TEMPLE, Texas — As distributor McLane Co. looks to grow the company, it is leaning into its Warriors to Wheels hiring initiative to fill openings in the company as they become available.
Warriors to Wheels is a registered-driver apprenticeship program developed especially for people transitioning out of the military. The development program is open to anyone, not just former military; however, former military members who are eligible for GI Bill benefits can receive their GI Bill housing allowance while earning a wage at the same time.
The new focus on the initiative comes as McLane hits a milestone in the 3-year-old program: “More than 10% of our teammates self-identify as former military,” said Jennifer Rojas Clouse, EEO compliance and inclusion manager for McLane.
The company, which has hosted two National Hiring Day events in the past year, attributes robust marketing of its military-friendly programs and word-of-mouth as playing a role in the continued increase in the number of former military members joining the company, including employees such as Darrell Briscoe (pictured above), a former U.S. Army captain and current regional vice president of foodservice at McLane.
“The skills I learned in the military have been helpful in every leadership position I've held with McLane, from supervisor to manager to executive,” Briscoe said. “I enjoy the camaraderie and responsibility of building and growing teams accountable for serving and supporting our customers.”
With several distribution centers located near some of America’s largest military bases, McLane also partners with the Department of Army/Fort Hood, which offers transitioning service members a nine-week training experience to learn the fundamentals of warehouse operations. Further, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program helps employers recruit and develop a skilled workforce. Registered apprenticeships are industry-driven and flexible training solutions that help to reduce turnover and costs and increase employee retention, McLane said.
“McLane offers challenges and rewards that keep a military veteran’s problem-solving skills sharp,” said Briscoe, a 28-year McLane employee who flew Huey and Kiowa class helicopters during Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations.
More information about McLane’s Warriors to Wheels program is available at McLanew2w.com.
McLane Co. Inc., Temple, Texas, is one of the largest supply-chain services leaders in the United States, providing grocery and foodservice solutions for convenience stores, mass merchants, drug stores and chain restaurants. Through McLane Grocery and McLane Foodservice, McLane operates more than 80 distribution centers and one of the nation’s largest private fleets. McLane is a wholly-owned unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Omaha, Neb.
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