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Human Resources Griffith appreciates the organization, work ethic, good technical training and discipline that seem to be common attributes among those who have received military train- ing. The company has not had any concerns about post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans. "We take everyone through a medical screening, which confirms that people have the ability to do the job and do the job safely," said Griffith. "I have the same risk when I hire out of the general population." "It's like having a good relationship with a vocational school," said Griffith. "You are going to go back there because you have success." Modern Group supports active reserves by providing gap medical insurance coverage, and also by making up the difference between lower reserve pay and the employee's current salary. The company works with the Wounded Warrior Project and other groups that support vets. According to Griffith, a controller (now retired) who had been an active member of the reserves had a good understanding of military terminology and was successful in identifying and recruiting qualified veterans for Modern. Word of mouth also works for the dealer. "Once you get guys working here who are in the military, word of mouth helps you a lot," said Griffith. Sunstate Equipment, which offers construction equip- ment rental throughout the Southwest, shared a similar Employee mentoring is one way Sunstate helps vets, and all new hires, get acclimated to the company. story based on their experience hiring personnel out of the military. The company demonstrates a commitment to hiring returning veterans in job advertisements on LinkedIn, The National Resource Directory, and Hiring Heroes, as well as several other publications that reach veterans. Approxi- mately 13 percent of both recent hires and their total workforce are veterans. This year, of 165 hired, 21 are vets. "Sunstate Equipment has actively recruited returning vets as we have found that they understand the impor- tance of functioning as a part of a team and are extremely hard working," said Janet Barkley, a regional human resources representative for Sunstate Equipment. "Sunstate Equipment follows up with all new hires and managers and (continued on next page) October 2012 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 25