Russell Stokes: The Future of Manufacturing Talent
The Matchmaker: Workhorse GE Locomotive is Helping Amtrak Hire Vets
When Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman painted one of his locomotives red, white and blue to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, the reason was a mix gratitude and self-interest. Boardman served in Vietnam and the new design was meant to honor America’s veterans. But he also wanted vets to come work for him. “The leadership, reliability and high-tech skills veterans bring to the job are a great resource to the operation of America’s railroad,” he says.
What We Need To Win: GE Hires 1,000 Vets in 2012, Hits Its Goal
Two summers ago, U.S. Army Sergeant Kreg Smith was on his second tour in Iraq, shooting down mortars lobbed by insurgents at his base inside the Sunni Triangle. But since then, he has traded Iraq for a more peaceful neighborhood. He is making turbine parts for jet engines at GE Aviation’s plant in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio, as one of a thousand veterans hired by GE this year. Thanks to vets like him, GE has hit its goal of hiring a thousand vets in 2012.