Making the Most of 31 Days

There are 31 days in January — collectively, Our President and COO, Paul Cucinotta and our CEO, Kevin Schmiegel spent 31 of them on the road.

What we realized in the course of dozens of meetings and strategy sessions in 6 different states is simple:? Veterans and military spouses are leading and effecting change across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.?

In corporations like Chobani and Tapestry #changemakers like David L. Casey and Nishant Roy are making a difference as Chief #Impact Officers, leading DE&I and CSR efforts firm-wide, and in communities across America.?

At Fortune 500 companies from St. Louis to Chicago and NYC, we saw the true potential of Veteran Employee Resource Groups — especially with companies that are new to the military and veteran hiring and philanthropy space.?

We came away from those in person meetings with a deeper understanding about the extraordinary potential that exists in ERGs like A-VETS at Allstate, which has more than 800 active members.??

Not to mention what we learned on dozens of Zoom calls with Veteran ERG leaders who represent tens of thousands of employees globally.?

From Newark to Richmond and San Antonio, Veterans like Tommy Jones at Verizon , Dave Lee at CVS Health , and Mike Caraballo at 富国银行 (through an introduction by Sean Passmore ) are leading Veterans ERGs totaling in the tens of thousands. Together, they are positioned to lead change.?

During in person meetings with nonprofit organizations like Student Veterans of America , America's Warrior Partnership , Oscar Mike Foundation and FourBlock we saw the true potential of purpose-driven Veterans and military spouses committing to effecting change.?

What we learned in those intense strategy sessions with them, as well as numerous Zoom calls with Hope For The Warriors? , Team Red, White & Blue and discovery calls with many other nonprofits being added to our “portfolio of purpose” is simple, too.?

These best-in-class nonprofits are not only led by visionary leaders — their teams are filled with some of the most talented, dedicated and passionate Veterans and Military Spouses in the workforce today.?

And let’s not forget the Yeoman’s work that fellow Marine Veteran John Boerstler is doing at the Department of Veterans Affairs. While our time with John in Orlando was short, it is clear his vision — and the work he is doing as the Chief Veterans Experience Officer at the VA — will make a massive and lasting impact on the lives of millions of Veterans who who in the long run.?

All this is to say that in 31 days we affirmed exactly why we started ZeroMils in the first place. There are Veterans and military spouses across the country making a difference - no matter if they are working for a dot.gov, a dot.com or a dot.org.?

Our mission at ZeroMils is equally simple:? connect those dots to make a greater impact through the power of partnership and collaboration. We believe that in bringing together organizations (and individuals) who share the same mission, vision, and values, we can solve some of the most pressing issues facing our nation.?