by Kevin Schmiegel

Today, First Lady Michelle Obama joined the growing ranks of people who have praised the success of the U.S. Chamber’s Hiring Our Heroes program. Speaking at the “4th Annual Business Steps Up: Hiring Our Heroes” event at the U.S. Chamber, the First Lady said:

From day one, companies large and small have stepped up to hire, retain and train our veterans and military spouses.  The Chamber has led the way by taking all of the actions that Kevin mentioned earlier, especially the veterans hiring fairs that have already resulted in more than 3,400 veterans hired all over the country.  Companies like Sears and Siemens, Kmart, Sam’s Club, have expanded their efforts to hire and retain even more veterans and military spouses.

The Chamber is proud to partner with the White House's Joining Forces initiative. As Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue said in a statement:

Over the past year, the White House’s Joining Forces and the Chamber’s Hiring Our Heroes initiatives have been united for a common goal: to ensure our veterans and military spouses can find jobs. While we have made great strides in the past year, there is still much to do. Our partnership with Joining Forces will continue, as we spread this movement across the country to create an environment in which thousands of military veterans and military spouses can find meaningful employment in their local communities.

In addition to holding 100 hiring fairs around the nation, Hiring Our Heroes is launching a grassroots campaign to engage the small business community, establishing a comprehensive IT system to support the hiring events, and forming a private sector Veterans Employment Advisory Council (VEAC) comprised of America’s biggest employers across all industries and sectors.

Stay tuned.