Local effort connects vets with construction jobs

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A successful drive to donate Minnesota Twins tickets to military veterans has blossomed into something even bigger.

The “Tickets for the Troops” drive, initiated by Savage-based Lloyd’s Construction Services and the American Subcontractors Association of Minnesota, turned up 1,050 tickets for veterans this spring — double the goal of 500, according to company vice president John Lloyd.

The response inspired the Vets in Construction Today (VICTory) campaign, which links unemployed veterans with construction jobs and raises awareness about the benefits of hiring veterans, including payroll tax credits via the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit.

The program was quietly conceived in March and a committee began to meet in May. So far, 10 local contractors – including some of the biggest names in Minnesota’s construction industry – are represented on the committee and another 40 have posted jobs, according to Jane Sanem, member services director for the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota, one of a handful of associations involved in the effort.

Eight workers have been hired and campaign organizers expect many more to follow.

Sanem said veterans are a good fit for the industry because their skills easily translate to construction jobs – and other civilian jobs, for that matter.

“Vets have such a strong work ethic,” she said. “They fit in. You are not babysitting them. They are proactive. They have the skills and they have the mind set to get something done.”

Vets returning from service overseas — especially younger vets ages 18 to 24 – often struggle to find civilian employment once they’re home.

Many were unemployed when they entered the military, or they enlisted right out of high school, so they have little or no experience looking for civilian jobs, according to Jim Finley, director of veterans employment services for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Unemployment once hovered around 19 percent among veterans of the Red Bulls, a Minnesota National Guard military unit serving overseas. But that’s now down to about 6.5 percent, Finley said.

Finley said a team of DEED officials and corporate hiring executives went to Kuwait this spring and briefed more than 1,000 soldiers on job-hunting tips, so that when they returned to Minnesota they were “ready to hit the road running.”

But other hurdles remain. For example, highly qualified vets may lack the proper licenses or certification they need to work in a civilian setting.

Sanem said truck drivers are in high demand and a lot of military folks have those skills. But,  “the sad thing is, a lot of these returning veterans who are truck drivers will probably have to go to school to get a truck driver’s license” before they can fill those jobs, she said.

“There’s that disconnect: They have the skills, but they don’t have the certification.”

Finley said the licensing and certification problem is “something we have been trying to get our arms around for several years.” About 40 percent of military jobs, he said, require a license or certification for comparable civilian work.

But some progress is occurring.

For instance, in Minnesota and some other states, veterans who drove trucks in the military can bring their military records to the drivers’ license station and get credit for those hours behind the wheel, Finley said.

Once they’ve provided that documentation, they just need to take the written test and can skip the road test for their commercial license, he said.

In July, President Obama signed the Veterans Skills to Jobs Act, which enables veterans with “relevant training to be eligible to receive a federal license and get back to work immediately.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., authored the legislation.

Finley said veterans are also good candidates for outdoor construction work. But not all the skills needed in the construction industry are physical in nature.

Kraus-Anderson, for example, hired Tou Xiong, for his strong information technology skills.

Xiong said he served in the Navy from 2001 to 2005. He went to the Persian Gulf and helped support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We were there when it all started,” he said.

When Xiong first got out of the military it was tough to find a job in his field. Since July, he has been doing IT work for Kraus-Anderson, and it has worked out well, he said.

Diane Duguay, Kraus-Anderson’s director of employee relations and diversity, said Xiong is a hard worker and a good fit for the company.

“In fact, he was our most qualified candidate,” Duguay said. “He is doing a fantastic job.”

Dianne Holte, president and CEO of Ramsey-based Holte Contracting, said she hired a veteran because “it was the right thing to do.” She sponsored her new employee, Todd Long, to be an apprentice in the Operating Engineers Local 49.

“He has been a quick study as he learns how to operate one of our asphalt reclamation machines,” Holte said in an email. “Given what the vets have give up for us, hiring a vet is a decision I would do again in a heartbeat.”

Andrew Larkin, a National Guard veteran, was looking for a good-paying job that would allow him to support his family, which includes two young children. Through the program, he connected with Lloyd’s Construction Services.

Larkin does demolition work for Lloyd’s and has been with the company for about three months.

“The employer I’m working for is great. I have no complaints whatsoever,” Larkin said.

Company president John Lloyd said a lot of his job postings are for administrative positions. But he was looking for more of a “boots on the ground guy,” like Larkin, who could do the physical work on a job site.

Lloyd never expected his “Tickets for Troops” initiative to evolve into something like this.  But he’s pleased with how it’s working out.

Despite continuing high unemployment in the construction industry, there’s still a need for skilled workers, both now and into the future, he said.

“I think this is a great opportunity for the construction industry to hire these men and women” who have served in the military, he said.

Besides Kraus-Anderson and Lloyd’s Construction Services, contractors represented on the VICTory committee include Ryan Companies, Exterior Building Services, Ames Construction, Mortenson Construction, McGough and PCL Construction Services.

For more information about the Vets in Construction Today program, contact Jane Sanem at [email protected] or 651-796-2187.