Tuesday at the Cable Show kicked off with a job fair to connect military veterans with dozens of cable industry companies. The job fair was part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes initiative which is aiming to have one million military veterans hired by 2014.
At the outset of the event, Michael Powell, NCTA President & CEO and military veteran, welcomed an impressive crowd of active service men and women, veterans, military spouses, congressmen to the event. It was hard not to notice the large presence of veterans and military spouses, as they were all wearing special red, white and blue ribbons on their badges.
After the opening remarks, participants were able to walk the job fair floor where nearly 35 companies set up booths. The representation from cable industry companies included small and large U.S. cable providers, including Cablevision, Cox, Comcast, Time Warner and Midcontinent; cable networks such as HBO, A+E, and Showtime; and media companies including NBCUniversal, Fox Networks Group, and Viacom. There were also rooms away from the exhibit floor designated for one-on-one interviews and private meetings with veterans.
The floor was crowded and lively and it was an energetic and inspiring experience for all. We spoke to several veterans and military spouses who were all excited and honored to be a part of such an exclusive job fair with exceptional companies.
Mike Bliss, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army felt that, “this opportunity [for veterans] to break into the media market is an awesome opportunity for them.” He continued, “and hopefully the businesses will understand the value of the veteran and what a great service they will bring to any organization.”
Todd Gifford, First Class, U.S. Army spoke to us about the true impact a veteran has in any organization. “If they want loyal, consistent employees,” Gifford said, “if they want people that are driven and have integrity, then it’s a good place to look for that type of employee. I've worked with a lot of great people over the years [in the military] and I've worked with some of the best people in the world.” Gifford concluded, that veterans are “a good pool to pull from, that's for sure.”
To learn more about the cable industry’s vast array of opportunities, participating veterans and military spouses also received complimentary passes to The Cable Show exhibit floor.