Veterans Day Recognition
Veterans day is an enduring testament to the value around military service. For most Americans, "thank you for your service" comes wrapped in enormous respect for the uniform and those who have chosen to wear it.
People understand that many soldiers have lost their lives or have suffered injuries in serving and protecting our great country. It’s not an easy job for anyone, and it’s important to recognize the veterans that took on this challenge. But, that is not all that should be celebrated and recognized today.
It’s important to realize that military service has taught unique skills and lessons into our veterans, and this has bred some amazing people in the world.
The Benefit of Service
No matter what area service, whether it be in the Army, the Navy, Airforce, Marines, etc, the same lessons and values are taught.
The men and women who take on the challenge to serve all go through extensive training before being deployed for active-duty. While on active-duty service, the values that they learn, such as solving complex problems, navigating diverse cultures and motivating teammates to work through adversity, are tested and reinforced. Veterans get a tremendous amount out of service, and it’s important to recognize that on this day.
This all translates to the post-service world, where many veterans have done great things. In addition to successful Vetrepreneurs like Phil Knight (Nike) and Fred Smith (FedEX), we’ve had great success within our own team.
As a veteran owned organization, we took some time this week to speak to our leaders and hear directly from them about what they learned during their time in the service and how they have used those skills in their post military careers. Each of our veterans insists that some of their greatest lessons on business were learned in basic training or on the battlefield...in SEAL or sniper training, Ranger or Airborne school. They all insist, they got more from serving than they gave and what they learned, benefits the business every day.
WorkMerk Service Recognition
Below, we’d like to highlight some of WorkMerk’s own veterans, recognize their service, and some accomplishments they’ve been able to achieve thanks to their time in service:
Steve Parker: President of WorkMerk - Pictured with Former Vice President and President Elect Joe Biden (left) and in Iraq (right)
Steve has over 28 years of military service. He was a commander in Iraq in the 10th Mountain Division from 2007-2009 and later went on to become the Executive Director of the Joining Forces Initiative for former President Obama from 2014-2015. After this served as the Director of the US State Department’s Africa Education from 2015-2017. Today, he uses the skills he learned to oversee WorkMerk’s operations as company President. His attention to detail, workforce engagement and relentless focus on process improvement have resonated throughout the WorkMerk organization and the organizations of the clients we serve.
Al Mazzone: VP Special Projects - Pictured above on a Macy’s billboard in NYC for a service campaign they were doing
Al Mazzone, an Army veteran, is a results and data-driven entrepreneur with 45 years experience in multiple industries. He’s an organized systems practitioner who can manage multiple projects and work across a diverse set of constituents. Al is passionate about creating logical processes and systems that support the various teams within an organization and leads our Federal Government initiatives.
Tim Wood: Director of Partnership Solutions - Pictured above with his Basic Underwater Demolition/Seal (BUD/S) team, Class 212
Tim was a Marine with 22 years of military service under his belt. He’s been to every continent except Antarctica, and typically has worked in places like Nigeria and Sri Lanka. The biggest benefit he got out of service was recognizing how capable the average person is of doing absolutely extraordinary things. Today he sits as our director of Partnership Solutions, continually pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved.
John New (Right): CEO of WorkMerk
As a United States Army Captain, John led the macro-level logistics of $120mil in assets and deployment of over 3,000 soldiers while deployed to the Middle East. He also served as an Infantry Platoon Leader in Bosnia-Herzegovina with the 1st Cavalry Division. After finishing his service, John used his skills learned in the military to build a successful meeting space business called the Hub which he eventually sold in 2017. Today, uses his skills to lead WorkMerk as CEO.
Patrick Murphy: Executive Chairman of WorkMerk - Pictured above in Iraq
The Honorable Patrick J. Murphy (Link: https://www.workmerk.com/patrickmurphy) is America's first Iraq War veteran elected to the U.S. Congress and later served as the 32nd Under Secretary of the Army until January 2017. Secretary Murphy is currently the Distinguished Chair of Innovation at the United States Military Academy at West Point, an ambassador for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes initiative, and a Senior Fellow at the Association of the U.S. Patrick is a man of many different trades, and a big part of his successes can be contributed to his time serving our country.
Once again, we would like to thank all of the veterans who served our country then and now, and we are glad that many veterans are able to get out much more than they put in when it came to their time in service!
To learn more about WorkMerk and the services we offer, visit our website at www.workmerk.com and check us out on all social media platforms.