Supporting Our Veterans
Veterans bring invaluable skills, leadership, and experience to our industry. With nearly 130 current Teammates disclosing their status as Veterans (21 Air Force, 33 Army, 1 Coast Guard, 19 Marines, 6 National Guard, and 37 Navy), Hargrove is familiar with the value these heroes bring to our Team and proud to facilitate their continued efforts to make an impact in our community.
Hiring Our Heroes
As part of this ongoing effort, Hargrove has partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s program – Hiring Our Heroes (HOH). This program helps to assist service members, veterans, military spouses, and military caregivers with professional training, hands-on experience, and networking in the workforce. We are proud to offer eligible HOH members access to 12-week internships and other industry-focused opportunities with the goal of future permanent employment. Hargrove recently teamed up with HOH, bringing the program to offices nationwide in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. In the summer of 2023, Hargrove began expanding services to our Texas, California, Tennessee, Ohio, and Pennsylvania offices. At Hargrove, we are committed to supporting Teammates as they embark on and thrive in their careers – our partnership with HOH allows us to extend this mutual and sustained success to our military heroes.
Operation Gratitude
In July of 2024, Hargrove Controls & Automation participated in Operation Gratitude’s letter-writing campaign to thank and support our troops. Operation Gratitude is an organization dedicated to writing letters and sending care packages to deployed troops, military children, veterans, and first responders. During the month-long effort, each Controls & Automation office collected handwritten letters and notecards to include in care packages. Paper and blank notecards were provided, and Teammates’ families were invited to participate. Teammate Hunter Heathcock had the opportunity to contribute his own letter, drawing from his military experiences to connect with the recipient.
Hunter began his journey at Hargrove Controls & Automation as a co-op. After becoming the first in his family to earn a college degree, he was offered a full-time position in June 2024. Now, he works as an engineer alongside Heath Stephens, P.E., Digitalization Leader, on the Digitalization Engineering team. However, before his time in Hargrove’s co-op program, Hunter was focused on his career in the National Guard.
At the age of twenty-one, Hunter joined the Army National Guard and was soon deployed to Iraq and Syria with the 256th Tiger Brigade from Louisiana.
“I was the furthest I had ever been from home. In what felt like the drop of a hat, I found myself almost twenty-four hours away on the other side of the globe. For some people, it was the first time they had ever left the country. It was a big culture shock,” explains Hunter.
During his deployment, Hunter and his platoon received mail and care packages from Operation Gratitude.
“Any kind of mail on ‘mail day’ was special. It was like Christmas morning,” said Hunter. “It really makes you have some hope for humanity. It makes you feel a little bit more seen, rather than just being like a news statistic on the TV. To have things from the outside world – it’s like, ‘Hey, someone’s thinking about me,’ and that’s very helpful for the mind.”
Veterans Day Tribute
This year, Hargrove collected stories and images from veterans within our Team to create an internal tribute in their honor. By having the opportunity to share their experiences, we aim to showcase the strength and dedication that these Teammates bring to our company, community, and nation.
We are grateful for the sacrifices and service of our veteran and military Teammates and their families!
