As we strike up the charge to share word about employment opportunities for veterans, one of our recruiting powerhouses hit the road recently. John Olshefski visited Fort Campbell on March 3 to talk about the Rocket City with about 200 transitioning service members.

The event in Fort Campbell was a Career Summit held by Hiring Our Heroes, an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. This is part of our work to establish relationships with transition offices and military installations to share information about the opportunities in our region.

Olshefski shared his transition experience, talking about what that means for soldiers and their families and why it’s important to consider community. Olshefski transferred to Huntsville during his service with the U.S. Army, and served as Garrison Commander of Redstone Arsenal before retiring from active duty.

“This was a super event — this is our country seeing a need to help these young men and women find jobs, and then helping them with practical ways to get hired,” said Olshefski. “They learned resume building tips, they learned about the importance of using LinkedIn, how to dress for an interview, and other things. I was really impressed with quality of this career fair and I encourage companies to support this effort.”

Olshefski shared materials with soldiers and encouraged them to check ASmartPlace.com for information about living and working in the Huntsville area. Through our partnership with Hiring Our Heroes, the Chamber will attend additional in-person and virtual veteran hiring events throughout the year. There will also be opportunities for partnering companies to participate.

Olshefski is a loaned executive to the Chamber from Huntsville Utilities, who will be supporting our veteran talent initiatives. You can contact him at [email protected].

By Claire Aiello
VP, Marketing & Communications
Huntsville/Madison County Chamber