Episode 17

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Published on:

5th Feb 2024

Veteran Champions in Manufacturing: Hiring, Retention, and Advocacy with retired lieutenant colonel Kathy Lowery Gallowitz.

In this episode of The Manufacturers Network Podcast, host Lisa Ryan engages in a powerful conversation with retired Air Force veteran Kathy Gallowitz. Gallowitz shares her expertise in supporting veterans' transition into the civilian workforce, particularly focusing on their integration within the manufacturing industry.

Key Themes:

1. Challenges of Transition: Kathy Gallowitz underscores the challenges veterans face when transitioning to civilian life, such as identity loss, unstructured environments, and a lack of understanding of their strengths and aptitudes. She emphasizes the need for employers to act as advocates, not just architects, for veterans, outlining a strategic plan to help veterans succeed in the workforce.

2. Best Practices: Best practices for attracting, hiring, and retaining veteran talent in the manufacturing sector are discussed, including the use of military skills translators, the involvement of current veteran employees in the hiring process, and the importance of building a veteran voice committee or employee resource group.

3. Military Culture Training: Employers are encouraged to invest in military culture training to understand the unique needs and experiences of military personnel. Building a veteran-friendly workplace, offering career ladders, and providing clear pathways for advancement are vital factors in becoming a veteran-ready employer.

Lessons Learned:

- The episode sheds light on the importance of recognizing the unique skills and value that veterans bring to the manufacturing sector, including safety focus, leadership capabilities, operational discipline, and technical proficiencies.

- Gallowitz's journey, from growing up as a navy kid to becoming a career Air Force veteran, is not just inspiring but also provides valuable insights into understanding the challenges veterans face during their transition to civilian life and the workforce.


For more information:

Vanguard Veteran Overview: https://vanguardveteran.start.page

Veteran Talent Academy: https://vanguardveteran.com/veteran-champion-consulting-training/

Complimentary Veteran-Ready assessment: https://vanguardveteran.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/may-2021_-vr-employer-assessment.pdf

Vanguard Veteran's Employer Consulting and Training:  https://vanguardveteran.com/veteran-champion-consulting-training/

Invite Vanguard Veteran to Speak: https://vanguardveteran.com/invite-me-to-speak/

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About the Podcast

The Manufacturers' Network
Connecting Manufacturers with Manufacturers
The Manufacturers' Podcast is THE place for manufacturers to connect with and learn from other manufacturers. Not only will listeners get to learn from their manufacturing colleagues, but they will also discover HOW they can help each other as a resource or as a source of help and inspiration.

As a manufacturer, it's easy to get pigeon-holed into only focusing on your own industry, whether it be through your industry trade association or your industry colleagues. While trade associations are an excellent source of information for their members, sometimes it's gaining a perspective from someone else in a completely different industry that gives you the solution to your dilemma.

Stay tuned for new episodes every week on "Manufacturing Monday's." This drive-time length podcast will give you the information, tips and strategies you need to get your week off to a fantastic start.

About your host

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Lisa Ryan

As a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), an award-winning speaker and author of ten books, Lisa Ryan, CSP, works with her clients to develop employee and client engagement initiatives and strategies that keep their top talent and best clients from becoming someone else’s.
Lisa’s expertise includes: strengthening workplace culture, improving employee engagement, increasing customer retention, and initiating gratitude strategies (“Grategies”) for personal and professional benefit. Lisa’s participants enjoy her high energy, enthusiastic delivery and quick wit and they leave the session with ideas they are committed to acting on immediately to make positive workplace culture changes.
Lisa costars in two films with other experts including Jack Canfield of “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” She is the Past-President of the National Speakers Association, Ohio Chapter and holds an MBA from Cleveland State University.

Relevant Experience

• Keynote, breakout or workshop speaker at more than 100 national and international conferences
• Thirteen years of industrial marketing and sales experience, including seven years in the welding industry – and yes, she does weld
• Host of “Elevate Your Engagement Levels: What You Need to Know” on the Elite Expert Network and the C-Suite Network
• Creator of “The Seven Mistakes Managers Make to Crush Company Culture” video series
• Best-selling author of ten books, including “Manufacturing Engagement: 98 Proven Strategies to Attract and Retain Your Industry’s Top Talent”
• Award-winning speaker