A local Caldwells man was honored with a national award for his dedication to helping veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation announced this week that Caldwell’s Evan Guzman, head of military programs and veteran affairs for Verizon Communications, was awarded the Hiring Our Heroes Colonel Michael Endres Leadership Award for Individual Excellence in Veteran Employment.
The award recognizes the proven dedication of Guzman in addressing the challenges faced veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses in their search for jobs.
“Evan Guzman has shown tremendous dedication to recruiting, retaining, and advancing talented veterans and transitioning service members,” said Eric Eversole in a press release, who is executive director of Hiring Our Heroes, a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
“He is a true leader working every day to address veteran employment challenges across America. The Hiring Our Heroes Colonel Michael Endres Leadership Award recognizes Evan Guzman for his past, present, and future efforts to serve those who served.”
Under Guzman’s leadership, Verizon’s military recruitment strategy has undergone a major overhaul in the last two years. Guzman is responsible for managing public- and private-sector partnerships to help veterans and military spouses transition from the military to civilian positions at Verizon.
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The company’s talent acquisition program reaches out to veterans through its Transitioning Military career portal. The site features a Military Skill Matchmaker – a tool that allows service members to input their military backgrounds and view opportunities at Verizon well-suited to their particular skill sets or interests.
In addition to Verizon’s hiring managers, Guzman also trains recruiters and business leaders throughout the country to help their companies develop strong and comprehensive veteran and military spouse recruitment programs.
Guzman and various other winners for other were selected by the Hiring Our Heroes Awards Committee. Judging was based on criteria such as innovative recruiting and retention strategies, military community engagement and leadership, as well as an ongoing commitment to hire veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses.
Hiring Our Heroes 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, the goal is to create a movement across America in hundreds of communities where veterans and military families return every day.
Hiring Our Heroes has hosted more than 640 hiring fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, helping 21,600 veterans and military spouses find jobs.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness by addressing developments that affect our nation, our economy, and the global business environment.
Original Article:
https://patch.com/new-jersey/caldwells/caldwells-man-wins-hiring-our-heroes-award
