\n This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
About 200,000 men and women <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>leave the U.S. military<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> annually and transition back to civilian life. They become one of America\u2019s approximately 18 million veterans as of last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nMany of them continue working in the civilian workforce after their military service ends. In 2023, about 8.39 million <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>veterans in the civilian labor force were employed<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. Data from last year showed that 8% of veterans worked in the retail industry.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cRetailers are committed to supporting America\u2019s veterans and creating opportunities to help them transition their careers to the private sector,\u201d Adam Lukoskie, the National Retail Federation\u2019s senior vice president and foundation executive director, said in emailed comments to Retail Dive.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThe skills and work ethic former service members offer make them valuable additions to the retail workforce, and high-demand skills they provide include leadership experience, a team-oriented mindset, purpose-driven mentality and strong organizational and operational skills,\u201d Lukoskie said. People who switch from a career in the armed forces to a civilian career in retail have an opportunity to develop new professional skills, Lukoskie said, including business management, foundational knowledge on profit and loss, sales techniques and marketing.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nEach year, the U.S. pauses every Nov. 11 to celebrate Veterans Day. The observance <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>dates to World War I<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>, when fighting formally ceased on the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>. The holiday is meant to honor all who have served in the military.\u00a0 As the day approaches, here are the stories of three people who have stepped into retail after serving in the military.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nEditor\u2019s note: These interviews have been edited for clarity and brevity.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nPedro Medrano<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nVeteran, U.S. Marines. Medrano is a Sam\u2019s Club market manager overseeing Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. He has been with the company for 23 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>
\nPedro Medrano<\/p>\n
Permission granted by Walmart<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
RETAIL DIVE: How did you wind up going from a military career to retail?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nI began my career as a cart attendant while attending college back when I was 19. Throughout my life, I always wanted to be a United States Marine. With 9\/11 and the events happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, I felt the need to support our country and joined the Marines in December of 2004. Sam’s Club supported my decision and provided me with a military leave. After completing boot camp and [military occupational speciality] school, I returned to work in August of 2005. In May of 2007, my unit was activated and deployed overseas to Iraq in September of 2007. Sam’s Club again afforded the opportunity to take a military leave until my return in June of 2008.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhat skills from the military can and do you apply in a retail leadership context?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe military provides you with several key leadership learnings. One that comes to mind is troop welfare, always looking out for your Marines well-being. At Sam’s Club and Walmart, we are people led. We know that without our associates, we can’t accomplish the goal of taking care of our members and customers. I’d also say one of our basic beliefs, strive for excellence, goes hand in hand with one of the Marines core beliefs of commitment. Always striving to be the best day in, day out.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nHas retail taught you anything or offered experiences they didn\u2019t get in the military?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nI would say retail, like the Marines, reinforces teamwork, trust, the importance of networking and relationship building. Those are keys to a successful operation within retail management.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nDan Collini<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nVeteran, U.S. Army. Collini is a Home Depot store manager and leads Team Depot, the company\u2019s associate volunteer group, that improves the homes and lives of veterans and helps communities affected by natural disasters.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>
\nDan Collini<\/p>\n
Permission granted by The Home Depot<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
RETAIL DIVE: Please briefly share your branch of service, what your job was in the military and anything else you\u2019d like to highlight about your military career.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nI served over 20 years in active-duty service. My service began with nearly eight years as a U.S. Navy aircrewman in the Navy\u2019s Take Charge And Move Out platform, which fulfills a critical aspect of our country\u2019s nuclear deterrence system. Most of my service was affiliated with the Pacific Theater of Operations. I also served in the U.S. Army following Officer Candidate School as an engineer officer with the 101st Airborne Division before joining Special Operations Command as a Civil Affairs officer. My deployment experience with the Army included Afghanistan and the countries in Africa\u2019s Lake Chad Basin.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nHow did you wind up going from a military career to retail?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\nThe transition from the military, no matter the length of service, is daunting and usually difficult on both the service member and their family. My experience was no different, and I relied on programs designed to assist service members in their transition like the Army\u2019s Transition Assistance Program. However, I leaned heavily on other transitional programs like the U.S. Special Operations Command\u2019s Care Coalition and Hiring Our Heroes. These programs help service members by focusing on their experience, education, goals, family needs, and other factors relevant to their future success.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nAs I began to transition, I initially pursued career paths considered typical for a service member at the stage of my military career. Some examples were continuing government service as a civilian, government contractor, consulting, or other career paths related to my military expertise. I didn\u2019t know what I wanted to do for work, and the typical paths weren\u2019t right for me for various reasons. So, I changed my thought process and looked inward versus outward. Through introspection, I wanted to do something people-based and belong to something bigger than me. I didn\u2019t need to search for a job, but I needed to search for an organization with the same characteristics I desired.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\u201cThe transition from the military, no matter the length of service, is daunting and usually difficult on both the service member and their family.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
Dan Collini<\/p>\n
Store manager, The Home Depot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
I reflected on all my previous roles in the military and the jobs I held outside of the military. Before joining the military, I worked for The Home Depot. At that time for me, it was a temporary job until I found what I wanted \u2014 the military. I remembered how the iconic orange apron represented something other than an article of clothing. There was a level of comfort with it for me, other associates and the customers. The comfort was a direct result of the company\u2019s culture.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\nAfter more thought, I found that The Home Depot was the perfect fit for my desired organizational characteristics. It\u2019s a people-based organization that looks outside of itself to empower its associates and customers while giving back to the community. The company just happened to be in the retail industry. I just knew I wanted to be a part of its empowerment of people and the level of service outside the company.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhat skills from the military can and do you apply in a retail leadership context?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
![\"Retail](\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png\")
<\/a><\/p>