GTE Financial will be our LinkedIN Workshop Lunch Sponsor again through 2016!

Posted on January 5, 2016 Written by Nancy Leave a Comment

I am thrilled to announce GTE Financial has extended their sponsorship and will be providing lunch at our MacDill AFB LinkedIN Workshops throughout 2016!

GTE Financial, one of the largest credit unions in Florida, is a passionate supporter of transitioning troops and their families at MacDill Air Force Base.

GTE recently celebrated its 80th anniversary of serving the financial needs of its local residents and businesses, as well as enriching the Tampa Bay community. They are a not-for-profit financial cooperative and have been able to help multiple charity organizations and its members year-round. Giving back to the community is important to GTE and is embedded in its culture.

Scott DeThomas, former Wing Commander and CEO of MacDill Air Force Base, and now SVP of Products and Member Sales of GTE Financial, continues to actively support transitioning military and veterans in Tampa Bay by speaking at our LinkedIN Workshops on MacDill.

Our Jan. 22nd workshop will kick off the fourth year Project Transition USA has been invited to teach workshops on MacDill AFB, and it will be the third time Scott DeThomas has been our guest speaker.

Scott recently commented: “We are very thankful for organizations like Project Transition USA that work hard to support our military members as they transition to civilian life. Nancy and her team of volunteers do a great job.”

David Bode, AVP of Talent Management of GTE Financial, has been a member of LinkedIN for nearly eight years, and he had this to say: “Having access to resources like this workshop will no doubt be a huge help to the troops in establishing valuable relationships in the civilian world. Having a professional network is important in the transition phase.”

David continued, “Recruiters are using LinkedIN as one of their main recruiting tools, so it’s very important that job hunters put themselves out there in a variety of creative ways to catch their attention.”

Joe Brancucci, CEO of GTE Financial, kindly noted: “We believe in supporting organizations that help people better their lives, and these workshops are a wonderful opportunity for veterans to learn new and effective ways to search for employment.”

“We are aware that transitioning from the military can be a difficult process,” Joe added, “but with the right tools and support, our troops will be able to confront any hurdle and get right back into the workforce.”

Our next LinkedIN Job Search Workshop on MacDill AFB is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 22nd, 2016, and it is open exclusively to transitioning military personnel and dependents who are enrolled in MacDill’s TAP program.

To learn more about Project Transition USA’s LinkedIn Job Search Workshops on MacDill AFB, visit www.ProjectTransitionUSA.org, or contact me, Nancy Laine, at 727-415-3878.

ABOUT PROJECT TRANSITION USA:

Project Transition USA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that has been providing career-related services to U.S. military veterans since 2012. We are the only 501c3 that specializes in teaching transitioning military veterans and their families how to fully utilize the powerful business networking site, LinkedIN.

We are best known for teaching inspiring LinkedIN Job Search Workshops for top military leaders, providing personal introductions to VIPs, and managing the popular Project Transition USA group on LinkedIN which is frequented by military-friendly hiring managers and business celebrities nationwide.

After training over 1,000 transitioning military heroes to secure meaningful & rewarding employment by building supportive professional networks on LinkedIN, we are now developing an exciting new program that will place our veterans face-to-face with military-friendly business professionals in their communities.

Our new “Bring a Hero to Work” initiative will pair military veterans with civilians working in their target industries — allowing our heroes to experience day-to-day activities in the civilian workforce by “shadowing” their business hosts for a half-day (and particularly executives who are U.S. veterans themselves!)

We invite you to show your support for our transitioning troops and their families by joining our Project Transition USA group and offering your support for our job shadowing program today!

About GTE FINANCIAL:

GTE Financial is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than $1.7 billion in assets and 22 Community Financial Centers located throughout West Central Florida. Chartered in 1935, GTE Financial is locally owned and operated in the Tampa Bay area, serving more than 228,000 individuals and businesses.

More information on GTE Financial can be found at www.gtefinancial.org.

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Pane Rustica Sponsors Jan. 2015 LinkedIN Workshop for Transitioning Military on MacDill AFB

Posted on January 28, 2015 Written by Nancy Leave a Comment

Thank you to all who participated in our January LinkedIN Job Search Workshop on MacDill AFB!

We are sending out a HUGE thank you to our Workshop Sponsor, Kevin Kruszewski, owner of the awesome Pane Rustica Bakery & Cafe in South Tampa.

Kevin is an Honorary Commander of MacDill AFB, and he personally delivered the most incredible gourmet feast we have ever experienced!

(To say it was highly appreciated by the transitioning troops in attendance would be an understatement! Everyone was RAVING about it, and Pane Rustica will be seeing more of us very soon!)

Special thanks also goes out to our guest speaker, Scott DeThomas, former CEO and Wing Commander of MacDill AFB, who shared his personal experience of transitioning just months ago after 30+ years of service in the Air Force.

Scott is now a Sr. VP with GTE Financial, a leading credit union in Tampa, and this was his second speaking appearance with us in the past few months.

We are also grateful to Darrell Wade, Senior Law Office Manager/Paralegal from U.S. Special Operations Command, who made a guest appearance to speak to us about his continuing transition experience after attending our LinkedIN Workshop last October.

Darrell has been receiving many attractive job offers, and most of these potential employers found him on LinkedIN!

And finally, a sincere thanks to our wonderful volunteers, Paula Hochman, Tony Michaelides, Pete Blum, and Robyn Mussler. All our lives are so much richer because of people who CARE like you!

Scott DeThomas, Former Commander of MacDill AFB, Spoke to Transitioning Troops at our October LinkedIN Workshop!

Posted on November 2, 2014 Written by Nancy Leave a Comment

It was an honor and a privilege to introduce retired Colonel Scott DeThomas, former Senior Wing Commander and CEO of MacDill Air Force Base, as our Special Guest Speaker at our Oct. 31st LinkedIN Job Search Workshop for transitioning troops and their families on MacDill.

After retiring only two months ago from his 32 year career in the U.S. Air Force (23 of those years as a pilot), Scott DeThomas graciously shared some very personal stories of his own transition experience while the troops and community guests in attendance listened attentively.

Many of the active duty personnel will be following in his footsteps within months, and some within a few short weeks.

Scott freely admitted to his audience that when he retired he was not at all clear about what he “wanted to do when (he) grew up”, and had found it quite helpful to hire a career coach and complete a career aptitude test. When “Banking” turned up on the Top 3 List of suggested careers, he was actually a bit surprised until he remembered that he had always been quite interested in financial investing.

Scott credits his natural ability to network, his Masters Certificate in Lean Six Sigma, and a bit of sheer “luck”, as significant aides on his path to success in the civilian world. Just two short months after leaving the service, he became the Sr. VP of Products & Member Sales for GTE Financial, one of Florida’s largest credit unions.

ABOUT PROJECT TRANSITION USA:

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Project Transition USA has been teaching free LinkedIN Job Search Workshops on MacDill Air Force Base (Tampa, FL) and other locations since Nov. 2012 at the request of retired senior military officers who were in dire need of support. They are the first and ONLY 501(c)(3) organization focused on teaching LinkedIN on military bases.

In addition to their workshops, they also provide personal introductions to corporate military hiring managers and military-friendly civilians through their popular “Project Transition USA” group on LinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/groups/Project-Transition-USA-4842096/about

Many workshop attendees and group participants have already been offered top-level positions throughout the U.S., and all of this has been accomplished with little to no operating budget.

Project Transition USA’s goal is to expand these workshops to every U.S. military base nationwide as soon as possible. The need is urgent and the timing is critical. Visit their website to learn what transitioning military troops and community leaders are saying about this project: www.projecttransitionusa.com/testimonials/

Cappy Surette, Walt Disney World’s Senior Manager of Executive Communications, was our Guest Speaker at our LinkedIN Job Search Workshop in Sept. on MacDill AFB!

Posted on September 30, 2014 Written by Nancy Leave a Comment

We are very happy to announce that Cappy Surette, Walt Disney World’s Senior Manager of Executive Communications, was our Special Guest Speaker at our Project Transition USA LinkedIN Job Search Workshop on September 19th at MacDill AFB in Tampa!

A retired U.S. Navy Captain, Cappy spoke to our audience of transitioning military veterans about some of his amazing experiences during his successful 22+ year military career, as well as his own journey into civilian life after retiring from the service two years ago.

At one time Cappy was the Hollywood Liaison for the U.S. Navy Office of Information in L.A. (working directly with celebrities such as Celine Dion and the Goo Goo Dolls), and later held multiple Media Relations & Public Affairs positions at the Pentagon.

Cappy was hired by Disney in 2012 as part of their ongoing “Heroes Work Here” initiative to promote the hiring of U.S. veterans nationwide.

Watch this video to learn more: http://www.clickorlando.com/disney-helps-veterans-get-new-careers/22329408

ABOUT PROJECT TRANSITION USA:

Many workshop attendees and group participants have already been offered top-level positions throughout the U.S., and all of this has been accomplished with little to no operating budget.