Every year, we commemorate Veterans Day on November 11 to honor the men and women who have served in the U.S. military. Exegistics is a veteran-owned business that emphasizes many of the core values that form the foundation of military service, including loyalty, integrity, quality service, and compassionate leadership.
Exegistics founder and former Marine Corps Captain Stephen Olds believes that there is no better logistics training than the military. He is a passionate advocate for businesses hiring and integrating veterans into their workforce and benefiting from their skills and experience.
Rimon Malik, Director of Supply Chain, is another member of the leadership team at Exegistics who served in the Marine Corps. During his four years as active duty and two years in the Reserve, he worked as an ammunition technician, managing supply chain for ammunition, explosives, and missiles to be used in training and combat. Precision, planning, and follow-through were critical to Malik’s day-to-day responsibilities in the Marines – and these traits have easily transferred into his role at Exegistics.
“At the end of day, supply chain is getting something from Point A to Point B,” says Malik. “How you move materials is very important, but how you move information is also important, making sure people are in place to do what they need to do. In the military, the costs were obviously high if something went wrong – lives were on the line. But in business, the consequences are also serious. One mistake can result in a missing part that shuts the line down for an hour and costs a company thousands of dollars.”
While most companies want to hire more veterans, there is a persistent disconnect between military and civilian workplaces, Malik says. The problem is twofold: companies don’t always know how to best utilize veterans and their skills, and veterans don’t do a good job of marketing themselves.
“A veteran who led a unit at the age of 19 was responsible for the lives of 20 people and millions of dollars worth of equipment,” says Malik. “But now he doesn’t have the right tools put that into a civilian context. We’re actively trying to change that.”
Exegistics is partnering with several organizations to help bridge this gap. One initiative is helping T-Mobile reach its goal to hire 10,000 veterans within the next five years. Another is working with York Solutions to provide paid on-the-job training to veterans entering the civilian workforce.
“Through these efforts, we’re helping companies understand what to look for and how to hire the right veterans for the right jobs,” he says. “We’re also sharpening veterans’ business acumen and educating them on important soft skills, like building personal connections and collaborative communication in the workplace.”
Working for a veteran-owned company is meaningful to Malik. He says he has been happy to take on an important leadership role within Exegistics and help shape the direction of the company.
“There’s a lot of power behind a veteran-owned business,” he says. “It carries a lot of weight when you talk to other people. It inspires a level of trust that not many companies can reach.”
Learn why hiring veterans is a smart business decision; watch our video about the bottom-line benefits.
