From Clark Associates to the Navy & Back Again: Advice from a Veteran

Josiah Kuebler (Joe) Kuebler has been with WebstaurantStore for a cumulative total of 9 years. However, there was a 5-year gap when he was actively serving in the Navy. He shares about deciding to join the Navy, his roles while enlisted, and helpful advice for other veterans transitioning back to civilian life. From all of us at Clark Associates– thank you for your service, Joe! ?

How did your career start with us? ?

I started my journey at Clark Associates in August of 2008 working in what is now one of our smallest warehouses. My first role was as a picker for the WebstaurantStore. I was one of only a handful of pickers at the time, and we picked product from paper order slips, walking up and down crowded aisles. The 3 companies (Web, The Restaurant Store, and Clark Food Service Equipment) that relied on the building had long since outgrown it!?

I joined a rotational training program leaders put together. They’d bring in folks and rotate them through Customer Service and Shipping/Receiving Operations. Participants were selected for a role within one of those departments if there was a fit. Aside from Development and Content, those were basically the only teams Web had at the time, so it was great exposure to all facets of the company. About six months later, I was offered the opportunity of Assistant Shipping Supervisor at our DC, then a couple of months later, I was offered the 1st shift Shipping Supervisor role.?

After being in the supervisor role for a period of time, I transitioned to taking on a new role as Logistics Expeditor. This role involved collaborating with outbound operations leaders to identify and implement controls to ensure a more accurate and efficient fulfillment of orders. This is where I spent the rest of my time at Web before moving on to the Navy. The really fun parts of this role were warehouse error tracking and reporting, operations process improvement, and training. Since this was a new function, there was no existing structure or rulebook, which added a lot of flexibility, plenty of room for independent exploration of ideas and opportunity for collaboration with operations leaders and logistics team members. We also had the opportunity to design and implement new processes like the original operations side of the existing item issues resolution tools?that still exist in a significantly improved version today.?

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What went into your decision to join the Navy??

Two main factors drove my decision to join the US Navy, one personal and one a mix of professional and personal.?

I come from a family who has had someone in every generation serve in the Armed Forces, dating as far back as the Revolutionary War. I’d considered many times if I was going to join that legacy or pursue other paths. The desire to serve eventually outweighed the pursuing other paths option, very simply because I did not want to one day realize I regretted not serving.?

The second reason was that it would help me financially in completing my 4-year degree and a graduate degree, the latter something I’d not considered in the cards for me before.?

What did your Logistics Specialist role in the Navy entail??

A Logistics Specialist (LS) in the US Navy could wear many hats, including working for the military post offices, financial management, and end-to-end supply chain management. I personally was an Aviation Logistics Specialist on the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier and essentially a floating city/airport. As an aviation LS, my early role was managing storerooms, which mostly consisted of inventory audits, ensuring proper receipt, storage, and eventually issuing of parts for aircraft like F-18’s, H-60’s, C-2’s and E-2’s. ?

Eventually as I rose in the ranks, I had the opportunity to hold more specialized roles, which ironically included being an expeditor for our airwing during deployment. Like my prior expeditor role, there was a lot of flexibility and independence. The main responsibility was finding hard to obtain parts for the supported aircraft while they are deployed and helping the onboard maintenance crew keep as many aircraft mission capable as possible. This ranged from contacting shipping facilities or manufacturers to speed up a shipment to coordinating with non-deployed airwings to borrow parts and then personally shipping them overseas. Once our ship returned from overseas, I had the opportunity to fill a very similar expediting role for our nuclear reactor department.?

An odd role I held while in the service was as a maintenance supervisor for our lifesaving equipment. This had nothing to do with being an LS but is a responsibility that all divisions on a ship must appoint someone to fill. This role was responsible for coordinating team development and scheduling maintenance for equipment like CO2 extinguishers, fire stations and hoses, lighting, living and working spaces, drainage systems, and more. ?

Lastly, a fun item! All sailors are trained firefighters since if your ship has a fire on the water, there isn’t a fire department to call. So as part of my training I learned all about firefighting and by the time I separated, I’d become a firefighting trainer as well. I always wanted to be a firefighter as a kid, so I kind of checked that box off!?

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What are your main takeaways from your time in the Navy? ?

The community – The comradery and friendships I developed while in the service are one of the things I will always cherish. It even goes beyond those I’ve met to strangers who have shared the same experiences.?

It’s a lifestyle – The service is not a job, it’s a lifestyle. It affects your loved ones just as much as it affects you, if not more.?

Humility – I remember someone in passing telling me before the military, that it would straighten me out. As an arguably arrogant young man, I did not take it seriously, but I can say this is one of the areas I think I was able to grow the most in! There was something very humbling about being a part of something so large at a low rank, realizing how little you knew and how much opportunity there was for growth. This gives you a different approach towards opportunity and people, looking at everything as an opportunity to learn, rather than proving anything. This is easily transferable to the civilian world.?

Be hungry, just say yes – In the military as in much of life, if you are willing to put in the work, take on challenges, and push yourself further, there will always be opportunity and reward.?

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What experiences were applicable to your civilian career??

Being good at the basics - The early days of my Navy time were all about learning how the Navy does things and getting basic qualifications. Later on, as I got into more involved roles, I was able to see first-hand how some of those smaller building blocks were truly important. For example, when I was an expeditor, I could view inventory for every ship in the fleet. There were times I needed the last part in the world only to discover it wasn’t there, since the inventory manager made a mistake during auditing thereby directly impacting the readiness of a deployed warship.?

Being willing to try new things and being flexible – When I learned I’d be responsible for repairing firefighting equipment, at first I thought there was a mistake. However, the critical thinking and engineering skills I learned as a result helped me later in life. An added benefit is the unexpected relationships I formed with the engineering teams.?

If you don’t know how to do it, don’t be afraid to ask for help – The Navy throws a lot of problems at you, but normally if you dig deep enough, there is a solution. That solution can also surprise you! Another expeditor story, a part broke on an F-18 for the first time ever, so there was no replacement and pulling one from another aircraft would permanently damage that aircraft. So, when I realized I had no supply chain options, I asked our maintenance desk, who got Boeing to pull the part off a partially built F-18 instead. They could still use the rest of its parts on other builds, potentially saving the Navy the cost of a full F-18 and getting a plane back into the fight within days.?

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How was your transition back to civilian life? ?

I had a phenomenal opportunity come up for me at the end of my enlistment, which was called “Hiring for Heroes.” It’s part of the DoD SkillBridge program, put on by the US Chamber of Commerce and managed by a regional program manager. This program gave me the opportunity to have my resume vetted by the program and submitted to numerous companies based in the area. The purpose is to land you an unpaid 6-month fellowship with a company, ideally leading you to full-time employment at the end. Through this program, I had the opportunity to choose between a few employers and ended up choosing BlackRock, who on conclusion of my fellowship extended a 6-month contract offer, and later a full-time offer.?

I did not end up accepting the BlackRock offer, only because another opportunity came up at a smaller company, DCG One, where I was able to get right into cost accounting and analytics, with seemingly plenty of opportunity for growth.?

During my time with DCG One, I ended up getting 2 other offers for employment. One was with an investment management firm through a connection I’d made at BlackRock and the other was with WebstaurantStore.?

Why did you choose to return to WebstaurantStore??

A large factor that made it possible to return to Web was that we wanted to move back closer to family on the east coast with our young son. This was not our long-term plan, but as our son got older, we realized he was eventually going to begin missing out, and this opened the door to returning to Web.?

At the end of the day, it came down to the culture I experienced in the past, the small company-type atmosphere where creativity, critical thinking, and a people-first approach are some of the keys to success and encouraged. The company had also continued to grow like crazy in 6 years, so I suspected that the opportunities got bigger and more numerous, which was an exciting challenge to consider. I also knew that many of the folks I’d worked with in the past were now or still in leadership positions, so I trusted that they owned carrying on that culture that had been important to us in the past.?

Can you share some advice for other veterans that are ending their time serving and looking for new roles? ?

Demilitarize and take your time – First and foremost, understand that the military environment is drastically different than the civilian world. Skills and work experiences transfer, but other aspects that served the service well do not carry over to all private employers. It’s important to take stock of what is valuable to bring with you and what is ok to hang up. Leadership, for example, means different things for different organizations. Some are militaristic, but many are much looser and flexible by design. Simply put, the rigid hierarchy, SOP’s/manuals for everything, and limited tolerance for failure serve high-risk operations like the military well, but not necessarily many private sector organizations. Open your mind to new experiences, ask questions every chance you get, and truly approach the transition with the intent of gaining knowledge and insight into this newer to you world. ?

Networking and using available resources – You have a much better shot at landing a role through networking than by sending out a hundred job applications. Looking back on my own career, I only got one job and a couple job offers, excluding the Navy, from traditional job application flow. Each other role I’ve held has been made possible by a direct or indirect connection to someone within the organization. This can be done many ways:?

• Fellow transitioning veterans?
• Veterans you know that have already successfully transitioned?
• LinkedIn?
• Civilian friends?
• Veteran advocacy groups?
• Not-for-profits like American Corporate Partners , Troops to Teachers, Hiring our Heroes – Many others like this!?

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Communicate/translate your strong job skills – Job descriptions matter, your resume and CV should not read like an evaluation and should contain as little jargon and military language as possible. I’d highly recommend resume coaching available through the VA, transition resources, and advocacy groups. You can also connect with a civilian friend you trust and can take criticism from. Most jobs translate well if you consider how similar the roles are. I often compare Ordinance roles to Supply Chain roles as they do much of the same type of work.?

Enlisted vs. Officer, ranks, titles, military awards, and commendations – Most hiring managers do not know what these are or why you’d feel it’s important, and stressing one or the other can just be confusing. Instead focus on the content of the role and how you believe you will do well. Additionally, be willing to take a job that is “below your pay grade” to give you a chance to grow into the role you want. This can be difficult for service members who have climbed the ladder and feel they are starting over. Think of it as a form of paying your dues, and considering the flexibility, tenacity, and hardiness you’ve developed in the service, you’ll do just fine quickly!?

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Lastly, any advice for veterans once they land that new job? ?

Tone it down – Seems like weird advice, but I’ve seen veterans come on a bit strong since many are quite mission-oriented and have learned to be very direct to get right to the result needed. It can help relationships and trust building to slow or calm situations down. Make sure you are thinking about the human aspect of your role and interactions. This doesn’t mean the mission orientation is any less valuable, just a different approach can be helpful at times.?

Unexpected skills translate well – Grit and tenacity have proven quite helpful. I’ve seen veterans stick it out on work that others may move on from, because of the “find a way” mentality in the military.?

Mentoring and looking out for others – This is something every service member learns to do naturally. The approach that your coworkers are human first and sometimes can use a no strings attached helping hand goes a long way in building trust and relationships. That’s not a military exclusive need, but it isn’t something that’s commonplace in all workplaces.?