When it comes to hiring veterans, other business segments may be more actively tapping this talent pool than convenience retailers. In November 2021, DoorDash announced a new employee resource group for veterans at its company, deepening its commitment to veteran hiring and retention. And it was hard to miss Amazon’s July 2021 announcement committing to hire 100,000 U.S. veterans and military spouses by 2024. That would more than double the number the company currently employs: 40,000. The hiring pledge included a $15 per hour paycheck and benefits.

How do convenience retailers compare in the veteran hiring effort? The French phrase “comme ci, comme ça” seems applicable here.

There are recognized leaders in the c-store realm earning acclaim for their approach to employing veterans, perhaps most notably of late is QuikTrip. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based chain of more than 900 stores earned the No. 37 spot on Forbes’ annual list of America’s Best Employers for Veterans 2021. Forbes compiled its ranking from more than 5,000 surveys of respondents (all veterans) who work either part time or full time at companies with a minimum of 1,000 employees. The veterans were asked about working conditions, the company’s approach to diversity and inclusion and whether their work environment is veteran friendly.

While QuikTrip is thrilled to make the Forbes list, the retailer does not have a formal program in place to recruit veterans. “What it really comes down to is those individuals were the best qualified for the jobs,” said Aisha Jefferson-Smith, corporate communications manager at QuikTrip. “Our hiring process is very detailed. We have many veterans who work for us; they were the best qualified. Our founder, Chester Cadieux, was a vet—he served in the Air Force—and it’s amazing to know that connection carries on today.”

A similar approach exists at Fikes Wholesale Inc., parent company of CEFCO Convenience Stores, which deems the process of hiring veterans as having always been a part of the hiring culture. The company’s main corporate office sits within 20 minutes of Fort Hood, a large U.S. Army base, making the military connection even more relevant.

Hiring former military personnel, and their spouses, is an inherent part of the culture at Fikes, said Michael Raisbeck, chief people officer at CEFCO Convenience Stores, who is a disabled vet himself. “We do this on a day-to-day basis and are humble about it. We are happy to help transition these folks.

“Veterans come with the competency sets we are looking for, which include integrity, teamwork, performance under pressure, etc.,” added Raisbeck.

MILITARY CONNECTIONS

The traits Raisbeck notes align with the key reasons many companies make the effort to invest time into hiring veterans, said Lori Buss Stillman, vice president of research for NACS. “Military personnel are used to an environment of teamwork, collaboration and problem solving. That is fundamentally part of the day-to-day role in the military and translates well to our industry. Veterans make great team members; they have the ‘one team/one fight’ mindset that builds culture.”

One additional area where veterans may be an asset, said Stillman, is with the supply-chain challenges convenience stores face today. “Think about how broken the supply chain is right now. I cannot think of a better group of people to help with that. The logistics and planning skills honed in military operations can be invaluable to solving current supply-chain challenges.”

Mark Baird, founder of HirePatriots, based in Carlsbad, California, agrees that those with experience in the military are good candidates for jobs that require logistical skills. “They can run a warehouse really well,” he said. “They have lots of skills that line up really nicely with convenience stores and big box companies.” The military teaches leadership skills, organizational skills and strong logistical skills, he noted.

HirePatriots helps connect veterans with jobs and helps companies set up veteran-focused hiring programs. When looking to hire veterans, consider the amount of structure that exists in your company’s operational practice, said Baird. “The more structure a company can build into operations, the better fit for a veteran,” he said. “Veterans function well in an atmosphere with a lot of structure and rules.”

Once hired, veterans tend to be extremely loyal to organizations, according to the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service Guide from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). “What is good for your veteran population is also good for any employee,” the guide notes, adding that “if the environment does not meet veterans’ needs, they tend to leave an organization faster than non-veterans.”

Veterans come with the competency sets we are looking for, which include integrity, teamwork and performance under pressure.  

Elements that are important to many veterans, according to the DOL guide, include a challenging/engaging opportunity, clearly stated expectations of the position, a known pathway for advancement, a mentor on arrival and an onboarding program specific to veterans, clear and open verbal and written communication, and a known impact to the organization. “Veterans are used to hearing from their leadership, usually in person,” the guide notes, and they “want to know what they are doing has meaning.”

Companies across the board are investing in recruiting veterans to meet workforce needs. The SHRM Foundation, an extension of the Society for Human Resource Management, a professional HR association, reports that recruiting veterans ranks in the top three priorities for HR professionals. The foundation’s research shows that 68% of employers report veterans perform “better than” or “much better than” their civilian peers. Additionally, 57% of veterans stay at their jobs longer, according to SHRM, with a median tenure of 2.5 years.

Vets can raise a company’s workforce to the next level in areas such as leadership and decision-making, SHRM research has found. Specifically, those in the military are required to react quickly and precisely to high-pressure situations, and the military creates individuals who understand how to bring people together.

While large operators with robust recruiting arms may have already taken the lead on military hiring, any size organization can be intentional about hiring more veterans, said Stillman. There is a difference between tapping into veterans as potential employees and having a formal program and/or established goals on veteran hiring that are being measured and managed against, she explained. “The awareness of veteran programs may be higher on the radar screen where it’s more visible in the fabric of the community or the organization,” she said. Examples are organizations with leaders who are familiar with the military, such as Joe DePinto, president and CEO of 7-Eleven and a U.S. Army veteran. 7-Eleven in 2009 introduced the Veterans Franchise program, which reduces franchise fees for qualified veterans for their first store.

However, even companies without vast military knowledge can still opt to move resources toward veteran hiring. “As with anything, it starts with a good foundation,” said Stillman. Setting hiring metrics to measure progress is a good place to start, she added. “Any time a metric is set—you say you are going to do ‘X’—it forces the organization to take action. You cannot manage what you don’t measure. Setting a goal makes it important to start achieving it.”