Combined Arms is a collaborative backbone organization that unites top quality veterans services organizations to accelerate the impact of veterans on Greater Houston by ensuring less veterans fall through the cracks. With the transition from military to civilian life sometimes being difficult, Combined Arms holds its agencies more accountable and and efficiently connects veterans to the resources they need. One of the largest demands for services in their system is employment; over 40% of the veterans coming to Houston ask for assistance. This is the specialty of NextOp: to establish the strongest link between military talent and industry careers. NextOp has been involved in the Greater Houston Partnership’s UpSkill Houston initiative since 2015 as the military/veteran community representative and recently connected GHP UpSkill Houston with the JP Morgan Chase Veteran Jobs Mission program, which seeks to recruit companies across the US and across industries to hire 1 million veterans. Mia Garcia, NextOp Programs Director and Marine Corps Veteran, explains that “connecting our friends at GHP UpSkill Houston and JP Morgan Chase Veteran Jobs Mission was an easy bridge to build because of the mission and vision of both initiatives. We (NextOp) would not be as successful in placing over 1,500 veterans into high-paying careers without partnerships like these.”
Last year, JP Morgan Chase and GHP UpSkill Houston launched the Veteran Jobs Mission. This year, on March 28th, 2019 at Partnership Tower, the momentum is continuing by collaborating with Combined Arms and NextOp. This is incredibly important to Houston’s veteran community and our employers as the effort seeks to bring the two closer together to benefit from the JP Morgan Chase’s large presence. Peter Beard, GHP’s Senior Vice President for Workforce Development and leader of the UpSkill Houston, remarked, “The Partnership is proud to be a champion of this effort that unites local businesses with the veteran community to ensure both will benefit by being strong partners.” Peter Beard, GHP’s Vice President for Workforce Development and leader of the UpSkill Houston, remarked, “UpSkill Houston is proud to be included in this effort to unite local employers with the veteran community who may have not been exposed to one another in the past.” Everybody involved are not only excited at the new opportunities that are made possible by getting all of these organizations to be in one place, but also at the long term, sustained efforts that will result in more veterans working in quality careers.
The goal of this event is to bring best practices of veteran hiring together with local employers who want to recruit and train military talent, utilizing their strong leadership skills and highlighting a narrative that they’re a valuable asset to any organization. Introducing these employers to locally based organizations like Combined Arms and NextOp can provide a steady stream of talent and leadership that is necessary and in demand. Jason Wright, JP Morgan Chase Vice President of Military Veterans Affairs and Army Veteran, explains that “regional and local partnerships with organizations like Combined Arms, GHP UpSkill Houston, and NextOp are absolutely critical in helping the Veteran Jobs Mission achieve its objectives to help corporate America promote career success in the military community.”
In order to register as an employer, please email the organizers here. To get more involved in supporting veterans and help in accelerating their positive impact in the Greater Houston Area, please reach out to Combined Arms. As a leader in both Combined Arms and NextOp, I’m truly excited for the continued partnership with GHP UpSkill Houston and JP Morgan Chase’s Veteran Jobs Mission. Collaboration is the vital for Houston to be and continuing to be the best city in the world for veterans and their families.
John Boerstler is a Marine Corps Veteran and currently serves as the CEO of Combined Arms and is the Executive Director of NextOp.