Success Stories

Shane left Burlington, Iowa, at 19 years-old to serve in the United States Air Force as flight engineer on AC-130 gunships. For almost 10 years his service would take him around the world, seeing combat in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.  

Shane retired from the military in 2019, and after working as government contractor in Iraq, decided his journey would return to where it started in Iowa.  

“I wanted to be closer to my children, and I was looking for something to bring me a sense of purpose and something where I could contribute,” said Shane.  

Like many Veterans coming to Iowa, Shane connected with Home Base Iowa to aid him in his job search as civilian.  Home Base Iowa recommended that he apply for a job as a Disabled Veteran Outreach Program Specialist (DVOPS) within IowaWORKS. He interviewed for the position at the IowaWORKS office in Cedar Rapids and they offered him the job.  

After helping to provide close air support for ground troops overseas, Shane now provides a different kind of support for his fellow Veterans.  

“It’s become very satisfying to me to not just place veterans in jobs but in places where they’re safe, happy, and want to make a career. It’s incredible actually. A lot of these guys think that they’re unemployable. They’re not. They’re highly desirable to employers and I think that HBI does a great job advocating for Veterans in that way,” Shane said.  

Frank grew up in Iowa and served as a helicopter pilot in the US Army for seven and a half years from 1987-1994, during operation Desert Storm. After the Army, he had a great career in financial services in Omaha, Nebraska. Frank says he decided to return to Sioux City, Iowa, because "It's my hometown, I grew up here and I went to high school and college here."

"I heard about Home Base Iowa when I stopped into the IowaWORKS office and spoke to the former Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Respresentative Shawn Vodenik," Frank said. "I heard from many employers while job searching, but I wanted to focus on getting a job helping vets. When Shawn decided to transfer to Des Moines, he made me aware of this opening and I jumped on it!" Nathan said. 

IowaWORKS connected Frankto the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Representative position in Sioux City, Iowa, which he recently accepted.

Nathan grew up in Iowa and has served in the Air National Guard since 2015. When he graduated from college, Nathan discovered Home Base Iowa on social media and then created an account. Nathan says he chose to search for employment in Iowa because, "It's where I am from, there are many great employers and the quality of life in Iowa is great."

"Home Base Iowa (HBI) has been fantastic and I am happy I found it," Nathan said. "It opened up so many opportunities that I was not even aware of and I had dozens of quality employers reach out to me with great positions. Before signing up with HBI, I had become somewhat frustrated with the job hunt but I could have easily found a number of great jobs after using your service and partners. I have nothing but great things to say about the program," Nathan said.

Home Base Iowa connected Nathan to a government contractor position, which he recently accepted.

Jon grew up in Pennsylvania and served in the Navy as a legal counsel from 1996-2017. When he retired from the military, he made it a priority to move to Iowa with his wife, who is originally from Iowa. Jon says they chose to move to Iowa because “Iowa has a great work-life balance and is a great place to raise a family.”

As he was researching Iowa online, he came across the Home Base Iowa website and posted his resume right away. He received emails and phone calls from businesses and recruiters and was able to make connections in Iowa he didn't have previously. Home Base Iowa connected him with Iowa Workforce Development which made him aware of an open position as a legal counsel.

Jon applied for the legal counsel position at Iowa Workforce Development and started working May 2019.

Jolene served in the Marine Corps from 2008-2012 as a public affairs/combat correspondence Marine. Her husband also served in the Marine Corps, enlisting out of Des Moines. Jolene says they chose to move back to Iowa because "Every time we came to visit I fell in love with Iowa a little more - Iowa nice is a real thing!"

As she was searching for jobs, she came across Home Base Iowa after a Google search and signed up immediately.

"Having Home Base Iowa in my corner was such a blessing. It felt like I had my own army of supporters trying to help me find the right job," said Jolene.

Jolene was hired as communications director at the American Heart Association. "I could not be happier on deciding to plant our roots here," said Jolene.

After his separation from the Marine Corps, Colin was advised to post his resume on Home Base Iowa by the staff at Iowa Workforce Development. After Colin signed up and posted his resume, he received a number of contacts from various companies and company recruiters. The recruiters told Colin that his resume had passed their desk and they had a position they wanted him to look into.

One such company was Collins Aerospace. "A recruiter contacted me and asked me a few questions about my resume and my military experience," Colin said. "The recruiter called back within a week asking that I apply for a certain position because the hiring manager wanted to interview me. The interview went well and I was offered a position I would not have known about without Home Base Iowa."

"I received many other contacts through email and phone calls concerning employment opportunities," Colin said. "They all reached out to me because of posting my resume to Home Base Iowa. I did not know some of these positions were available or that I was qualified for other positions. Home Base Iowa got my resume into the hands of people that helped place me in my current job as a security adviser for Collins Aerospace. Thank you again Home Base Iowa!"

I recently transitioned from active duty Army to the Army Reserves. I served 10 years previously in the Navy and 10 years in the active duty Army, with several years in the Army Reserves. I met a representative from HBI at a career fair at Fort Knox. He explained the benefits of moving to Iowa and the welcoming and supportive environment I would experience if I moved there.

Prior to meeting with the HBI representative, I hadn’t included Iowa in my job search. I was geographically flexible on where I’d be willing to relocate to, but I was not very familiar with Iowa. I wanted to find a community for my family that would be welcoming and help us assimilate to civilian life.

Following the career fair, I started including Iowa in job searches and within a few weeks I received a response from ADM for a position at their Camanche, Iowa terminal. After traveling to Camanche for my interview with ADM, I could see firsthand how vibrant the local economy was and that everything we wanted in a new community could be found between Clinton and Davenport.

Iowans are very friendly and rooted in traditional values and it proved to be a good fit for me and my family. I was even able to receive reimbursement for some of my interview expenses from the county of Clinton. ADM has proven to be a great company to work for and I feel extremely fortunate to have been given this opportunity and I owe it to HBI!

- Tony, Home Base Iowa participant

Antonique served in the United States Air Force from 2002-2018. When she retired from the military, she moved to Iowa with her husband, who is originally from Iowa. While searching for a new career, she learned about Home Base Iowa from her vocational rehabilitation representation at the VA. Antonique uploaded her resume to HBI and began working with an IowaWORKS Center to get started in her search. The veteran representative Antonique worked with kept her regularly updated and sent potential jobs her way. 

"Being new to Iowa, I didn't know what I didn't know and could use all of the job search help I could get," said Antonique.

After working with HBI, IowaWORKS and Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) for a couple of months, she accepted a great job as a human resources generalist in Lee County.

Travis grew up in Grinnell, Iowa, and served in the Navy from 2004-2008. Travis previously worked as the director of military and veteran services at the University of Iowa, where he worked with Home Base Iowa to bring more veterans to the state of Iowa for education and employment. Looking for a new position, Travis posted his resume on HBI. Travis was contacted for a position at a great company.

“HBI was vital and the sole source of (my current employer) finding my resume and starting the process that led to hire,” he said. Travis accepted a job in Creston with Wellman Dynamics.

Travis and his family wanted to live in Iowa because “the state of Iowa is growing and is lively with economic growth, low unemployment and growing industry.”

Primerica is the largest independent financial services marketing organization in North America. Primerica added four new members to their team in one month through Home Base Iowa. A representative at the company said that “veterans are having success at every level here at Primerica; from our entry level representative position to our regional vice president.”

Primerica cites Home Base Iowa as a reason for their success in attracting veterans, because the program is a “great resource for providing candidates who may be interested in changing careers or looking for part-time income.”

Josh started his career search by working with IowaWORKS Fort Dodge after being referred from Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services. They worked to polish his resume and he attended job-ready workshops. Once his resume was completed, he posted it to Home Base Iowa and continued to stay in contact with IowaWORKS staff.

He was quickly contacted for an interview with Renewable Energy Group (REG). A day later, Josh was asked for a second interview. Minutes after he sent his thank you’s, he received a request for a third interview. As he progressed through the interview process with REG, he was receiving interview requests from several other employers across the state.

He was offered and accepted a position at REG and received four other job offers. All offers were made by Home Base Iowa businesses.

After giving Home Base Iowa my resume, they quickly found numerous job openings available in the zip code I had relocated to, and it wasn’t long before I was called by a talent advisor at Nestlé Purina. I interviewed on site and everyone I met was incredibly supportive of my current military status and showed their appreciation for our Armed Forces.

After my first year, it is still apparent how the values and ethos of the US Army transition seamlessly into the values here at Nestlé Purina. For reasons like that and many others, I look forward to a long career and retiring with the company.

Ashlee is a production team leader at Nestlé Purina in Fort Dodge.

Aaron served in the Army for 21 years. Knowing he would be leaving the service in September, he began his job search in March with hopes of a smooth transition to the civilian workforce. Over the next several months, he applied to more than 130 employers.

After not having success finding a job on his own, Aaron attended an IowaWORKS job fair and worked with James Stout, a veteran representative at the IowaWORKS Center in Davenport. Aaron gave James his resume and set up a Home Base Iowa profile, and signed him up for workforce development workshops and the National Career Readiness Certification. James reviewed, restructured and helped rewrite Aaron’s resume to grab more attention than his original resume. Aaron also participated in mock interviews to polish his interviewing skills.

“I won’t lie, when September 1 came and went and the smooth transition I was hoping for didn’t occur, there were times that I would get discouraged,” said Aaron.

At the beginning of October, Aaron received a job offer from The Army Contracting Command that uses the education and leadership he gained serving in the Army. Home Base Iowa and IowaWORKS Centers provided Aaron with the connections and tools needed to translate his military accomplishments into a civilian career.

Sam grew up in eastern Iowa outside of Davenport and served on active duty in the US Navy from 2009-2013, hoping to gain guidance and career direction. Once his time in the Navy was complete, he decided to move back to Iowa, where he enrolled in Simpson College to play football and complete a degree in criminal justice and political science.

Sam heard about Home Base Iowa at the One Door Many Pathways Summit in May 2018. He connected with an IowaWORKS Center to update his resume and upload it to the Home Base Iowa website. Home Base Iowa connected him to Karen with the Iowa National Guard, who requested he apply for the career readiness counselor position at Camp Dodge. Sam recently accepted the position.

Union County became a Home Base Iowa community in November 2014 and continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to veteran job placement, health care and education.

The Union County Home Base Iowa (UCHBI) Task Force has created the Veterans Support Fund to assist veterans who have secured employment in Union County. The fund will be used to offset expenses for returning and relocating veterans. Each veteran who relocates to Union County is eligible for $2,000 in relocation assistance, eligible to be used for moving expenses, appliance purchases, residential property tax refund, YMCA memberships and utility deposits.

A veteran recently moved to Union County with the help of UCHBI. Marcus, an Army Specialist with honorable discharge, had been in communication with Union County Development Association since spring, receiving assistance on relocating to Iowa.

This past summer, Marcus and his family made the move from Boise, Idaho to Creston after accepting a great job. Home Base Iowa Union County supported his relocation assistance with $2,000 from the Union County HBI Veterans Support Fund.

Mike developed strong military roots after being born in Fort Riley, Kansas, where his father was stationed during the Gulf War. After his high school graduation, Mike enlisted in the US Infantry and spent the next five years in the National Guard. During that time, he earned his degree in business management from Iowa State University, before commissioning as a Active Duty Officer.

“Having the opportunity to lead soldiers was one of the best experiences of my life and a privilege I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Mike says.

Following his retirement from the military, he knew he wanted to move back to Iowa to be closer to family. He posted his resume to Home Base Iowa and connected with the IowaWORKS Center in Des Moines to update his resume. Using his family connections and Home Base Iowa, Mike found a great job in Marshalltown that utilizes the leadership skills he developed in the military.

“We are looking forward to moving back to a vibrant community in the heart of Iowa,” Mike said. 

We placed our ad for a Test Technician with IowaWORKS, which led us to Home Base Iowa and the Cedar Rapids Gazette. I received several resumes from Home Base Iowa. Home Base Iowa provided us with two of the three people we interviewed for the position. The new employee is one of the Home Base Iowa applicants. I do plan to use it in the future, and was pleased with the number of resumes received.

- Representative from J-TEC Associates

Andrew is a U.S. Navy veteran and relocated to Iowa to start a new career. He found a great job in the city of Camanche in Clinton County. The city has become an active member of the Home Base Iowa program and makes a strong effort to inform potential veteran employees of the program and its benefits.

Since starting his new job, Andrew has taken advantage of many of the great benefits Clinton County offers its veterans. He has used travel reimbursement benefits to cover mileage and recently used the home purchase benefit to aid in the down payment of his home in Clinton.

“I am truly grateful that Clinton County has taken a proactive approach toward seeking out veterans to hire in the county,” Andrew said. “Any acknowledgement for service is meaningful to veterans. This is above and beyond.”

David served in the Army Reserve from 1989 to 2017, including three combat deployments. He moved to Iowa last April to begin a new career. Unfortunately, his job was eliminated in January of 2018. Home Base Iowa contacted him, explained the program, and as he says, “the rest is history.” He uploaded his resume to Home Base Iowa, which put him in front of employers he would not otherwise known about.

He was contacted by several employers ready to interview and hire new employees. One of those was a company whose HR department is out of state, who he had not thought to contact. The company explained they had a job opening they thought he would be a good fit..

“After an initial round of interviews and a follow up interview I accepted their offer and am very happily and gainfully employed in a new career field that I never would have explored had it not been for HBI putting me out there to be found by people looking for people like me.”

David cites the success of Home Base Iowa to the “willingness, empathy and effort they put into each service member to help them find the best match with the best employer and offer support and assistance along the way.”