Press Release
Nestlé in the U.S. Announces Veteran Career Support Partnerships with Hiring Our Heroes and The Mission Continues

Nestlé is expanding its commitment to U.S. veterans under its Project Opportunity initiative, with two new partnerships aimed at offering career support and workforce transition services to current and former members of the U.S. military.

Nestlé’s partnership with Hiring Our Heroes, an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation aimed at helping veterans and their families find employment, kicked off today at a veterans-only job fair at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Hiring Our Heroes to bring our employment opportunities and training resources to our country’s veterans,” said Barbara Sanchez, legal counsel at Nestlé USA. “As a military spouse, I know firsthand the challenges of transitioning from military to civilian life. That’s one reason I’m proud to work at a company like Nestlé that understands and is committed to helping U.S. veterans overcome these challenges and find new careers.”

This partnership combines Nestlé’s employment and skills training resources with Hiring Our Heroes’ comprehensive understanding of the veteran employment landscape to provide diverse opportunities to transitioning servicemen and women.

“We recognize that hiring veterans is more than an act of patriotism—it’s a strategic business decision,” Paul Bakus, President of Corporate Affairs for Nestlé in the U.S., added. “We believe in helping veterans find a role where their qualities, training, and leadership will not only be welcomed, but rewarded.”

Nestlé is also kicking off a partnership with The Mission Continues, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing together veterans and innovative community organizations to create transformational change for communities across the country. Beginning next week, Nestlé will work with The Mission Continues in their efforts to empower veterans who are adjusting to life at home to find purpose through community impact while collaborating on veteran-led community service projects across the U.S. Meredith Knopp, Senior Vice President of Programs and Operations at The Mission Continues added "We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Nestle in 2017 to empower veterans across the country to continue to serve and strengthen their communities through programs and opportunities with The Mission Continues."

These new partnerships build on Nestlé’s ongoing commitment to U.S. veterans. Currently, Nestlé in the U.S. employs more than 2,400 veterans across its various operating companies and is benchmarking veteran hires at seven percent of all external hires, with a focus on matching veterans to jobs that utilize their specialized training and skill sets. Kirk Butler, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, who now works for Poland Springs at Nestlé Waters North America, has applied the skills he obtained in the military to his new job.

“I sustained a major knee injury while deployed in Iraq, an injury that forced me to leave a military career that I had prepared my whole life for,” Butler said. “Nestlé offered me an opportunity to transition my military skills and leadership, and learn a new career field, all while enabling me to develop highly trained employees.”

Nestlé is proud to continue to provide a successful job transition to civilian employment for veterans like Kirk Butler, while cultivating a culture that embraces them in the workplace.