In honor of National Hire a Veteran Day, Truckstop.com, who is celebrating their 27th anniversary, spoke with several former military officers about the importance of workforce development programs after military retirement, including Fastport, who helps solve employment challenges by innovating workforce development through people, programs, research, and technology.

“We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion where unique skills are respected, talents are nurtured and contributions are valued,” said Kendra Tucker, CEO, Truckstop.com. “We are proud of the contributions of all our employees and are especially grateful to those who have served in the military and have chosen Truckstop.com as the place they will share their expertise after retirement from the service.”

The company wanted to recognize and honor the post military journeys of some of their employees and asked them to share their career stories:

• Allen Dove is a former U.S. Coast Guard member and the only person to be a two-time Medal of Valor recipient at that branch of service. He came to Truckstop.com working as a Verification Specialist after a 24-year career in law enforcement and says he was drawn to Truckstop.com because he can leverage his past experience in his current role.

• Donald Anderson retired from the Navy in 1996 where he was accepted into the Submarine Special Forces and later the Navy Airborne Special Forces. He has been with Truckstop.com as a Lead Developer overseeing a team of nine since 2019 where he quickly learned that there is no such thing as a boring day for a Truckstop.com employee. “Who knew it was possible to have this much fun outside of my Navy career.”

• Casey Richmond works in IT Support Services at Truckstop.com and retired as a Master Sargent in the Airforce after 24 years of service. Truckstop.com was his first and only job since retiring from the military and says that the company culture is like that of the military in that they “empower the customer.” It took him nearly nine months to find the right job using traditional job search sites and general networking.

• Chip Schultz, senior business development representative for Truckstop.com said, “Serving my country as a United States Marine was the greatest honor of my life.” He earned the Combat Action Ribbon for his service as an LAR Scout with 3d Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in Mogadishu, Somalia. Chip sought out Truckstop.com in search of a work family that reflected his personal values.

• Marti West, accountant for Truckstop.com, received her accounting degree while serving in the Air Force Reserves. She is currently an Aerospace Medical Technician Supervisor, treating patients on and off the flight line as well as airborne. She used a resume search site to find the position at Truckstop.com and said during the interview process she immediately felt welcome, which moved Truckstop.com to the top of her list as a preferred employer.

• Chip Olsen joined Truckstop.com in 2009 as a Systems Admin after eight years in the Utah Army National Guard and says joining Truckstop.com has been an exciting new chapter in his post military career.

• Amanda Parrotta comes from an extensive line of service members and joined the Navy out of high school as an Intelligence Specialist where she began her path to software development. Her father-in-law was a truck driver and encouraged her to apply for a position at Truckstop.com after she received a call from a recruiter. She initially applied for a developer position, but when the interviewer learned she had experience as a Scrum Master they were excited to refer her to the Agile team. “I love that the Talent Acquisition team is dedicated to ensuring people have the opportunity to truly thrive!”