The Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, the local business community and others interested in seeing the area grow have – in conjunction with the Manufacturing Institute – begun a new program meant to enhance the workforce and bring high-quality people into the city and Guilford County to live and work.
The Manufacturing Institute is a national nonprofit that, among other things, helps veterans transition from military service into the workforce.
Guilford County Commissioner Pat Tillman, who served for 14 years as a US Marine – including two combat deployments – is currently a member of the National Guard and he knows a little bit about the military and the kind of quality people it produces.
Tillman was one speaker who recently greeted and spoke to a group of about 35 people who were finishing up their military careers. They were bused in from Fort Liberty – formerly known as Fort Bragg.
That group got a very energetic day-long sales pitch on Greensboro and also met up with some major companies that are looking for employees.
So, part of the enticement is that the veterans will be highly likely to find work if they move to the Greensboro area. In fact, with the relationships already being created through this program, they may get job offers before making a final decision where they want to live.
Tillman, who has very high praise for the program after seeing it in action, even missed part of a late January Guilford County commissioners retreat in order to address the group of veterans.
At the Board of Commissioners Thursday, Feb. 6 meeting, Tillman spoke about the new program.
“I was honored to speak to a group of veterans that the Manufacturing Institute, in conjunction with our local Chamber of Commerce, brought in, at a program that I think is one of the most creative and effective that I’ve ever seen.”
“These are veterans coming off of active duty that are just down the road at Fort Liberty or other military installations,” he said, “and they’re going to ‘ETS,’ which means your contract is up and you’re free to go home or wherever you decide.”
ETS stands for Expiration of Term of Service.
“So, these 35 veterans were taken by a bus from Fort Liberty and they came here to GTCC at the Cameron Campus for breakfast and then I was able to welcome them and just tell them how much we love them and support them, and we want them to move here to Guilford County,” he said.
Tillman added that the members of the group were from all over the country and included men and women from every demographic.
“It’s people that have been in the military for four years or for 24 years, and they all have incredible skills, and they’re going to be coming off active duty this summer,” he told his fellow commissioners at the meeting.
Tillman spoke to the group of veterans on the virtues of Greensboro and Guilford County. He told them that you can be who you want to be in this area because there’s a wide variety of jobs, and, if you like nightlife and entertainment, there’s plenty of that here; plus, it’s a great place to raise children, and, if you don’t like nightlife and you just want to keep to yourself in a quiet area, well, Guilford County has that too.
Greensboro City Manager Trey Davis addressed the group as well and also extolled the virtues of the city.
“Not only did they see and get to sort of tour Guilford County and get the feel and the vibe, but then they were able to link up with HondaJet, HAECO and many others,” Tillman said.
“It’s a fantastic program,” he stated.
Tillman said plans are already in the works to bring the next group in and he added, “Next time, I want twice as many veterans – I want it twice the size.”
Tillman said at the February 6 commissioners meeting that he hopes other county commissioners will support the program and he wants to see some tracking done to determine how many of those who are brought into Greensboro end up living here.
“I just would implore my fellow commissioners to make sure some of us maybe can be there for that, because these are folks that are going to be coming off active duty and have tremendous skill sets and various life skills, and we want them to move here,” he said.
The official name of the program is “Heroes MAKE America Community Visits.”
A spokesperson for the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce told the Rhino Times, “This is the first event of its kind in Guilford County, and it’s a great chance to see how our community is coming together to support military members transitioning to civilian life while showcasing our incredible manufacturing sector. It’s all about creating opportunities, fostering collaboration, and helping these individuals succeed in their next chapter.”
The veterans got a behind-the-scenes look at several of the area’s top employers: HAECO Americas, HondaJet, Core Technology Molding Corp., and Procter & Gamble.
Guilford County government also has a very strong Veterans Affairs Department which works closely with area veterans. Those services were touted to the group as well.
Chamber of Commerce officials are excited about the “big-picture impact this kind of collaboration has on workforce development.”
Hooray for Pat Tillman for stepping up to serve these most valuable and honorable members of our Armed Services! These Patriots have been overlooked much too long, and I admire Pat Tillman’s vision to identify and provide for these individuals that have served our country! Move over Skip Alston, it appears we have a identified a new leader with more appropriate values to lead our Guilford County Board of Commissioners!
greensboro needs a navy federal credit union to start. a lot of veterans go from their uniform to the government side the day after they get out. Double dipping so to speak. Not a lot of government jobs here and after a week of doing warehouse work are looking for something new. county taxes are high and are anticipated to group next year, home and auto insurance are expected to rise as well. there is no incentive to live in greensboro/guilford county. At least the powers to be realize gboro is a dead-end town.
Vets! Don’t move here unless you have plenty of money to pay for the high taxes Greensboro has.
Veterans aren’t stupid. They will see this ‘lipstick on a pig’ front once they dig down and see the confiscatory level of taxes and the plans by the High Council and the Board of Commissioners in both Greensboro and Guilford County.
I don’t know. You are a veteran and well….just saying.
It’s totally different to already be here and have roots vs choosing to move into a tax and spend money pit. Family, friends, jobs, etc. Don’t be silly, Chris.
I think you misunderstood his comment don.
My first sentence was “Veterans aren’t stupid.” His reply was meant to imply I’M stupid because I’m a retired veteran. I simply consider the source, ruck up, and move on.
Oh, and I really feel sorry for him.
Yeah, my bad. I thought we were having a valid discussion. I forget he’s just a name caller. Very progressive of him.
Apparently, you lack a sense of humor as well. Too bad.
trump & dogge are ferreting out these unnecessary & expensive ‘sacred cows’. just heard on npr radio that there are over 250 ‘veteran’ non- profits with ‘administrators’ skimming $$ salaries n perks.
Once these Veterans see how much the county and city tax rates are they will have to think much harder about making the move. Unlike other states and cities, that provide tax breaks and other incentives (such as free parking, discounts on city and county fees) there are no real incentives to move to this area for Veterans. However, as our business community grows, Tillman needs to look at other State and City incentives to make GSO more attractive. I also applaud Tillman for his initiative and at least identifying ETS’ing Veterans as a strong skilled workforce.
I personally met with then Mayor Vaughan and a committee years ago at Lincoln Financial to discuss how to attract more Veterans to the area; I first addressed that they should start by recognizing the current military members in the Triad and was asked “…how so?” They didn’t know that the 3 National Guard Units in the Triad (5-113FA) had all been deployed repeatedly for one year deployments to the Middle East, nor did they no know that the city of High Point was the only local city to host a welcome home parade through their downtown; the battalion consists of approximately 420 local citizens as members of the National Guard units. Nor did they know that the Triad has (at that time in 2018) the largest population of Veterans in North Carolina. Additionally, along with the 5-113 FA Battalion, the Triad is also home to 3 other National Guard units and multiple Reserve Units. I was asked to meet with the mayor and afterward at the event to provide more detail and my sources.
My source and position at the time was as a member of the NC National Guard and a member of the Governors Council on Military and Veterans Affairs. I offered to serve as an advisor or representative to the committee and mayor and provided my contact information as I was employed at the NCNG State Headquarters during my non military duty time. Even though I spoke with the mayor many times since that event, I was never contacted by the committee nor the mayor and nothing ever came from that event.
The VA facility in Kernersville has been great addition to the Triad for serving Veterans and I visit the location often and is a strong perk for moving to the area but Greensboro and Guilford County can do better if they are serious about attracting Veterans because other States and Cities are currently doing it better.
After 24 years I am retired now and impressed that Tillman sees the advantage of attracting Vets to fill positions at companies like Boom and Toyota. Just look at Greenville/Spartenburg SC with BMW or Michelin and Charleston SC where thousands of skilled Veterans are now working at Boeing or Volvo. But unfortunately with our current leadership (except for Tillman) we will never be that successful.
A bus ride from Ft. Bragg? Not very classy. I do endorse the program and love the opportunity presented to our soldiers. Just don’t try to bus them in from Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, or Alaska!
i never considered my 4 year+ ‘tour’ of public service a ‘career’. vietnam vets, how do you feel about your ‘career’ prospects with uncle sam ?
So now you want Veterans to move here as well. We already have an over population of homeless people because of all the hype that the city and county want to do for them. Not that they don’t need help too. But now you want more Veterans to come too. You don’t even take care of the ones here as it is. My husband is a 26 year retired Navy Veteran. We moved here from Virginia Beach shortly after he retired because I am from here and the area there was getting so over crowed we couldn’t stand it any longer. Now in the past few years I can’t stand living in Greensboro much better. If I could sell my house or pick it up and move it in one of two directions, trust me I would. You want to bring in all this new business and pay them to do so, but you have to tax the you know what out of us in order to do that. You don’t even have enough housing to accommodate their employees. You think big but you don’t think ahead. As the old saying goes, “You’re putting the horse before the cart.”
Ditto to these comments. Vets in Guilford County what our Communist govt is doing, starting by confiscating private property, and making more folks dependent on handouts to get their three hots and a cot. (and free phone & tV)
I am a Vet, and I was lucky to be able to move to Randolph.
I hope all vets that may consider moving to Greensboro or Guilford County —think twice.
With the discipline and skill they learned, they can do alot better for their families and themselves. If you relocate here, you are taking a step backwards. You will find extremely high taxes, limited services, poor performing schools, a racist county and city government, crime, and overpriced housing.
You derseve and have earned a better future for you and or your family.
I thought when I got out of the military I would be left alone Everywhere you turn someone is trying to sell you something. If it’s not the VA trying to get you into the fold it’s the VFW asking for members or the American Legion. Last thing I want to do with the rest of my life is sit around the VFW on a bar stool hashing over combat crap or talking about the Gulf War or Enduring Freedom Jeez Now they want ya to move into these areas. I think it’s a plan to get all the vets in one place so you can round them all up quick in case the Govt gets cute
Love the idea, but one one quick question. What about all of the vets that are already here and struggling for work/housing? The VA pretends to support our veterans wholeheartedly, then they restrict much needed services to vets who are either 100% disabled or homeless. That might be a great place to start if you are really looking to impact the veterans in our area.
our military experience the pregnancy experience – who has courage ? where are the ‘front lines’ ? who is on them ? i have possums for sale . . . just kidding.
As a 20 year Navy Veteran that spent a better part of that time on a Submarine I’ve been a healthy skeptic about some of the vast “programs” that put Veterans in their name. As I read this article amd conducted some further research on my own, I applaud Tillman and other Commissionersfor helping put this program front and center. Looks like the Chamber is doing good work here. This is the kind of quality policy making and governance we need more of. Having Veterans move here isn’t a drain on our poplulation or services as some of the previous contributors have written. Quite the contrary, Veterans help make a community stronger and have immediate positive impacts. Show me a community with Veterans living and working in it and I’ll show you a vibrant and sustainable community.
I’d like to see our local and state governments work with the federal government to enact laws that allow veterans’ MOS certifications transfer to civilian jobs without complete retraining or a civilian educational degree.
I’ve had friends whose MOS as pilots, air traffic controllers, medics, nurses, and others were required to complete 2-4 year degree college programs before they could be hired doing the same job they’d done in the military for years with proficient to outstanding military reviews.
It was ridiculous that someone with incredible skills as an air traffic controller became a 911 dispatcher because our local airport couldn’t hire him unless he went to college for a 2-year degree and retrained in a job he’d done for years in the military. He couldn’t afford to be without a job while relearning what he knew how to do, and this was during a shortage of ATCs nationally. It’s a waste of skill, experience, and talent.
We encourage people to sign up to serve our country with the enticement of learning skills they can use in civilian life when they get out of the service, but laws and regulations stifle that benefit. They need issues worked out amongst themselves so the transition for our vets makes sense.
Deborah,
That’s an awesome suggestion. You probably don’t know that colleges have a catalog of military MOSs that show what college credits can be given for that job and level of experience (rank) while serving. Even, believe it or not, for folks like armor, artillery, or even myself that was infantry for my whole career. They also look at what service related schools you attended while in such as small arms repair school (armorer), air movement operations, Non-Commissioned Officers school (all levels) for example.
I was transferring to Alaska when the pipeline was being built up there in the 70’s and a civilian recruiter was at the out processing center with a long list of Army MOSs that the company needed to work on the line.
Veterans do not move to Guilford County. High crime high tax and an overall dump. They can’t even take care of homeless vets here what makes you think they care about you ? Check out Rowan county. Low taxes low crime and Va hospitals and services right in your back yard. Guilford does not offer that. Thank you Pat but Guilford is a failed high tax fubar county. Yes tyrone to a small navy fed branch at least between Raleigh and Charlotte