This article is sponsored by the Texas Legends.
Sunday, November 11 is Veterans Day, but in Frisco, life-changing opportunities for military veterans begin on Friday afternoon at Dr Pepper Arena.
The Texas Legends, Frisco-based NBA G-League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks, are hosting several events that kick off Veterans Day weekend. As an organization, the Legends focus on six pillars of community outreach: military empowerment, cancer research, fighting hunger, youth involvement, creating a brighter future, and international growth of the sport.
Working Lunch
At noon on Friday, November 9, a Legendary Luncheon begins where a panel of business leaders and veterans will discuss how a company can go from vet-friendly to vet-ready. From Veterans who’ve become entrepreneurs to veterans who’ve experienced loss and unemployment, they’ll talk about their perspective and journey of finding a career after service.
Executives will be on the panel as well, talking about recruiting veterans to help grow their businesses and why it’s critical to establish the proper culture that veterans want and need to succeed. (The lunch is free, but anyone interested in attending needs to RSVP to by email: casey@projectrelo.org)
Career Fair
At 5:00 pm doors to the arena open to any veteran looking for employment. They’ll find a Career Fair in the south end of the concourse where companies like Sprint will be accepting resumes for all positions types from entry level on up.
Companies can attend the Career Fair at no cost and should confirm their participation by November 5th.
Texas Legends Take the Court
All of this leads up to the 7:30 tip-off of the Texas Legends season home opener against the Salt Lake City Stars. The Legends have partnered with the 501(c)(3) to host “Project RELO” night, presented by Sprint.
The game is expected to be a sell-out crowd anticipating the start of another successful Legends season in Frisco. In addition to pre-game and half-time activities highlighting Project RELO, the new Tech Sideline from Raytheon will be revealed and available for the estimated crowd of 5,000 to experience.
It’s not a night to simply honor military men and women, but rather a movement underway for military empowerment. Project RELO Night on November 9th fittingly falls on the eve of the United States Marine Corp’s 243rd birthday.
Correcting the Underemployment of Veterans
There are more than 45,000 non-profits devoted to veterans and their families, and there’s a majority of employers who want to hire veterans. While that’s great, many services can be transactional and provide temporary assistance.
And for the more than 200,000 service men and women transitioning into the labor market each year, misconceptions on the part of employers about education levels, job skills and potential for success for veteran hires creates a disadvantage for veterans.
The goal for Project RELO is to work at the top level to create a demand for veterans as a community. Partnering with the Texas Legends is another step in making that long-term impact.
Project RELO is about the community taking care of veterans and vice versa, growing businesses and improving the economy by helping match the right veteran talent with businesses equipped to attract and retain them for the long haul. Casey McEuin, President and Executive Director of Project RELO, shared,
Stating that you hire veterans is one thing but companies need to understand the ins and outs of hiring veteran talent. There’s different language based on the soft and hard skills they’ve learned in the military. The job market and economy is great in Frisco, and we want to make sure businesses are ready.
What truly is an unmatched talent pool of skilled, loyal workers and leaders often goes underutilized. Project RELO has spent the last three years working to change that.
Founded by Christian Anschuetz, two-tour active-duty veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Project RELO works directly with Human Resources teams and company leaders to teach them how to find, hire and keep the right veteran talent.
The underemployment of veterans doesn’t mean companies are reluctant to hire veterans. In fact, it might be the opposite, like in the case with Microsoft, who employs more than 131,000 employees worldwide. McEuin says Microsoft did not lack the desire to hire veterans at all. The problem was the turnover rate.
To correct this in order to get veterans hired for the long haul, Project RELO helped the technology company re-establish their culture to be more welcoming for veterans. McEuin explains from his point of view being a 17-year military veteran,
RELO means family. It’s important to create that in corporate America. A veteran wants to work for an organization where they feel like they serve a higher purpose. They like that sense of family and camaraderie.
Experiencing the struggle to find work after his own military service, McEuin decided to be a part of the solution of helping veterans transition into the civilian workforce, and eventually connected with Project RELO to do so. More than 350 companies, five of which are Fortune 10 companies, have benefitted from working with Project RELO directly, either through outreach programs or by taking part in a leadership mission.
Business Executives head to Camp Grayling training center in Michigan where they see first hand the outstanding leadership and character which veterans can bring into their organization. What’s impressive is that 100% of business executives say they have a better understanding of what a veteran can do for their company after attending a Leadership Mission.
Frisco on a Mission
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Frisco, a Purple Heart City, is taking part in engaging in welcoming veterans into the business landscape. Fifteen Frisco business leaders have participated in the leadership missions.
As Project RELO’s Executive Director and President, McEuin is deeply committed to the mission of supporting veterans in Frisco, through his participation in the Frisco Chamber of Commerce’s Veteran’s Foundation and Mayor Cheney’s Frisco Veteran Advisory Committee.
In addition to the Texas Legends basketball season kicking off with Project RELO night, the following day the Veteran’s Day weekend festivities continue.
An annual tradition, Frisco’s Community Parade will take place on Saturday, November 10 starting at 10:00 am. The Parade is a collaboration between the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District, Frisco Chamber of Commerce, and the Frisco Veterans Advisory Committee.
To learn more about Project RELO or to RSVP to the Lunch or Career Fair with the Texas Legends on November 9, please visit www.projectrelo.org or email casey@projectrelo.org.
This Veteran’s Day weekend, support comes in many forms as the Texas Legends provide opportunities for veterans to be empowered and celebrated. It might look different from each and every perspective in Frisco.
Maybe it’s the Legendary Lunch for veterans to enjoy the panel discussion about the value of a veteran employee, or maybe it’s taking part in the Career Fair where businesses connect with potential employees in person.
Maybe it’s simply being a basketball fan enjoying the Texas Legends home opener for Project RELO Night.
Be a part of the Legends’ 2018-2019 season of family fun and basketball by checking out the schedule and getting your tickets at texlegends.com.
