Veteran Employment Liaison Officer.
This position is designed to serve as a way for a student SVA
leader to help collect information (i.e., job leads), advertise
and facilitate employment for other SVA members.
As the VRSC develops new programs for the second year, it
is now evident that a student veteran spouse group or network
is in high demand. We are currently working with the SVA
leaders to determine the structure and focus for this effort.
Although the final details are still under development, it will
include aspects of family support and resources to include
childcare, medical and dental services, marriage enrichment,
financial planning, housing, and spouse employment.
In August 2013, Texas A&M welcomed our new ``VetSuccess''
on Campus (VSOC) VA counselor. This VA funded position provides
our students with direct access to the VA. As we develop future
plans, we are working to determine the most efficient ways to
employ this added resource. Although not directly related to
future employment, the VSOC counselor (in a short two months)
has already proven to be a superb advocate for our student
veterans as she enhances the student's abilities to receive
timely and appropriate VA support. In turn, this helps them
focus on their current mission: Academic Success!
In summary, the Texas A&M VRSC is a very new office that is
just beginning to explore and fully develop programs to better
serve student veterans like James Rowin whom I brought with me
today. In his 10 years in the US Marine Corps Reserve, he
deployed to Iraq three times and later deployed to the Horn of
Africa in a civilian capacity. His wife is a US Army Reserve
Officer. Both James and his wife are student veterans at Texas
A&M. The Rowin's exemplify another generation of great
Americans who have earned and deserve our support. As our
office grows, we are determined to proactively combine and
leverage our networks, programs and resources to develop
innovative best practices that enhance the development of our
student veterans who have been, and remain, dedicated to
serving the greater good.
Thank you again for providing this opportunity for me and
Texas A&M to support the efforts to improve programs that
directly assist veterans in finding meaningful employment
following the completion of their studies.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Colonel Smith. Thank all of the
panel for their testimony.
I am now going to recognize myself for 5 minutes. This is a
question for everyone on the panel, and we will start with you,
Dr. Bagby.
The question is this, and that is what recommendations do
each of your institutions have for Congress to help you better
assist the veterans that are part of your communities? So, Dr.
Bagby?
Ms. Bagby. Thank you.
Mr. Flores. And if you could, if you could keep your
question to a little over a minute, that would be great.
Ms. Bagby. I have three recommendations to share with you.
One, we find that the $1,000 a year for 24 credits book
allowance oftentimes does not cover the cost of the books. So
if there is any way that you could increase.
Our students take at least 12 hours a semester, and many
times they are also taking courses in the summer as well. So
the $1,000 certainly does not cover the cost of those
textbooks.
A second issue that we are facing is with the BAH. Right
now in Texas, in Waco, the veterans get almost $1,100 a month,
which certainly covers housing allowance living in Waco. But we
encourage our vets to do internships, and oftentimes, those
internships are in cities that are much more costly to live. We
have students who go into nursing, and our campus in Dallas,
the cost of living is much more.
So there could be any stipulation for the VAH when our
students are temporarily leaving our campus or permanently, as
in going to the nursing school, if it could be adjusted to that
particular city's housing allowance.
The third recommendation is regarding the Fry Scholarship.
The Fry Scholarship is for those dependents whose parents was
killed in action. Currently, the way we understand the
legislation, a student who is going to school using the Fry
Scholarship is not eligible to participate in the Yellow Ribbon
program. So, in a sense, they are penalized.
And at Baylor, as I mentioned in my testimony, the GI bill
covers about one semester at Baylor. So those would be my three
recommendations.
Mr. Flores. Thank you.
Ms. Cervantes?
Ms. Cervantes. I would say she covered all the GI bill
things that I could have thought of beautifully. VRAP, the
Veterans Retraining Assistance Program, is currently scheduled
to end in April of 2014, but there are several bills coming up
that may extend it. And if it does happen, there are some
changes I think that would make it more accessible to its
target audience, which would be right now there is a full-time
requirement, and a lot of the folks that we see coming in have
been out of school for 20 years.
I mean, and it is just a major culture shock to have them
come in and be expected to be full-time students. We see quite
a lot of classes get dropped by these students as they make
that adjustment.
Another thing that would help with VRAP is if those
students were allowed to do the veterans work study. Currently,
they are not eligible for it, and they are in the program
specifically because they are unemployed. And so, it would be
very helpful for them to have the opportunity to work as work
studies at the Texas Veterans Commission, the VA hospital, or
even at the schools, if there are positions available.
Mr. Flores. Okay. Mr. Wolaver?
Mr. Wolaver. Yes, Mr. Chairman. I would recommend that we
look at the funding mechanisms that veterans have to pay for
for training in college and try to explore some avenues for
flexibility.
I mentioned our competency-based program, the pilot
project. Most of those funding models that veterans have access
to are based on traditional semester credit formats, and we are
trying to be creative and enhance those opportunities and allow
students, whether they be veterans or not, but specifically
veterans, to maybe start at an advanced place, rather than a
starting point in a training curriculum and to work at their
own pace and utilize the skills that they have developed while
they are in the military toward a credential and us being able
to place them in gainful employment.
And the funding mechanisms don't always work well with
nontraditional sort of curriculum formats.
Mr. Flores. Colonel Smith?
Colonel Smith. I would concur with the VAH and the work
study comments prior. The other one that I would add is
priority registration. I saw a list probably 6 or 8 months ago
of a lot of national universities that do have priority
registration for their student veterans, and a lot of them are
in California. And I have been told, but I can't confirm, that
it is a State law out there.
If we can do this for our athletes at nearly every school,
we should be able to do it for our veterans. And with the way
the GI bill is set up, they need to get in and be on a certain
degree plan in order to get those benefits, and we are not
making enough progress there.
Thank you.
Mr. Flores. Those are helpful comments.
I will now recognize Ranking Member Takano for 5 minutes
for your questions.
Mr. Takano. Ny questions are along the lines you have
mentioned, Colonel Smith. In California, I do have a background
in community colleges, and particularly at the hearings
yesterday, priority registration was one of the things we
highlighted. Along with a veterans club, the college district
actually allocates $400,000 a year for its 1,200 veteran
student population--with the resource center--to actually try
to assist veterans.
My question for all of you is, is there a variance, as you
have noticed, between the success rate of your nonveteran
student population and your veteran population? Just quickly go
on down the line, starting with Ms. Bagby.
Ms. Bagby. No. I don't--I am hesitating because I want to
be thoughtful with my answer.
Mr. Takano. You only have 100 veterans here, right?
Ms. Bagby. We do. And----
Mr. Takano. So it is kind of a small sample.
Ms. Bagby. It is a small sample. What we are seeing is that
there are not necessarily inherent challenges with those
veterans coming to Baylor. But they are a population that is
the exception at Baylor because they are older. They have had
life experiences that many of our traditional student
population have not had.
Mr. Takano. Yes. Mindful of the time, I just want to sort
of quickly move to the public institutions.
Ms. Cervantes?
Ms. Cervantes. I would--I don't have numbers in front of
me, but I would say that, generally speaking, the veterans tend
to be successful. We are an open enrollment school, and so I
think that most of the time when veterans show up at the door,
they are good at planning ahead. They are used to having a
mission and accomplishing it.
And so, generally speaking, the ones that I don't see are
the ones that I don't see are the ones who come in, get
everything started. So I see them that one time. And then they
are off. They are off and running, and they do well and they
finish.
And either they transfer on to another institution, since
we are a community college, or they complete their degree, and
they are out the door. The ones that I see are the ones in my
office a lot are the ones who are a little more lost.
But I do think that is a small subset. Generally speaking,
I think they do well.
Mr. Takano. Great. Mr. Wolaver?
Mr. Wolaver. Our students do persist, the veterans do
persist at a better rate than our nonveteran students. But it
is still not to a level of satisfaction that we are pleased
with at all.
Colonel Smith. We are just trying to get our arms around
some of the measurement terms for these nontraditional
students. My sense is that their academic success and GPA is
very consistent with traditional students. We are still--we are
working with our Texas A&M system and other schools to develop
better measurements and metrics for this population.
Mr. Takano. Tell me a little more about your
entrepreneurship bootcamp for veterans. You say it is
completely paid for, no cost to the veteran. Tell me more about
the financial support that you have generated.
Colonel Smith. Yes, on the financial support, I know there
are some grants and some other support through Texas A&M. I
would have to get back to you on the specifics. This is not my
program. It is run through the Mays Business School, and it
started well before I came back to start opening the center.
It is about a 2-year process. It is 9 days during the
bootcamp, but there is a period of time before the bootcamp
where they get mentoring and training, and then there is a year
follow-on after they finish the actual bootcamp itself. So it
is a pretty lengthy process for them.
Mr. Takano. Do you know how many students have gone through
the program?
Colonel Smith. We have had 95 go through, sir.
Mr. Takano. And what types of businesses have they opened
up? They tend to be the kind of--well, you probably don't know.
Colonel Smith. Well, I have had the opportunity the last
few years to set--there are about 20 to 25 students each year,
and they are all over the vocational map, if you will. It is
everything from small ventures with water rides down off
Galveston Beach to more along the lines of some of the
businesses that we were talking about earlier today.
Mr. Takano. Perhaps I can connect with whoever is running
that program to find out more about what they are doing.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Flores. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Takano.
I could tell you the EBV program is funded in a couple of
ways. Mays Business School puts up some nontaxpayer dollars,
and then they reach in the pockets of private citizens, private
venture, because Gina and I have contributed to that program.
Got to be a speaker at two of the classes, and it is a great
program.
Mr. Takano. Well, I will talk to you more about it.
Mr. Flores. Yes. So, Mr. Williams, you are recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. Williams. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And the purpose of my remarks will be basically to
encourage all of you. You are doing a fantastic job, all of
you, and I appreciate it greatly.
Real quick, Dr. Bagby, one of the questions I have is are
you--do you also focus on getting these men and women into--for
an advanced degree or graduate school, too? I mean, is that
something that you help them with or ----
Ms. Bagby. Yes. If that is of interest to them. In fact,
the president of our Veterans of Baylor student organization is
graduating in December, and she has already been accepted at
NYU to do a master's in public relations.
Mr. Williams. Well, that is great.
Ms. Bagby. So we are really proud of her.
Mr. Williams. You should be. That is great. Well, thanks
for your work you are doing.
Ms. Cervantes, you mentioned just briefly, I just want to
reinforce how important it is about how you work in helping
start their own businesses. That is so important because that
converts to unemployment and employment and so forth, and I
would just encourage you to keep doing that. That is what we
need most of all right now.
So thank you for that.
And Mr. Wolaver, you are doing a great job. I am familiar
with everything that you all are doing and so forth, and I just
would like to reinforce that we do a lot of--as I tell people,
we do really great in graduating lawyers and business people
and so forth. But sometimes we come short on some of the
graduates that you are putting out.
And we have about 100,000 kids a year dropping out of
school in Texas at the ninth grade level because they don't see
any hope or whatever. And with the programs you are generating
by helping these veterans get onboard, I can see the veterans
beginning to help these 100,000 kids, help employ people. They
will start their own businesses. They will begin to realize the
dream again.
So you have got a huge opportunity, which you are taking
advantage of, and responsibility, frankly, for the future of
our country, and I want to say thanks. Very important.
Mr. Wolaver. Thank you, Congressman, for the recognition.
Mr. Williams. You bet.
And then, Colonel Smith, thanks for what you are doing. And
of course, in my world, you hit some key buzz words. And
marketing is important and how can these young men and women
market themselves is important because I have found that
veterans that I deal with, they don't talk about their service.
They are humble. And sometimes there has got to be a way to let
them be able to talk about it because it is big to an employer
that they know that.
So I want to thank you for helping there, and business
ownership is, again, what we talked about is so important. And
I like your priority authorization ideas. I think that is
something that needs to happen. You put it in perspective. And
so, I think we are all in support of that.
But that is basically all I want to say. You are doing a
great job, and you really have the future of our country in
your hands, and we appreciate it, and we want to help to the
extent that we can. And you have great ideas that we can be
involved with you. So thank you, and God bless you.
I yield back.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Williams.
And thank the second panel for your testimony. If there is
any supplemental information you would like to submit in
response to any of our questions, please do that within 5 days.
We will incorporate that with our record, into the record, and
also with potential activities that the subcommittee may take
in the future.
[The attachment appears]
Written Testimony of
Colonel Gerald L. Smith, (USMC) Ret.
Director, Veteran Resource & Support Center, Texas A&M
University
Before the
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House Committee
on Veterans' Affairs
Field Hearing on ``Texas' Innovative Approaches to Jobs and
Employment for Veterans''
November 6, 2013
Chairman Flores and distinguished members of the
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House Committee on
Veterans' Affairs, my name is Gerald Smith and I have the
privilege of serving as Director of the new Veteran Resource &
Support Center at Texas A&M University. In addition, I am a
retired Colonel with 30 years of service in the US Marine
Corps.
I want to begin by thanking you for the chance to come
before you today to present testimony on important issues
relating to supporting veteran employment. At Texas A&M, we
deeply value the sacrifice and service of veterans and their
families. We appreciate this committee's actions to investigate
and focus on innovative ways to support meaningful employment
for our service men and women after they leave the military.
Today, Texas A&M remains committed to building upon our
rich military history. Since 1876, Texas A&M has produced
thousands of commissioned officers and has eight Congressional
Medal of Honor recipients. No university in the nation (other
than the service academies) has contributed more to military
service than Texas A&M. In our Post 9-11 world, Texas A&M is
undeniably veteran friendly; hence the large number of active
duty personnel and veterans on campus. Currently, the veteran
enrollment is approximately 650 students as Texas A&M continues
to support veterans by enhancing their future employment
opportunities through higher education.
Through a unique and powerful ``dual office partnership,''
Texas A&M offers numerous programs and resources that benefit
veterans. We now have two offices designed specifically to
support veterans. The Scholarships and Financial Aid Veteran
Service Office (VSO) is the direct extension of the original
Veterans Advisory Office that opened in 1946. To better ``serve
well those who have served,'' we opened the Veteran Resource
and Support Center (VRSC) in 2012. Together, these offices
provide a robust capability that truly supports our Aggie
veterans from ``application to vocation.''
The VSO offers streamlined processing of all federal and
state educational benefits, deferred tuition pending Veterans
Administration (VA) funds, veteran new student orientation,
faculty and staff mentor training and cross campus referrals
that reach campus wide. The VSO also identifies and awards
scholarships for veterans. We are a partner school with the Pat
Tillman Foundation and currently have recipients on campus that
benefit from that scholarship. Recent procedural improvements
in the VSO have significantly improved military educational
benefit processing to ensure the best possible financial
support for both veterans and military dependents.
The mission of the VRSC is to constantly enhance Texas
A&M's ``military friendly'' legacy by identifying, developing
and providing uniquely tailored resources & programs to
students that are: Veterans, Active Duty, Reserve or National
Guard, military dependents, survivors and families in order to
enrich their holistic development and overall academic success.
By embracing the ``application to vocation'' mindset, we
support veteran recruiting and college/career transitions by
leveraging our Aggie Core Values to ``Serve Well Those Who Have
Served!''
The VRSC vision is to become ``the Texas A&M System Model
University'' and improve our national ranking to truly become
the university known for personal, all-inclusive support to
Aggie Veterans and their families. As a highly visible
institutional single point of contact (``one-stop referral
shop''), the VRSC finds new avenues to maximize both TAMU and
external resources to ensure world class academic and
transition support that prepares Aggie Vets for future
leadership in a global society. In short, as the focal point of
Aggie Veteran collaboration and support, we foster a new sense
of Aggie tradition to ``Serve Well Those Who Have Served!''
Using these mission and vision statements as a guide, the
VRSC has developed and implemented a variety of new programs
that enhance veteran recognition, improve health service
access, increase academic support, connects students with local
community resources, and identifies employment opportunities
(both full and part time). The VRSC was designed to ensure that
Texas A&M continues to improve the quality of support as our
student veteran population increases.
The VRSC recently launched the Aggie Veteran Network (AVN).
It is designed to connect Aggie student vets, dependents,
military families, and veteran faculty/staff with each other
and with external organizations. The mission of the AVN is
twofold: First, to connect those who are providing, or are
willing to provide, resources and support to our students. The
second part of the AVN mission is to link our military
affiliated students with high-impact opportunities to support
each other and the local community. In the next year, the AVN
will link with the new Association of Former Student Aggie
Veteran & Military Constituent Network. As these programs grow,
they will become a foundational and innovative method to
effectively link and network current student veterans with one
of the largest and most active former student organizations in
the country to promote countless internship and employment
opportunities.
In 2008, the Mays School of Business at Texas A&M
University introduced the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for
Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) which followed on the heels of
a successful program launch at Syracuse University in 2007. At
Texas A&M, EBV is a collaboration between the Center for New
Ventures and Entrepreneurship, and the Center for Executive
Development and Mays Business School. The EBV initiative offers
cutting edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and
small business management to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and
Marines disabled as a result of their service supporting
operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The intent of
the program is to open the door to entrepreneurial opportunity
for these men and women, developing their competencies in the
many steps and activities associated with creating and
sustaining an entrepreneurial venture. Importantly, the program
is offered entirely free to qualifying veterans.
EBV has been a tremendously successful program for our
veterans, specifically highlighting the role that
entrepreneurship may play as a means through which our veterans
with disabilities can take meaningful steps toward
independence. Recent survey data highlighted that 66% of the
Texas A&M EBV participants (for the five year period) had
started and continued to grow a business. Of these respondents,
87% still had a business in operation at the time they took the
survey. Participant comments included the following:
? ``I have no words that can describe the effect this
program has made on me. Life-changing is the closest I can
think of. Dr. Lester, Ashley Crane, and Jennifer Cutler deserve
great praise for the time and effort spent on the program.''
?``Hands-down one of the best experiences of my life.''
Along with Syracuse University and Texas A&M University the
program was also adopted by Florida State University, U.C.L.A.,
Purdue University, University of Connecticut, LSU, and Cornell.
In the first year, the Texas A&M VRSC also started numerous
other initiatives to fulfill the ``application to vocation''
mission to better support our student veterans (see Attachment
A for the complete summary). Many of the VRSC new programs are
focused on facilitating the veteran transition from the
military environment to the college campus. These efforts
included extensive partnerships, workshops, programs, and
events that are focused on academic success and ultimately,
meaningful employment after graduation.
To provide an immediate positive impact on the student
veteran transition and initial academic success, the VRSC
developed a series of initiatives in the new ``Aggie Vet
Connect Program'' (see Attachment B for details). As ``non-
traditional students,'' many of our veterans were unaware of
existing campus and community resources. Aggie Vet Connect was
designed to proactively provide student veterans with
information about available resources. The elements of Aggie
Vet Connect include: New student conference presentations; Vet
Camp; Faculty/Staff and Academic Advisor engagement
opportunities and student veteran awareness presentations and
panels; recreational sports/wounded warrior engagement; Peer-
to-Peer Mentoring Training/Programs; and special events to
promote veteran engagement with traditional students. As the
VRSC prepares for the second year, the initial success of the
Aggie Vet Connect Programs dictates that these programs will
increase in both size and scope.
Within weeks of opening, the VRSC established a new
partnership with the Texas A&M Career Center. With the Career
Center's dedicated focus on student veteran employment, this
partnership has continued to strengthen and grow over the past
year. This partnership has produced a number of effective
events and programs to include:
* One of the first events co-sponsored by these offices was
the ``Boots to Business Suits'' program. The Career Center
invited corporate leaders to discuss the skills valued in
veterans, how veterans can be successful in the job search
process, how employers assist veterans in making the successful
transition into their organizations, and how veterans can
continue to further their careers. As a result of the very
positive response from student veteran attendees, this type of
event will be repeated in the future.
* Throughout the year, numerous corporations and federal
agencies contact either the VRSC or the Career Center to
specifically discuss veteran internship and future employment
opportunities. Our offices have developed a systematic plan to
ensure that both the Career Center and VRSC staffs are
represented at these meetings. This partnership allows both
offices to better serve both prospective employers and our
student veterans. Additionally, the VRSC now confidentially
collects information about security clearances previously (or
currently) held by student veterans. We are rapidly learning
how to use this information to better ``connect'' students with
clearances to federal agencies and corporations that require
security clearances for future employment.
* In August 2013, the VRSC held the first ``Vet Camp'' to
provide an in-depth orientation for new student veterans prior
to the first day of classes. The typical ``best practices'' for
this type of orientation tend to focus only on the immediate
``transition to college'' challenges. The Texas A&M VRSC and
Career Center took a slightly different approach; we included
topics and information that incorporated a longer-term
perspective. The Career Center provided three presenters to
stress the importance of ``connecting'' with their office and
employment resources early in their college experience to
facilitate future employment.
In addition to partnership activities with the VRSC, the
Career Center continues to develop and expand their own veteran
specific programs. They have designated two staff members, both
of whom have military experience, to advise student veterans.
They added veteran specific questions to their post-graduation
survey to track veteran outcomes. In their employment system
database, they added a flag to tag those recruiters interested
in veteran students and they also added a flag for veteran
students to facilitate easier notification of veteran students
about employment opportunities. They have included student
veterans on panels during annual Recruiter Training and during
Advisory Council meetings. They have marketed existing
programs, including a National Security Panel, specifically to
veteran students.
In the past year, the staff of the Texas A&M Career Center
had more than 350 advising contacts with student veterans. In
addition, student veterans had more than 400 interviews on
campus through the Texas A&M Career Center last year. Finally,
more than 200 student veterans have accessed their online
recruiting system, ``HireAggies,'' since the beginning of the
fall 2013 semester.
In February 2014, the Student Government Vice President for
Veterans Affairs will host OPERATION VET SUCCESS; the 1st
Annual Texas A&M Student Veteran Career Fair. The mission of
this event is to improve or build student veterans career
preparation skills through the use of a national career fair,
workshops, and keynote speakers by providing the opportunity to
network with national veteran support organizations and
veterans enrolled in higher education from across the country.
The Texas A&M Career Center has been instrumental in the
development of this event.
The VRSC has established close ties with the local office
of both the Texas Workforce Commission and the Texas Veterans
Commission. We frequently refer students to these offices for
employment and other assistance. Periodically, the VRSC has
invited both TVC and TWC employees to campus to meet with
students. The VRSC used social media to advertise the ``office
hours'' and provided office space for these meetings.
Representatives from the Texas Veterans Leadership Program have
used a similar arrangement to provide ``one-on-one'' resume
reviews.
The VRSC has partnered with several university departments
to explore unique academic, recruiting and employment support.
The History Department (through funding by the Texas A&M
Association of Former Students) is currently teaching a
``Veteran Only'' History class to provide student veterans with
the opportunity to connect with each other in an academic
environment. The VRSC has partnered with Mays Business School
and the Construction Science Department to proactively recruit
more veterans to their programs. As the Aggie Veteran Network
expands, the VRSC will seek additional partnerships to assist
with recruiting and employment support for our student
veterans. We are only just now beginning to understand the
potential impact that can be realized through our networking
and partnerships.
In addition to full time employment assistance, the VRSC
also provides student veterans with numerous part time
employment opportunities that provide financial support while
enrolled in classes. The VRSC maintains lists of local
businesses (and other campus departments) that are actively
seeking to hire veterans. These employment opportunities are
advertised through the student veteran social media channels.
The VRSC and the VSO also employ approximately 8 VA work study
students on a part time basis to support the activities of both
offices.
As the Director of the VRSC, one of my roles is to serve as
the co-advisor for the Student Veteran Association (SVA) at
Texas A&M. In early 2013, we helped to facilitate the expansion
and reorganization of the SVA. The leadership structure was
expanded from five to 22 students. One of the new leadership
positions is the Student Veteran Employment Liaison Officer.
This position is designed to serve as a way for a student SVA
leader to help collect information (i.e., job leads), advertise
and facilitate employment for other SVA members.
As the VRSC develops new programs for the second year, it
is now evident that a student veteran spouse group or network
is in high demand. We are currently working with the SVA
leaders to determine the structure and focus for this effort.
Although the final details are still under development, it will
include aspects of family support and resources to include
childcare, medical and dental services, marriage enrichment,
financial planning, housing, and spouse employment.
In August 2013, Texas A&M welcomed our new ``VetSuccess''
on Campus (VSOC) VA counselor. This VA funded position provides
our students with direct access to the VA. As we develop future
plans, we are working to determine the most efficient ways to
employ this added resource. Although not directly related to
future employment, the VSOC counselor (in a short two months)
has already proven to be a superb advocate for our student
veterans as she enhances the student's abilities to receive
timely and appropriate VA support. In turn, this helps them
focus on their current mission: Academic Success!
In summary, the Texas A&M VRSC is a very new office that is
just beginning to explore and fully develop programs to better
serve student veterans like James Rowin whom I brought with me
today. In his 10 years in the US Marine Corps Reserve, he
deployed to Iraq three times and later deployed to the Horn of
Africa in a civilian capacity. His wife is a US Army Reserve
Officer. Both James and his wife are student veterans at Texas
A&M. The Rowin's exemplify another generation of great
Americans who have earned and deserve our support. As our
office grows, we are determined to proactively combine and
leverage our networks, programs and resources to develop
innovative best practices that enhance the development of our
student veterans who have been, and remain, dedicated to
serving the greater good.
Thank you again for providing this opportunity for me and
Texas A&M to support the efforts to improve programs that
directly assist veterans in finding meaningful employment
following the completion of their studies.
Mr. Flores. So you are now dismissed. We will change
panels. Some of us on the dais may leave for a couple of
minutes, and then we will come back and get ready for the third
panel.
[Recess.]
Mr. Flores. I would like to recognize the third panel and
continue with our hearing this morning. The third panel
consists of Chairman Andres Alcantar, with the Texas Workforce
Commission, and Mr. Shawn Deabay, with the Texas Veterans
Commission.
Each of you will be recognized for 5 minutes, and we will
begin with Chairman Alcantar. I would like to remind everybody
the green light means that the timer has started. The yellow
light means you have a minute left, and the red light means
that you need to wrap up pretty quickly.
So, Chairman Alcantar, let us start with you.
STATEMENT OF ANDRES ALCANTAR
Mr. Alcantar. Thank you. Good morning, Chairman Flores,
Ranking Member Takano, and Congressman Williams.
I am Andres Alcantar, chairman of the Texas Workforce
Commission. Thank you for the opportunity to offer testimony
and appear before this committee.
The Texas Workforce Commission partners with 28 local
boards, including Workforce Solutions for the Heart of Texas
that serves the Waco area, and fellow State agencies, such as
the Texas Veterans Commission, to provide a broad range of
employment, job training, and related services to our veterans.
All veterans walking through the doors at our Workforce
Solutions offices across the State receive priority of service
across employment and support service programs.
These programs include the Employment Services Program,
Workforce Investment Act, TANF, SNAP, child care, and other
support services. This priority of service extends to TWC's
work in Texas.com, the State's largest database for job
matching and with a 2-day hold for veterans on all postings to
ensure veterans receive first viewing and the opportunity for
applying.
We are also a partner in Texas' dedicated Web site, the
Texas Veterans Portal, where veterans, family members, and
survivors can find helpful information from across a number of
governmental agencies.
To demonstrate our commitment to assisting veterans, let me
take a few minutes to highlight a handful of programs at TWC.
First, and happening next week, TWC, in partnership with our
boards and TVC will host in 27 cities across the State the
Hiring Red, White, and You veterans jobs fairs on November
14th. Last year's initial event of the Hiring Red, White, and
You campaign attracted 12,000 veterans, 1,400 employers
statewide, and resulted in approximately 2,800 veterans being
hired by participating employers. We hope to exceed those
numbers this year.
Military veterans possess the skills, discipline, and
leadership that employers are looking for. The Hiring Red,
White, and You effort connects veterans with employers in order
to help these individuals successfully transition to civilian
life through employment.
Another exciting program we have developed in Texas is
College Credit for Heroes. Established by the 82nd Texas
legislature with the support of Governor Perry and members of
the legislature, the College Credit for Heroes initiative aims
to maximize the amount of college credit that our veterans
receive for their prior military training and occupational
experience, reducing the amount of time that a veteran has to
spend in the classroom. That is at the heart of this effort.
In July 2001, TWC and the Higher Ed Coordinating Board
began working on this initiative with seven community colleges
in Texas. Central Texas College developed an integral part of
the effort, a Web-based application for veterans and service
members to receive college credit for this prior military
training and education.
Veterans using this application are receiving an average of
25 college credits per evaluation, equivalent to almost a year
of college. As of October 1, 2013, the Web site has received
over 30,000 visits and has 17,000 veteran and service member
account holders and have requested almost 2,000 evaluations for
college credits.
Recently, the program was expanded to include six new
partner schools. In addition, four of the originating
institutions were awarded additional funding to continue
developing innovative programs.
Just last month, the Texas A&M system and all the
universities operating under this system joined the program and
signed agreements committing to review all the transcript
evaluations used to award college credit to veterans and
service members for their prior training. We now have 30
colleges and universities participating in this initiative.
Texas has a high concentration of veterans, an estimated
1.7 million, and was 1 of 4 States selected to develop a
national model for partnering with the Army and the workforce
system to address unemployment. The State of Texas Soldier
Employment Initiative was developed to find new ways to
outreach and provide access to jobs and reemployment service
for our veterans.
In June 2002, the Texas Workforce Commission was awarded
the grant. We are working hard to reduce the amount of time it
takes for our veterans to reconnect and make a successful
transition.
In closing, I want to recognize the commitment of our 28
local boards to serve our veterans, all of which make our
veterans a priority population that they serve, including here
through the Heart of Texas Workforce Solutions. Workforce
Solutions in central Texas, for example, has a business
resource center jointly developed with the Central Texas
College, Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce, and has worked
hard to develop small and start-up business opportunities for
our veterans.
Another example is in the Upper Rio Grande where our local
board there is partnering with Fort Bliss. The Texas Workforce
Commission recognizes that the State of Texas can lead the way
for the Nation in assisting veterans. This is an ongoing effort
that requires many partners, and it is a key component of how
we do business.
These men and women have served our country, and we are
proud of them and recognize the service they and their families
have made. Our veterans have real-world experience and the
education that are needed by employers, employers that are
working hard to create opportunities all across many industries
that we have in this State.
And our veterans will be a key to continuing the success
that we have been able to generate. And it has allowed Texas to
be the best place to live, to work, and to do business.
Thank you for the opportunity to allow me to testify before
this committee.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Alcantar]
Oral Testimony of Andres Alcantar, Chairman, Texas
Workforce Commission
U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee Subcommittee on
Economic Opportunity
``Texas' Innovative Approaches to Jobs and Employment for
Veterans''
November 6, 2013
Good morning Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano and
distinguished members of the Subcommittee. I am Andres
Alcantar, Chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission. Thank you
for the opportunity to offer testimony and appear before this
committee.
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) partners with 28 Local
Workforce Development Boards (Boards) and fellow state agencies
such as the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) to provide a broad
range of employment, job training and related services to our
veterans. All veterans walking through the doors at our
workforce solutions offices across the state receive priority
of service across employment and support service programs.
These programs include Employment Services, Workforce
Investment Act, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF),
Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP), Child
Care and other support services. This priority of service
extends to TWC's WorkInTexas.com, the state's largest database
for matching job seekers with employers, with a two day veteran
hold on all postings to ensure veterans receive first viewing
and the opportunity for applying. We are also a partner in
Texas' dedicated website, Texas Veterans Portal, where
veterans, families, and survivors can find helpful information
from across a number of government agencies.
To further demonstrate our commitment to assisting
veterans, let me take a few minutes to highlight a handful of
programs at TWC. First and happening next week, TWC in
partnership with our Boards and TVC will host in 27 cities
across the state ``Hiring Red, White and You!'' veteran job
fairs on November 14th. Last year's event attracted more than
12,000 veterans and 1,400 employers statewide, and resulted in
approximately 2,800 hires by participating employers. We hope
to exceed those numbers this year.
Military veterans possess the skills, discipline and
leadership experience that are ideally suited to employers in
need of a ready and available workforce. The ``Hiring Red,
White & You!'' effort connects veterans with employers in order
to help these individuals successfully transition to civilian
life through employment.
Another exciting program we have developed in Texas is
College Credit for Heroes. Established by the 82nd Texas
Legislature, the College Credit for Heroes initiative aims to
maximize the amount of college credit that our heroes receive
for their military training and occupational experience,
reducing the amount of time a veteran spends in the classroom.
In July 2011, TWC and the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board (THECB) began working on this initiative
with seven colleges. Central Texas College developed an
integral part of the effort - www.collegecreditforheroes.org -
a web-based application for veterans and service members to
receive college credit hours for prior military education and
training via an official transcript. Veterans utilizing this
application are receiving an average of 25 college credits per
evaluation, equivalent to almost one year of college. As of
October 1, 2013, the website has received over 30,000 visits
and has 17,000 veteran and service member account holders who
have requested almost 2,000 evaluations for college credit.
Recently, the program expanded to include 6 new partner
schools. In addition, four of the originating institutions were
awarded additional funding to expand their offerings to veteran
students. Just last month, the Texas A&M System and all
universities operating under the System joined the program and
signed agreements committing to review all the transcript
evaluations used to award college credit to veterans and
service members for their military training. We now have 30
colleges and universities participating in the initiative.
Texas has a high concentration of veterans in our state, an
estimated 1.7 million and was one of four states selected to
develop a national model for partnerships between the Army and
the workforce system, including Unemployment Compensation. The
State of Texas Soldier Employment Initiative was developed to
find new ways to outreach and provide access to jobs and
reemployment services to recipients of Unemployment
Compensation for Ex-Service Members (UCX) and, where possible,
to reduce the duration of the receipt of UCX benefits. In June
2012, the Texas Workforce Commission was awarded the grant.
The focus of the grant is to provide enhanced outreach and
employment services that lead to employment before or shortly
after soldiers separate from active duty. A major part of the
overall strategy is to build and enhance partnerships between
participating entities, improve data sharing, and develop
innovative outreach and reemployment strategies for the Veteran
population. The overriding goal of the pilot program is to
provide meaningful employment that gives the financial freedom
that former service members need to provide for themselves and
their families.
In closing, I want to recognize the commitment of our 28
local Boards to serve our veterans, and highlight the efforts
of two local boards with military bases in their territory.
First, Workforce Solutions of Central Texas has a Business
Resource Center jointly supported through a unique partnership
of Central Texas College, Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce,
and Workforce Solutions of Central Texas. The Business Resource
Center provides small and start-up business development
guidance, services, and workshops. Veterans benefit from
counseling and training for entrepreneurship and small business
ownership. Two of the initiatives include the Fort Hood
Veterans Entrepreneur Bootcamp and the Fort Hood Region
Government Vendor Conference & Exposition.
Another example is underway by our Upper Rio Grande
Workforce Board. In September, Board staff met with the
Transition Manager at Fort Bliss to discuss how to work better
together in matching employers with soldiers and family
members. On October 16th, the Board provided its mobile unit
and staff to assist soldiers and family members at the Fort
Bliss job fair.
The Texas Workforce Commission recognizes that the State of
Texas can lead the way for the nation in assisting veterans.
This is an ongoing effort that requires many partners working
together to ensure that veterans' needs are being fully
addressed. These men and women have served their country, and
we are proud of them and recognize the sacrifice they and their
families have made. Our veterans have real world experience,
leadership skills, and education. Their military contributions
kept our nation secure, and now their contributions and talents
as veterans will continue to make Texas the best place to live,
work and do business. Thank you for allowing me to testify and
I look forward to answering any questions.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, Chairman
Alcantar.
Mr. Deabay, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF SHAWN DEABAY
Mr. Deabay. Good morning, Mr. Chairman Flores, Ranking
Member Takano, and committee members.
My name is Shawn Deabay. I am the Director of Veterans
Employment Services for the Texas Veterans Commission. I have
been in Veterans Employment Services for close to 14 years and
an Army veteran.
I am accompanied by Duncan McGhee, who is also an Army
veteran with 30 years private sector experience, and he is our
Veteran Entrepreneur Program Manager and also a U.S. Army
veteran.
The Texas Veterans Commission has four major programs--
Claims Representation and Counseling, Education, Grant Funding,
and the Veterans Employment Program. We also, within those four
programs, have two initiatives. One is the Women Veterans
Initiative and also the Veteran Entrepreneur Program.
So what we have done and we would like to do with the Texas
Veterans Commission is find out what the need is in Texas for
veterans, and what we learned was that veterans who want to
start their own business found it very confusing, very
difficult to maneuver through the process of starting their own
business and to realize all of the resources that out there for
them to utilize to start their own business.
So April 2012, we launched a Veteran Entrepreneur Program
with Duncan, and what he is doing is trying to bridge that gap
between those resources and the veterans. He has held seven
seminars. Those seven seminars have resulted in 1,000 veterans
being assisted towards veterans owning their own business.
He also provides one-on-one counseling services for them to
include helping with business plans, just learning what need is
of the veteran and doing his best to help them accomplish what
they want to accomplish as far as starting their own business.
Because of his success, the Veteran Entrepreneur Program was
officially started on the 83rd Texas legislative session.
There is another phase to the entrepreneur program, which
includes a Business Basics 101 course. We are investigating
several existing curriculum sources and engaging with several
Texas State universities in creating this curriculum, and
Duncan will be able to answer any questions you have about the
next phase and where we are going with the entrepreneur
program.
Now Veterans Employment Services, you probably know them as
LVERs and DVOPs, the JVSG grant that all the States get from
Department of Labor and Vets. Basically, we call them job
coaches here in Texas. They help the veteran with whatever that
need is, whether it is translating military skills, helping
with resumes, application assistance, direct placement.
Whatever that need is, that veteran that we serve, is what we
try to do for them.
We also don't wait for veterans to come in and see us. We
are very aggressive. We feel we should see as many veterans as
we possibly can and provide high-quality services to them. What
makes them successful is the one-on-one aspect of the job. They
don't--we don't just rely on automated services, but we provide
that one-on-one assistance.
From those job coaches, or LVERs and DVOPs, we have taken
four and made them veterans business representatives. Their
number-one mission is to outreach to employers to help them
with their hiring needs. So we help the veteran, but we also
want to help the employers.
And again, we want to identify the need. So what employers
tell us a lot is we want to hire veterans, but we do now know
where they are. How do we get them? That is where we come in.
We can work with our job coaches, who see approximately
60,000 veterans a year, and help those link up. They can also
help them with their resume, make sure it is what the employer
wants as far as skills, education level, and experience, and
make sure that the veteran possesses those skills.
2011 and 2012, the four business representatives helped
employers with 1,428 jobs, resulting in 2,189 veteran resumes
and applications to be reviewed by employers. That contributed
to the overall success of the last 12-month period of 32,224
veterans locating and having employment, with 84.02 percent
retaining employment. So we are very proud of that.
Since the inception of the VBR program, our quality of our
services has gone up. In other words, the number of veterans we
see, there is a higher percentage of those finding employment.
In closing, I want to thank you for the opportunity to
speak to you about what the Texas Veterans Commission is doing.
Again, our goal is to serve as many veterans as possible. With
so many transitioning service members coming back and will be
coming back, we owe it to our Nation's heroes to do the very
best that we possibly can.
And I just want to thank you very much for this
opportunity.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Deabay]
Good Morning, Chairman Flores, Ranking Member Takano and
Members of the Subcommittee. On behalf of our Chairman, Eliseo
``Al'' Cantu, and the Commissioners of the Texas Veterans
Commission, I would like to thank the Subcommittee for this
opportunity to testify before you today and for your interest
in the efforts the state of Texas has undertaken in order to
serve the 1.7 million Veterans in our state.
My name is Shawn Deabay and I have the privilege of serving
as the Director of Veterans Employment Services at the Texas
Veterans Commission. As such, I am responsible for the
management and execution of the Jobs for Veterans State Grant
(JVSG) from the U.S. Department of Labor Veteran Employment and
Training Services (DOL-VETS) for the state of Texas. I also
provide oversight to our new Veterans Entrepreneur Program
(VEP).
Joining me today is Mr. Duncan McGhee, the Program Manager
for the Veterans Entrepreneur Program (VEP). A veteran of the
United States Army, Duncan brings over 30 years of private
sector experience as a ``serial entrepreneur'' prior to
building this new program at the Texas Veterans Commission.
TEXAS VETERANS COMMISSION
The Texas Veterans Commission is the Veterans advocacy
agency for the state of Texas. Our mission is to advocate for
and provide superior service to Veterans in the areas of claims
assistance, employment services, education, and grant funding
that will significantly improve the quality of life for all
Texas Veterans, their families and survivors. The Texas
Veterans Commission provides these services through four
program areas: Claims Representation and Counseling, Veterans
Employment Services, Veterans Education Program, and the Fund
for Veterans' Assistance. Additionally, the Texas Veterans
Commission has three initiatives that connect Veterans with
services: Veterans Communication and Outreach, Women Veterans
Initiative, and the Veterans Entrepreneur Program.
No other state has centralized all of these program areas
within their state's Veterans agency. Texas is becoming
recognized for aggressively leading on Veteran issues. National
leaders have referred to the ``Texas-model'' when advocating
for the integration of Veterans services. This integration
allows the agency to remain Veteran focused, with no competing
priorities.
VETERANS EMPLOYMENT SERVICES (VES)
The Texas Veterans Commission offers employment services to
all Veterans in Texas through our Veterans Employment Services
(VES) program. The goal of these services is to match Veteran
job seekers with the best opportunities available. In addition,
employers are matched with qualified Veterans.
Veterans Employment Representatives (VER) provides a full
range of employment services. VERs are specifically trained to
assist Veterans with job applications, resume preparation, job
matching, job searches, and other employment services. VES has
152 VERs located in 92 Workforce Centers in 75 cities
throughout Texas to provide one-on-one assistance to Veterans.
Approximately 99% of funding for VES is provided through a
federal grant from the Department of Labor, Veterans'
Employment and Training Services (DOL-VETS), with additional
state General Revenue to support three (3) FTEs for the Family
Employment Assistance Counselor (FEAC) program. Under this
grant program, funds are allocated to TVC in direct proportion
to the number of Veterans seeking employment within their
state.
VETERAN BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVES (VBRs)
To help Texas Veterans get back to work or into better
jobs, there must be a substantial coordination with employers.
Providing support to employers creates more opportunities to
better serve Veterans. Helping employers fill job vacancies
provides the greatest potential to positively affect employer
relations and improve the well-being of all Veterans.
Through media coverage and active marketing, TVC has been
inundated with employer phone calls and email correspondence
from across Texas and the nation, eager to hire skilled
Veterans. Because of this increased demand TVC expanded the
Business Outreach Program to four positions, in 2011, and
designating them as Veterans Business Representatives (VBR).
The VBR's are strategically located in Houston, Dallas/Fort
Worth, San Antonio and Austin and are vested in building
relationships with large companies and influential Texas
employers in an effort to promote the hiring of highly
qualified Veterans. They work hand in hand with Texas Workforce
Commission business service units (BSU) to outreach to
employers and employer organizations such as SHRM and local
chambers of Commerce.
A VBR is an advocate for job-seeking Veterans, through
employer outreach activities. VBRs use employer outreach as a
tool to promote the advantages of hiring Veterans to employers
and employer groups. The focus of the program is on marketing
job seeking Veterans/eligible spouses as individuals who have
highly marketable skills and experience.
VBRs advocate for Veterans with business, industry, and
other community-based organizations by participating in a
variety of outreach activities such as:
? Planning and participating in job and career fairs.
? Coordinating with unions, apprenticeship programs, and
business organizations to promote employment and training
programs for Veterans.
? Informing Federal contractors of their responsibility to
recruit and re-train qualified Veterans.
? Promoting credentialing and licensing opportunities.
In 2011 and 2012, the VBRs helped employers recruit for
1,428 jobs. This resulted in 2,819 Veteran resumes being
reviewed by employers. Over the next few years the military
will continue to draw down troops at an unprecedented level in
an economically challenging situation. The VBR program is
bridging the gap between job-seeking Veterans and employers
that are eager for Veteran employees.
VETERAN ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAM
There is another innovative component to meeting the
Veteran employment need in Texas. In April 2012, the Texas
Veterans Commission launched a pilot project to focus on
promoting entrepreneurship among veterans which has hosted a
series of seven seminars throughout the state and assisted over
1,000 Veterans towards entrepreneurship.
Based upon this highly successful pilot project, the
Veteran Entrepreneur Program, was formally established by
passage of Senate Bill 1476, authored by State Senator Royce
West, during the 83rd Regular Session of the Texas Legislature.
State Representative Ralph Sheffield, who also sponsored the
legislation in the Texas House, successfully secured funding in
the state budget to fund this new program.
The purpose of the Veteran Entrepreneur Program is to
foster and promote Veteran Entrepreneurship throughout the
state of Texas.
Today's Veterans are poised to be the backbone of a new
generation of small businesses that can quickly build a
sustainable new jobs base in Texas. Veterans are eager to build
for themselves, their families, and their Veteran employees,
long-term careers and secure retirements through small business
ownership.
The goal of Veteran Entrepreneur Program is to create a
veritable army of Veteran Entrepreneurs throughout the state of
Texas. These Veteran Entrepreneur businesses will add value to
the communities where they are established and create
employment opportunities for other Veterans.
The Veteran Entrepreneur Program is delivering value to
Veterans and the state of Texas in the following ways:
1) Bridging the gap between the available resources and
Veteran Entrepreneurs. Through the Veteran Entrepreneur Seminar
series and in response to requests from individual Veterans the
Entrepreneur Program is connecting Veteran Entrepreneurs with
community resources, funding sources and sources of continuing
education.
2) Providing one-on-one business guidance and counseling.
Veteran Entrepreneurs contact the Veteran Entrepreneur Program
seeking answers to a broad array of business challenges across
an amazing spectrum. From a mere introduction to simple
business ideas to complex strategies for expanding and growing
a business the Veteran Entrepreneur Program meets the challenge
and, in every case to date, has exceeded expectations.
3) Conducting Seminars. The Veteran Entrepreneur Program
conducts a series of seminars around the state that provide a
one-stop-shopping experience where Veterans and a broad array
of resources come together under one roof. Veterans are not
only able to have their specific questions answered in this
forum, they also enjoy the advantage of hearing their fellow
Veteran Entrepreneurs interface with the resources and are
exposed to new ideas and concepts in the process.
To date, the Veteran Entrepreneur Program has attained
phenomenal success on a limited budget. From April of 2012
until now, the program has operated with a single, dedicated
resource and achieved the following documented successes of
veterans served:
Business Plan Assistance 17
Financing & Structure 38
Resource Information 1,146
Total 1,201
The Texas Veterans Commission Veteran Entrepreneur Program
will continue to provide the services outlined above but
currently is developing the next phase; a ``Business Basics
101'' course. This will be an application driven program
wherein Veteran Entrepreneurs will enter the Program with an
idea and leave with the tools, knowledge and funding necessary
for successful business ownership.
The Veteran Entrepreneur Program is investigating several
existing curriculum sources and engaging several Texas state
universities in the creation of entrepreneur curriculum.
CLOSING
The state of Texas is leading on Veteran issues. The
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Texas Legislature
demonstrated their commitment to the Veterans of Texas this
past legislative session by passing a number of key legislative
initiatives for Veterans and by obligating significant funding
for programs to assist Veterans in our state. State leaders
deserve recognition for taking bold actions to serve the
Veterans of our state.
Veterans in Texas are also served by an active
Congressional delegation that continually seeks to improve the
services and benefits provided to them.
Our goal at the Texas Veterans Commission is to assist as
many Veterans as we can while continuing to provide high-
quality services. There will be thousands of military service
men and women coming home over the next few years, which will
increase the need for our services. We owe it to our nation's
heroes to assist them with their employment needs when they
come home. Employment stabilizes Veterans and their family's
lives allowing them to make the difficult transition from
military to civilian life.
Again, I want to thank you for the opportunity to testify
before you today. Thank you for the work are doing, and will
do, on behalf of Texas Veterans, and all Veterans, of this
nation's Armed Forces.
ELISEO ``AL'' CANTU, JR., Major, US Army (Retired),
Chairman
DANIEL P. MORAN, Captain, USMC (Retired) Member
JAMES H. SCOTT, Colonel, USAF (Retired) Vice Chairman
J.K. ``JAKE'' ELLZEY, Commander, US Navy (Retired) Member
REV. RICHARD McLEON IV, US Army Veteran Secretary
TEXAS VETERANS COMMISSION
THOMAS P. PALLADINO, Colonel, US Army (Retired) Executive
Director
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Deabay.
I thank the third panel for their testimony.
I now recognize myself for 5 minutes for questions.
Chairman Alcantar, tell us a little bit about the success of
last year's Red, White, and You job fairs, and what do you have
planned for this coming week?
Mr. Alcantar. I am really proud of the way our local boards
have worked with our local partners. These veterans job fairs
are free of charge. They are free of charge to the employer.
The whole goal is to make sure that we help our veterans make a
successful transition.
Twenty-seven locations across the State on the same day
last year, the week of Veterans Day, like we are doing again
this year November 14th, we had over 1,400 employers that hired
over 2,800 veterans or their spouses. Because we are not only
targeting veterans, we understand the commitment and sacrifice
of the spouses.
And in addition to making these fairs available, we also
have for them opportunities for them to take advantage of our
Skills for Veterans program and connect them with the other
services that we have available through our One-Stops all
across the State.
Mr. Flores. Okay. Thank you.
Mr. Deabay, tell us a little bit about the services that
are provided by the veterans benefits representatives that
provide the local veteran employment representative, or LVERs.
What do they provide that LVERs don't provide? Can you walk me
through that?
And you know, here is kind of where I am going. It seems
like to some of us on the subcommittee that we need to change
the--that DOL should change the mission of LVERs to match the
more successful model that you use. Can you walk us through
that?
Mr. Deabay. Right. So our LVERs, they do provide services
to veterans, and I only have--only, I know, 152. But Texas is a
very large State. So they serve a lot of veterans.
What the business representatives are able to do is solely
focus their purpose on helping employers and then being able to
leverage the LVERs and DVOPs in the field to help supply. What
would not work is to have the veterans business representatives
go to employers and then come back without those veterans to be
able to refer to them and be able to source them.
So the LVERs take care of the--they also outreach to
employers, but not to the scale of a veterans business
representative. So the LVERs will handle maybe the smaller, the
more localized companies while the veterans business
representatives are regionally placed so they can look at the
larger companies and what their overall need is to hire
veterans.
Mr. Flores. Okay. Thank you.
And then, Mr. Deabay, talk a little bit more about the
Texas model and the benefits to having all the--all your
services under one roof, all your services for veterans under
one roof.
Mr. Deabay. Yes, well, when veterans come into the
workforce center, we partner with, obviously the workforce
commission and the local boards. There is--employment is the
end game, but there is a lot of obstacles before you get to
being employment ready.
To be able to have our claims counseling, to have our
education, to know all of the grants that we provide to help
veterans get through all of the tough times to get to
employment. At the end of the day, we are there to help with
employments. But to have everything within the veterans
commission is so helpful to have all those resources to help
them overcome those obstacles to get them employment ready
faster.
Mr. Flores. Okay. And Chairman Alcantar, do you have the
results of the Texas Soldier Employment Initiative, and how has
that program reduced the reliance on UCX benefits?
Mr. Alcantar. Well, the progress to date is very promising.
The goal is to really connect our veterans, as they are
returning home, a little bit faster.
And through our partnership with TVC and with the four
boards that we are working together that are participating in
this grant, we have been able to reduce the amount of time that
our veterans are receiving unemployment from around
approximately 24 weeks to around 19 weeks. It is a very
positive trend.
We continue to find ways to take advantage of all of our
other competencies related to translating working with the
soldiers prior to their release, working with the veterans
after they have released to really identify and connect them to
the different services that we have available through our One-
Stops. I think that is a very positive model.
Yet the merging of our infrastructure in a way that
benefits the core competencies that TVC brings into it really
is at the heart of this integrated model that at its core basis
has alignment with the employers in different industries in
these different communities, really generating the results that
we are looking for.
The best part of this partnership is that we are engaging
and doing these very thoughtful, aligned solutions in
communities where Texas is creating jobs, and they are creating
jobs across all of our major industries, and that is a positive
trend.
Mr. Flores. Thank you.
Mr. Takano, you are recognized for 5 minutes for questions.
Mr. Takano. Mr. Deabay, can you just elaborate a little
more on your entrepreneur program? How many veterans have
started businesses after attending the Veteran Entrepreneur
Program?
Mr. Deabay. Okay. I would like to yield to Mr. McGhee.
Mr. McGhee. Thank you very much.
Duncan McGhee, with the Texas Veterans Commission Veteran
Entrepreneur Program.
There is no way to know exactly how many because there are
so many resources that are provided. I have helped over 1,300
veterans with regard to information, but the individuals that I
have had direct contact with in terms of helping them with
business plans, helping them start their businesses, helping
them to find funding. I say I have started--that is being
arrogant.
I have assisted more than 22 businesses getting launched
that I know for a fact that I have had a hand in helping.
Mr. Takano. What type of businesses are those they have
launched?
Mr. McGhee. That is a great question. It is across the
board. There is businesses that, quite frankly, I would never
do in a lifetime. I have spent 30 years as a serial
entrepreneur, and I helped one gentleman start a tour company,
a bicycle tour company in downtown Houston.
If you know the traffic in Houston and you make that
connection, that is a bit of--that is something I just couldn't
see myself doing, quite frankly. But on the other end of the
spectrum, but I have helped him get started, helped him get
capitalized with his business plan, and they are actually very
successful. They broke even in 6 months, and they are doing
phenomenal. So, yay.
The flip side of that is I helped another business down in
the what is called the Eagle Ford Shale to generate capital
with a trucking business. They wanted to expand their business
and add trucks, dump trucks. So I helped them to create a
business plan, identify the market, make the market granular
and pursue $200,000 in capital for that business.
So there is really no one set business. It is really
veterans who are coming out today have this amazing vision, if
you will, for what it is they want to do and what they want to
accomplish. What they don't have is they don't have the
business acumen and experience to take those ideas and put them
into a solid plan, and that is what we do.
Mr. Takano. I see from the written testimony that you have
the intention to develop a Business 101 course.
Mr. McGhee. That is correct.
Mr. Takano. And it looks like it is in conjunction with a
number of different Texas institutions.
Mr. McGhee. Well, we interfaced with a number of
institutions to see if we could help them or have them help us
create a curriculum. That didn't turn out the way we had hoped
it would in terms of that dialogue. So I am in the process of
creating a curriculum myself.
I worked with a number of CDFIs, community development
financial institutions. They have agreed to capitalize any of
the businesses that go through our program with a minimum of
$20,000 at a 5 percent loan rate and up to as much as $100,000
depending on the value proposition.
So what we are doing right now, what I am doing right now
is taking--building a curriculum that over the course of 6 to 8
weeks, based on weekends, I can bring veterans in and do a very
crash course, down and dirty, ``this is what you do.'' I mean,
very granular, but very quick get them through this process.
And then at the end of that process, it will be a shark
tank sort of an event where they know they have $20,000. But if
they want more, then they will have to go, you know, they will
have to do the shark tank thing to make it happen.
Mr. Takano. So I essentially see growing of the effort to
provide some sort of training or education on the basics of
running the business, and then trying to connect veterans with
some sort of start-up capital?
Mr. McGhee. That is correct.
Mr. Takano. Do you see a need to organize this more
coherently?
Mr. McGhee. I do. There is a number of things. There is a
number of things that we could do. You know, one is to do it
coherently, absolutely.
I have veterans from across the country, quite frankly,
that are contacting me. I have veterans from California. I have
veterans from Florida, from all around the country who are
contacting me, going, ``Can you help me with my business?'' And
the answer is, ``Yes, I can.''
I have developed a process. It is a very clean, very simple
process. It is 10 steps for starting your business. There is
resources that are localized to those veterans that can help
them through that process.
But if there are some sort of way to standardize that
across the country, then there obviously would be somewhat
better. And there is a number of things that we could do at the
Federal level that are very, very simple modifications that
would yield huge results.
For example, if you look at the GI bill, if we made just a
modest, modest change to the post 9/11 GI bill, we could make
some mods there, too.
Mr. Takano. Mr. McGhee, I am sorry. My time is up.
Mr. McGhee. Thank you.
Mr. Takano. And I hope that through written testimony or
personal contact with our offices to find out more about this.
Mr. McGhee. I will be happy to do so.
Mr. Flores. You have 30 seconds remaining or so ----
Mr. Takano. Yes, Mr. Chairman, if you would indulge me. If
you would elaborate more on these simple Federal fixes?
Mr. McGhee. Sure. Again, as I said, post 9/11. If you take
a look at post 9/11, as an example, it has a provision for on-
the-job training. For those individuals who don't want to
pursue a traditional education, there is on-the-job training.
But that on-the-job training pretty much, by virtue of the
way it is structured, precludes you from leveraging that for a
franchise. So we have had lots of conversation today about
franchises. But if I were a post 9/11 veteran and I were to
come into a franchise organization and then use that training
as part of my on-the-job training, at the end of that, I would
basically have $17,000. That could go a long way towards this.
The other thing that we could do from a pure entrepreneur
perspective is if we look at some of the Federal contracts we
do, a real good example of that would be if you were to look at
the U.S. Army's military installation and contracting command,
they have an advance--they have a spreadsheet that shows you
all the various contracts that are coming up for Federal
contracts within the military posts.
In Texas alone, we have Fort Sam, Fort Bliss, Fort Hood,
and that is over--there is over $3 billion in contracts that
are available, but less than 1 percent are for veteran
businesses. And even that 1 percent, that 1 percent is only 3
contracts that are very unique.
There are things on those military posts like lawn
maintenance that I could put my hand on two dozen veteran
businesses tomorrow that could do that contract, yet that is
not set aside for them or that is not for veteran businesses.
It is for a small business, which is great. But there ought to
be some allocation, in my opinion, for veterans, especially
when you are looking at military installations.
And then the third thing that we could take a look at is
how we are spending dollars, or how the Federal Government is
spending dollars today in those various--within the States. So,
as an example, we look at we have what is called the Veteran
Business Outreach Centers. They do a great job.
They are called VBOCs, and they are really good
organizations and do a phenomenal job. But they have some
limitations.
And so, if you look at Texas, for example, our VBOC is
located in Harlingen. That is the furthest southernmost tip of
our State, and in terms of their ability to provide services to
veterans or veterans to access that service, it is a challenge.
And then on top of that, some of the dollars that are allocated
for that are spent on overhead versus on actually going towards
meeting the needs of veterans.
So those are just three things that as I look at it from a
very high level, just minor modifications to those three things
could have a huge impact in terms of how we are able to help
veterans start and grow their businesses.
Mr. Takano. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for that 30 seconds.
Mr. Flores. I am glad that you asked. That was good.
Mr. Williams, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Williams. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And I want to thank all three of you for being here. You
are doing a fantastic job. Chairman, appreciate it.
But I want to follow through with, Duncan, you are doing a
great job in explaining today. I had just a couple questions.
You have done a pretty good job in answering. But I am a
business guy. I come from the private sector, still own a
business, been in business 42 years. I am a job creator,
everything you are doing.
Just briefly, you touched on the curriculum design. What
would be just a typical curriculum? What, from the beginning to
end, the things that you cover?
Mr. McGhee. Sure. Sure. So a typical curriculum would be
Introduction to Accounting, and not Introduction to Accounting
in terms of--so I have been through a number of the larger
programs that are out there. I have been to the EBV program. It
is a great program. But it is designed for organizations, for
veterans who are already in business.
Where the veterans that I am interfacing with really don't
understand a debit from a credit. So you have to get down to
the granular level, but do it in such a way it is basic. It is
basic training for that. So the introduction to that.
And at the same time you are introducing that, we will have
some software that they will be able to input and build, for
example, a chart of accounts. This is chart of accounts. Build
your chart of accounts. Build this. Then they will be able to
take that, and that will be about a 2-hour segment, and it is
just a very down and dirty introduction.
Marketing, introduce them to marketing. How do you segment
the market? What things do you look for, and are you a B2B? Are
you B2C? Are you B2G?
And in each of those segments, there is a different value
proposition. There is a different message. How do we segment
that market, and what are you targeting? So, again, about an
hour to 2 hours on that and transition into operations,
transition to HR. But do it in such a way that it is very
fundamental.
Right now, we talk to these veterans with some relatively
high-level stuff. But the veterans that I come in contact with,
they really need ----
Mr. Williams. How long do you spend with them?
Mr. McGhee. Well, I haven't started doing--I am building
the curriculum right now. But in terms of the veterans that I
work with, it ranges across the board in terms of how much time
I spend with them.
So, right now, I am working with 12 veterans on their
business plans, and we are working in terms of wherever their
business plan is. In terms of readiness, some of them are not
bad. Others, you look at it, and you go, I mean, you are never
going to fly with this. So it depends on the veteran, on where
they are in the process, and where we want to get to relative
to the end game.
So I spend anywhere from 12 to 70 hours with veterans, it
just depends, quite frankly. But on the curriculum that we are
building, that is going to be, I am estimating, a 6-week, 12-
hour--6 weekends, 12 hours a day on a Saturday, 12 hours on a
Sunday. And over the course of 6 to 8 weeks of that.
Mr. Williams. That is good. They are lucky to have you.
Now so when they go out there, how do you, as an
entrepreneur, as a businessman, how do you see the market out
there right now? I mean, financing is still an issue. Angel
investors are an issue. How do you see the market as far as
starting a new business today?
How do you see--do you think they have got great
opportunity? Do you think there is regulations, though, from
the Federal Government standpoint that we might be able to kind
of whittle down a little bit and give you a little more
breathing room, right?
Mr. McGhee. Yes, I look at no matter what the environment,
whether we are in a recess or whether we are boom times, there
is opportunity. You just have to look for it.
And the veterans that I come in contact with, for the most
part, they have identified the opportunity. I don't have to
present them with the opportunity. They come to me with ideas,
and like I said, some of those ideas, I will think there is
just no way I would ever do this. But they are very much
excited about what it is that they want to do.
And so, I think there is lots of opportunity in the market.
I think the market is ripe for veteran entrepreneurship. And if
you look at entrepreneurship in the State of Texas, you know,
veterans represent 7 percent of the overall population. But
veteran-owned businesses represent 9 percent of the businesses
in Texas.
So, anecdotally, it suggests anyway that we are predisposed
to business. But what we don't have--and one thing was
mentioned earlier with regard to introducing veterans or
military personnel to their future earlier than 6 months. I
would take that a step further. I would say that if it were me
and I had an opportunity to say something, I would say that you
would have a day at basic training, just like when I went in
2000, I took part in a very interesting project for generating
venture capital.
And within the first 4 minutes of our presentation, we had
to have--we had to lay out our exit strategy. They didn't
really care about our business. They didn't really care about
how we wanted to serve veterans or what we wanted to do. They
wanted to know how do I get money? What is your exit strategy?
And if it were me and I had an opportunity to do something
different for the military personnel, part of basic training
would have a day of what is your exit strategy? Here are the
things that are going to be available to you. Here are the
things that you can do. And make them start thinking about
their exit strategy from day one because at some point, whether
you make a career out of the military or you do like I did, do
your 3 years and get out, some point military comes to an end,
and civilian begins.
Mr. Williams. Thanks for your involvement. Appreciate it.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Flores. Thank you, Mr. Williams.
I would like to thank the panel for your testimony. Andres
and Shawn and Duncan, it was very helpful to have you here, and
you made this a diverse discussion today from private sector to
education to government support, and I appreciate all the
testimony.
Thank you, Mr. Takano, for traveling all the way from
California to Texas.
And Mr. Williams, you didn't have to travel very far, but
thank you for joining us here in Waco.
Mr. Williams. Glad to be here.
Mr. Flores. I would like to thank all of the audience for
their participation today.
Before we adjourn, I would like to extend my thanks again
to the students, the staff, and the administration of Baylor
University for hosting us and for our witnesses that took time
out of their busy schedules to be here.
I also want to remind the audience that we have a resource
table out in the Fentress Room, which is to the right out the
hall, and I would ask our veterans and guests to be sure and to
avail themselves of that.
I would like to thank the representatives for Congressman
Carter's office for being here today as well.
I would like to thank Baylor for giving us the great
``Veterans of Baylor'' T-shirts, and also I think it says
``From salutes to sic 'em'' on the back. Now be sure and wear
your blackout shirts tomorrow when you all beat the heck out of
OU. So probably have to wear a coat, too, based on what I saw
about the weather.
I would ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5
legislative days in which to revise and extend the remarks and
to include any extraneous materials on today's hearing. Hearing
no objection, so ordered.
Mr. Flores. And this hearing is now adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 12:18 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
APPENDIX
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Aggie Vet Connect Program:
Texas A&M University Veteran Resource & Support Center
Program Description: Due to a lack of communication and
programming, many of our 600+ student veterans are dis-
connected from the available university and local resources.
Aggie Vet Connect is one of our first major initiatives. It
will become a full range of programs developed and organized by
the VRSC in partnership with other offices and organizations.
It is designed to proactively facilitate the engagement of
student veterans to help identify those in need of additional
academic or mental well-being assistance. Specific programs
include:
- New Student Conference and sponsorship programs that:
o Connect current veteran students with new veteran
students to facilitate transition to TAMU.
o Enables early identification of wounded warriors and
facilitates student veteran data collection.
- Peer-to-peer veteran student mentoring program (which
includes formal mentor training).
- Faculty/Staff connections with student veterans to
facilitate:
o Faculty/Staff awareness of unique needs of student
veterans/wounded warriors, signs/symptoms of PTSD/TBI, and
military-to-student transition issues.
o Faculty/Staff sensitivity to student veteran experiences.
o Faculty/Staff ``ATM Veteran Mentor'' participation.
o Student veteran awareness of, and interaction with,
veteran faculty/staff members.
- Increase overall campus awareness of student veteran/
wounded warrior experiences.
Program Goals: Our overall goal is to improve the TAMU
student veteran/wounded warrior success rates. Measurement of
this goal is elusive; there is very little existing data on
previous/current success rates. Sub goals include:
1. Develop TAMU's first proactive student veteran
transition support program that meets the critical needs of
student veterans/wounded warriors as they enter Texas A&M.
2. Better identify the TAMU student veteran population
(beyond benefit certification data) to facilitate on-going
student needs and program assessments to improve student and
program success rates.
3. Facilitate early contact (prior to 1st class day) with
student veterans better connect them with additional existing
on-campus resources as needed.
4. In partnership with the TAMU Academic Success Center,
develop TAMU's first proactive student veteran peer-to-peer
mentoring program to improve academic performance.
5. Expand our (currently limited) faculty/staff programs to
meet the critical needs of returning service members (i.e.,
early identification of student veteran transitional problems
or PTSD/TBI).
6. Develop a systematic program to improve faculty/staff
(focused on academic advisors) engagement with student
veterans/wounded warriors.
7. Develop new programs and facilitate unique opportunities
that connect student veterans with the greater student body.
PROGRAM COMPONENTS
The Aggie Vet Connect Program is comprised of seven sub-
programs.
1. New/Transfer Student Conference Student Veteran Program
Participants: All new/transfer undergraduate TAMU student
veterans and wounded warriors. Mandatory Student Veteran
Information Session: All veterans must attend (military
dependent attendance is highly encouraged) to receive
information on benefits and VRSC military affiliated programs/
opportunities.
Vet Connect Event: At the end of Day 1 of the conference,
new student veterans and dependents are invited to meet with
current veteran students, dependents, and selected faculty/
staff for a ``1-on-1 engagement'' social event to facilitate
transition into the university environment and learn more about
student veteran/wounded warrior programs.
2. Vet Camp - This is a 1-day orientation program conducted
prior to the 1st day of class. It is designed to get student
veterans ready for their classes and to facilitate their
transition to Texas A&M.
Participants: Vet Camp will be open to all new student
veterans (it is mandatory for some specified veteran co-
enrollment students when the new VETS Program is approved by
TAMU).
Vet Connect Event: As one part of this program participants
will select and meet their student veteran peer mentor and
their faculty/staff mentor. They will also connect with other
campus veteran/wounded warrior support offices to include
representatives from Student Counseling Services, Academic
Success Center, and Academic Advisors.
3. Vet Connect Breakfasts/Lunches - These events will be
used to facilitate a recurring opportunity to improve and
expand faculty/staff/advisor engagement with student veterans.
Participants: This event will be open to all TAMU student
veterans.
Vet Connect Event: At each breakfast/lunch, one or more
university faculty, staff or advisors will be invited by
student veterans as their ``Guest(s) of Honor.'' Although the
agenda will be informal, the guest will be asked to provide a
brief background on their role at TAMU, their military
experience (if applicable), and their advice on student
success. Student veteran participants will be asked to share
their background/military experiences and ask questions of the
guest.
4. Recreational Sports Veteran/Wounded Warrior Engagement
Activities - In partnership with TAMU Recreational Sports, the
Aggie Adaptive Sports Club and the Student Veterans
Association, the VRSC will assist in coordinating participant
sports events that draw student veterans/wounded warriors and
other non-veteran students together.
Participants: This event will be open to all TAMU student
veterans/wounded warriors. The leadership of the Aggie Adaptive
Sports Club and the Student Veteran Association will be asked
to identify students from other TAMU student organizations to
participate with the student veterans/wounded warriors.
Sports Activities: The specific activity may include
adaptive sports or other sport/event already programmed by TAMU
Recreational Sports during the semester.
Vet Connect Event: These events are designed to facilitate
unique opportunities that connect student veterans/wounded
warriors with the greater student body.
5. Faculty/Staff Veteran Awareness/Training Sessions -
These sessions are designed to expand faculty/staff programs to
meet the critical needs of returning service members. Topics
will vary but may include PTSD/TBI awareness, student veteran
needs, veteran scholarship opportunities/financial aid, Wounded
Warrior Higher Education Program, and veteran career counseling
trends/information.
Participants: Faculty, staff and advisors along with
student veterans.
Vet Connect Event: The student veteran panel will serve as
the ``Capstone Event'' to improve faculty, staff and advisor
engagement with student veterans/wounded warriors.
6. Student Veteran Peer-to-Peer Mentor Training Classes -
These sessions will be a mandatory requirement for all student
veterans that want to participate in the peer-to-peer mentoring
program.
Participants: Any student veteran who has been at TAMU for
at least one semester and meets academic requirements.
Vet Connect Event: At the conclusion of each semester, the
VRSC will conduct a peer-to-peer mentoring program assessment
event. All participants will be asked to meet and provide input
and discuss the value of the program and ways to improve
student veteran peer mentoring efforts.
7. Special Events - These events will be identified as
opportunities become available. They may include special
veteran workshops, conferences, meetings or events and will be
used to expand other programs to meet the critical needs of
returning service members and to increase veteran awareness and
connections across campus.
Participants: To be determined by the nature of the event.
Vet Connect Event: To be determined by the nature of the
event.
[all]