PCS to Corporate America

Welcome back! During this podcast episode, I interview Dee Rodriguez . Dee is a former USMC Infantry Officer who transitioned to Corporate America in 2015. He launched his career at Preferred Materials where he started as a Project Manager. Dee has an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and is working in the horizontal construction space. In this episode, Dee shares his transition experience...

Welcome back to the Cameron-Brooks podcast! We have a special year in review  episode as Joel Junker and I review 2018 and take a look back on the year we experienced at Cameron-Brooks. In this episode, Joel and I dig into the quality and quantity of companies who filled important and complex leadership roles in 2018. More than 100 different divisions of companies made offers to our clients across...

Listeners often give me feedback that Cameron-Brooks Podcast Episodes are “fresh” and “not canned or rehearsed.”  When Pete Van Epps and I interview our Alumni for these episodes, we do not prepare them ahead of time and only edit episodes when the alumnus asks us to.  We want to ask the questions and then let the  Cameron-Brooks Alumnus provide an honest answer from his or...

When I speak to Junior Military Officers (JMOs) with engineering degrees, they often want to avoid doing engineering related work because they believe that companies would only hire them for their technical knowledge.  When I ask them to explain more about their perception, they voice concerns about being “stuck” or “pigeon holed” into one specific technical area within a company.  While companies...

WELCOME BACK! This episode features Peter Sceusa . Peter is a former Army Air Defense Artillery officer who transitioned to business in early 2014. Peter started his post-military business career at the consulting firm,  PwC as a Senior Associate in Compliance and Data Analytics. He quickly learned the ins-and-out of that part of their business and shares some key insights on the podcast on how to...

Welcome back! On this episode, I interview Melanie Mansbach , a JMO who transitioned to the biotech contract manufacturing industry. She is a former Army Aviation officer who transitioned to Lonza in 2016. She is managing a technical team of people who essentially produce very technical and intricate pharmaceutical products. Lonza a 120 year old Swiss company. They are a contract manufacturer for...

Location, location, location.  While those are typically the top 3 criteria for opening up a retail business, it commonly seems like top criteria for a JMO transition.  Yet, when JMOs narrow down a search based on location, they miss out on exploring many unique opportunities. Paul Speckin is Cameron-Brooks Alumnus who attended our April 2018 Career Conference.  He and his spouse are both from the...

A lot of JMOs wonder why they should partner with Cameron-Brooks versus other recruiting firms or striking out on their own.  They also wonder why they should enter a Cameron-Brooks agreement and wait to send out resumes or contact other companies until after the Cameron-Brooks Conference.  In other words, they wonder, “How does this benefit me?” In this episode, I asked Cameron-Brooks...

Welcome back! On this episode I interview Scott Holtman. Scott is an Operations Manager at a leading textile manufacturer. He’s a former Navy E-2 Pilot who transitioned in January 2014. On this episode, we explore how to see an acquisition as an opportunity as well as: The value of conducting a broad career search and leading with your leadership strengths The large overlap of Manufacturing...

Welcome back to the Cameron-Brooks podcast! On this episode you will meet Ashley Philbin , who talks about her first year in Corporate America. She is a former Army Ordnance officer who transitioned from the military after finishing an EOD Company Command. She had a perfect Cameron-Brooks conference, with 13 interviews and 12 companies that pursued her. Ashley is an Account Manager at EMCOR , a Fo...

A Junior Military Officer (JMO) transitioning to  consulting after the military is unlike any other career pivot.  After all, the JMO is changing industries, career fields and locations.  That is a lot of change.  Therefore, preparation, interviewing and on-boarding into a new company are more difficult and important than most people making a career change.  The Cameron-Brooks’ Team provides...

Welcome back! On this episode, I interview Trey McAfee . Trey is a former Army Chemical Corps officer who transitioned from the Army in early 2015 and is currently a Plant Manager at Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope . Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope is a company that primarily makes commercial glass for some very interesting and beautiful buildings across America. Trey was recently promoted and moved cross-c...

Considering a transition from the military?  Do you feel a little anxious about your decision?  Thi s anxiety is natural.  In this podcast, I interview  Cameron-Brooks Recruiter and Principal, Rob Davis, about his decision to make the transition 19 years ago.  What makes Rob’s decision unique? His dad and father-in-law both retired from the military.  Rob attended West Point with the goal to...

Welcome back to the Cameron-Brooks podcast! Are you interested in consulting? Prepare for sales! In this episode, I interview Rene Barber. She is a former USMC Logistics officer who transitioned from the military to the Corporate America in 2016. She is a Manager at Protiviti , a leading consulting firm providing solutions in many different industries. Protiviti was recently named as one of Fortun...

Cameron-Brooks’ mission is to help JMOs reach their potential and dreams.  The path to get there starts with understanding goals, values, and strengths.  The  Personal Marketability Assessment  with Cameron-Brooks (PMA) is a proven resource to help JMOs identify these career drivers.  During this session, an experienced Cameron-Brooks Recruiter asks JMOs specific questions to help them refle...

Is Sales for Development Candidates? In our latest episode, I interview Cory Nordstrom to find out. Cory is a former Air Force officer who transitioned to Corporate America in 2014. He started his career at Medtronic selling spinal implants in the hospital operating room to orthopedic and neurological surgeons. For this podcast, I asked Cory to describe his experience leaving the Air Force and goi...

With so many veteran recruiting initiatives, social media sites like LinkedIn, and an unemployment rate of 3.9%, it has become a lot easier for transitioning JMOs to land a job.  While seemingly positive, this can be a problem. Why? Most JMOs do not want a job , they want a career.  The definition of a job is, “work that one routinely does in return for pay,” whereas a career is define...

When it comes to your career, can your attitude really determine your altitude? We talked to Abby Horvath, a Cameron-Brooks alumna and manufacturing manager at Ethicon , one of the largest operating companies within Johnson & Johnson . A former Army MEDEVAC pilot who transitioned into a team leadership role as a manufacturing supervisor, Abby has occupied many different roles across her organi...

Two weeks before former JMO Jenna Sanders attended her Career Conference, she wasn’t considering sales as a possible career opportunity.  Based on the companies attending her Conference, I called and asked if she would consider a few sales interviews .  A few specific sales positions really fit her personality and interests; most importantly, because she was conducting a joint search with he...

Anthony Applegate is the National Sales Director of PACTIV . He is a former Army Special Forces officer who transitioned to PACTIV in early 2012 and started as a Territory Sales Manager. In his relatively short 6 years, he has had a meteoric rise professional by focusing on both the business and the customer. In this podcast, we focus primarily on topic of starting a career in sales. We agreed tha...

Tim Crownover, a former JMO, generated $25 million in sales. How is this possible? Tim served as an Army military police officer with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.  One would think, if he left the military, he would naturally transition to the FBI or another law enforcement type of role.  Instead, in 2015 Tim transitioned to All Risks , an insurance intermediary, and started in a sale...

In this episode, I interview Cameron-Brooks alumnus John Edwards on the keys to building your professional network. John is a former USMC Logistics officer who transitioned to Corporate America in early 2014. He started his career working for an integrated solutions company focused on supply chain and packaging in the wine industry.  In his four years post-military, he has been very successful and...

Last year, Cameron-Brooks Alumnus Dan Meloro walked into a meeting for his production site.  This meeting would change the trajectory of his career.  He learned that his production site would reorganize, and the Maintenance Manager position he worked hard to earn as a promotion would no longer exist.  He was disappointed.  His supervisor explained that it had nothing to do with him, but the plant...

In this episode, we meet Keaton Thomas, a Cameron-Brooks alumnus who transitioned from a USMC supply officer to a career in consulting. Keaton is a Manager at A.T. Kearney , a leading management consulting firm. He calls what he does being the “doctors of business” and in this episode, we examine how he went from being a successful USMC Supply Officer to solving big problems for differ...

Mike Cotter is a former Marine Corps Infantry Officer who now works for  Stryker Medical as a Senior Operations Manager. His specific focus is on their Mako Robotic Arm Assisted Surgical Device .  The Mako Robotic device assists orthopedic surgeons in total knee and total hip replacement surgeries. In our latest podcast, Mike discusses his transition from Marine Corps Infantry to Robotic Assisted...