U.S. Chamber Launches New Military Spouse Business Alliance

Stand Alone Program, an Expansion of Hiring Our Heroes, Will Address 26% Military Spouse Unemployment and Career Advancement Issues

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes program is hosting the Military Spouse Career Forum and Hiring Fair today, the nation’s largest-ever hiring fair exclusively for military and veteran spouses.  It will be attended by more than 1,300 spouses and 100 employers looking to hire.

At the event, Hiring Our Heroes will launch the Military Spouse Business Alliance, which will improve the lives of working military spouses through a series of initiatives, including mentoring and entrepreneurial opportunities. Prior to the hiring fair, military spouses will take part in a career forum, which include résumé and interview workshops, small-group mentoring with senior women executives and military spouses, an entrepreneur’s pavilion, and image workshops.

“We’re taking an unprecedented leap ahead in our nation's efforts to help the military community,” said Laura Dempsey, director of the Chamber’s Military Spouse Program.  “This is the first program of its magnitude dedicated exclusively to military spouse employment and career issues.  We plan to use today’s event as a model that we can take to dozens of military installations across the country.”

In March 2011, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched its Hiring Our Heroes program, a nationwide effort to help veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment. The Chamber started the program to improve public-private sector coordination in local communities, where veterans and their families are returning every day. Working with our extensive network of state and local chambers and public, private, and non-profit partners, we will do a better job of matching veteran and military spouse talent with career opportunities in the private sector.

Since the launch of our program in March 2011, the Chamber has hosted 83 hiring fairs in 41 states and have dozens more scheduled before the end of March 2012. Thus far, the Chamber hiring fairs have hosted more than 81,000 veterans and military spouses and given them the opportunity to meet with over 4,000 different employers. As a result, the Chamber has helped more than 6,000 veterans and military spouses and 100 wounded warriors find employment. Our efforts have only one measure of success: jobs for America’s veterans and military spouses.

“We are humbled and grateful to our sponsors and partners, both in the private sector and government, who are making this the largest ever hiring fair just for military spouses,” said Dempsey, a 14-year Army spouse.  The Chamber is working with a broad cross-section of partners on this initiative, including Title Sponsor Capital One.

“Capital One has a history of honoring and supporting military veterans and we’re proud to join this effort to support our military heroes and their families,” said Lane Hopkins, managing vice president, Recruitment & Talent Management for Capital One.  “We recognize and value the talents, skills, and dedication they bring to the workplace and look forward to the opportunity to help with their transition.”

Jackie Bradford, President and General Manager of NBC4, the Chamber’s co-host on the event, said “We are proud to join with our colleagues at NBC News, the U.S. Chamber and other partners to support the largest ever hiring fair dedicated to military spouses. Together we are helping to make a positive difference in the lives of military families.”

Today also marks the launch of a strategic partnership between the Chamber and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) that highlight the agency’s commitment to recruit more veterans and military families to lead national service initiatives that solve problems and strengthen our communities. “Supporting and engaging veterans and military families is one of our top strategic priorities,” said Robert Velasco II, acting CEO of CNCS. “We are pleased to support these career fairs in our continuing efforts to tackle community challenges on the home front.  Our military spouses are proven leaders, and we appreciate and value their continuing commitment to improving national service.”

“We are honored to play a part in this meaningful job fair that supports our military families and our nation’s ongoing economic recovery,” said Gregory A. O’Dell, Events DC’s president and CEO, which hosted today’s event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. “These men and women are our heroes by safeguarding our freedom and we are proud to work with the US Chamber of Commerce to connect veterans and military spouses with employers.”

“We are honored to play a part in this meaningful job fair that supports our military families and our nation’s ongoing economic recovery,” said Gregory A. O’Dell, Events DC’s president and CEO, which hosted today’s event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. “These men and women are our heroes by safeguarding our freedom and we are proud to work with the US Chamber of Commerce to connect veterans and military spouses with employers.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.