Dean Nemecek is a Northeast Wisconsin veteran, entrepreneur and founder of the nonprofit organization Veteran Bridge Solutions, which is working to close the gap between the military talent pipeline and the organizations that need it most. On this week’s episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast, sponsored by Stoke RGA, Nemecek outlines for co-hosts Kate Bruns of Insight and Ann Franz of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance the characteristics that he says most define veteran-ready employers, offers advice on translating job descriptions into language that matches military experience, and previews his forthcoming book “Ground Truth,” which will be released this year on Veterans Day.
“When I retired from the military, I did actually work for Trek … as their talent acquisition leader, and that’s when I started to realize the connection I could have with bringing the veteran for population into organizations,” Nemecek tells podcast listeners about why he decided to found Veteran Bridge Solutions. “And when I did that, I really found … it filled the passion, the purpose, I was looking for post-military service.”
One of Nemecek’s best pieces of advice shared on this week’s episode: Connect with the U.S. Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program.
“A transitioning service member can come to work for you, depending on their rank, for up to 180 days,” Nemecek explains. “And the Department of Defense … will pay for their salary. You pay nothing. It’s absolutely free. It’s my personal mission to get more … SkillBridge organizations in this state to bring more veterans back to Wisconsin.”
Hear from Nemecek about what he learned throughout his 26 years of U.S. military service, why he wrote a book and what he considers his best overall leadership insight by listening to Episode 138 of NEW Manufacturing Insights, out now wherever you listen to audio podcasts.
NEW Manufacturing Insights is a joint project of Insight and NEWMA, produced by Woodward Community Media and distributed by Spreaker. New episodes are released every Thursday.
