Bossier working to encourage people to stay here after they leave the military

BOSSIER CITY, La. (KSLA) — The Bossier Chamber of Commerce wants to ensure incoming military families and veterans get a warm welcome.

The chamber has launched an initiative this month to recognize organizations that are committed to serving active-duty military personnel, military families and veterans through meaningful and comprehensive programs.

Under the Military Community Champion program, businesses can sign up to offer military discounts and to give veterans preference when hiring. The goal is to encourage people to stay here after they decide to leave the military.

“The purpose of the Military Champion Program is to highlight our community as military mindful,” spokeswoman Kattie Hollay said. “And the reason we’re doing that is because we want our military and their family to feel welcomed when they come to our community.

“We want them to know there are businesses out there that want to hire the military spouses and they want to hire our military when they decide to exit out of the military.”

Businesses and organizations must do at least four of the following to be considered for the Military Community Champion program:

• Offer a military discount.
• Give veterans preference when hiring.
• Participate in the Defense Department’s SkillBridge program.
• Provide a military mentorship program.
• Have hiring procedures in place to actively seek to hire military-connected individuals (veterans, spouses, dependents).
• Support Guard/Reserve deployments with accommodations like salary differential, full pay, medical, same career path upon return.
• Create a policy/maintain a goal to employ a certain percentage of military-connected individuals on your staff.
• Utilize and seek out suppliers/vendors that are veteran-owned businesses or service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses.
• Be a member of the Bossier chamber.
• Give annually to a military related charitable cause or organization.
• Have a program in place to support military/veterans/spouses.
• Make disability accommodations for military-connected individuals.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

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