Veteran Employer Spotlight: CSRA Technology LLC
Throughout the course of 2009 I am spotlighting companies large and small who understand the value that veterans bring to their organization. These are companies that are successfully utilizing the many skills and talents of military members. These organizations demonstrate a sincere desire to bring more veterans into their companies by doing some or all of the following:
- Establishing a specific military hiring initiative as part of its overall HR strategy
- Recruiting at military job fairs, through military job boards and on military installations
- Preparing their recruiters and/or hiring managers on how to screen veteran resumes and interview service members.
CSRA Technology LLC is an advanced technology and training firm founded in 2003. The company is located in Blythe, Georgia which is near the Ft. Gordon military installation. Ft. Gordon is home to the Army’s premier training schools for Soldiers who work with telecommunications, satellite, radio, and computer systems.
CSRA Technology specializes in applying technological solutions to the government, commercial, outdoor and agricultural industries. Its core focus is to develop and deliver comprehensive solutions to include technical design/planning, training and support, smart home, irrigation, solar technology and security systems.
The firm has been hiring military members since its inception in 2003, and the three managing members of CSRA Technology are retired military (US Marine Corps and US Navy). “We primarily hire veterans as the majority of our larger contracts are for government customers,” says Joe Kirby, Director of Operations/Member LLC. “We find the veterans have the specific subject matter expertise, training and dedication that we look for.” And this in-depth knowledge is what keeps clients coming back to CSRA Technology. “In this capacity, our operational organization mirrors the military planning organization. When you select our team you are getting personnel and experience that have ‘been there and done that’. We believe this is important to our customers, saving them time and money by understanding their needs and providing appropriate solutions.”
And, although they tend to work on the larger government-related contracts, the veterans are found in a variety of positions. “They have a great work ethic, a wide variety of skill sets, are ethical in their conduct and are dedicated to meeting or exceeding the objective set for them.”
Kirby goes on to say “By recruiting veterans we have found that we are receiving a package deal. The majority of today’s veterans have at least some college experience if not a degree. They also have (as a minimum) at least four years of pertinent experience. This helps the company save on training and education costs. As we are an IT firm that deals with government contracts, it is also beneficial for us that the veterans that we recruit have existing security clearances that can be transferred to our company.”
100% of the new employees CSRA Technologies hired in 2008 are former military. The company uses a variety of methods for finding great candidates, including posting positions on job boards with a heavy military population such as ClearanceJobs.com. Their greatest successes have come from relying on the veteran-employees themselves as sources of referrals. “The military is a large network, and being able to recruit via that network has been beneficial to us.” Not to mention a great cost savings as well!
For more information on CSRA Technology LLC, please contact Joe Kirby, Director of Operations/Member LLC