PHOENIX, AZ (November 4, 2015) – BestCompaniesAZ is hosting its annual 2016 BestCompaniesAZ Military Career Event in conjunction with the PGA TOUR’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, Birdies for the Brave(R) and Career Connectors, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wed., Feb. 17 at North Phoenix Baptist Church Conference Center, 5757 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ, 85012.
The call for sponsors is now open. Military-friendly companies interested in hiring veterans should contact Denise Gredler, BestCompaniesAZ, at 480-545-5151 or email military(at)bestcompaniesAZ.com. The deadline for sponsorship reservations is Dec. 15, 2015.
The inaugural event, held in January 2015, hosted more than 250 Arizona military veterans, Reservists and National Guard members, their spouses, and significant others. “These men and women are often celebrated for their leadership, team-building, organizational commitment, decision-making skills and advanced technical training skills,” said Gredler, founder and CEO of BestCompaniesAZ. “It is our goal to help place them with some of the ‘best’ military friendly employers the state has to offer.”
Expanding the scope of the program, BestCompaniesAZ has recently partnered with Career Connectors, a local nonprofit career transition organization that will help with the event management and offer career assistance training in the months leading up to the hiring event. Career Connectors is joining with BestCompaniesAZ to offer workshops in interviewing techniques, resume preparation, LinkedIn profile development, and translation of military skill sets into civilian careers. For participants who want to get a jump on career opportunities, these events also offer networking, motivational speakers and hiring presentations from at least two corporate sponsors.
On event day, employer and job seeker pre-event workshops begin at 10 a.m. and official job seeker registration at 11:00 a.m. Presentations and open networking begin at 11:30 am and continue until 2 p.m. with a stellar line-up of guest speakers, panel discussions and networking. Open positions will be posted in advance for registrants to peruse online.
“BestCompaniesAZ’s mission is to help companies improve their employer branding and advance best practices in corporate culture. We host key hiring events throughout the year that match Arizona’s best companies with top talent. The Military Career Event is our flagship program, and preparation begins months in advance. Last year we partnered with more than 30 award-winning Arizona companies, agencies and nonprofits and plan to increase by 20 additional partners this year,” says Gredler.
Most of the sponsoring companies have competed for and been awarded at least one prestigious state or national workplace award, such as Arizona’s Most Admired Companies, CareerBuilder’s Top Companies to Work for in Arizona, FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For(R) in America, FORTUNE Most Admired Companies, Military Times Best for Vets Employers, or US Veterans Magazine’s Best of the Best, among others.
Sponsors include a mix of returning and new employers: Charles Schwab, Dignity Health Arizona, Synchrony Financial, Waste Management, USAA, Nextiva and more. Visit BestCompaniesAZ.com for a current list of sponsoring employers.
About the PGA TOUR’s 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open
The 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open, known as “The Greatest Show on Grass,” will be held Feb. 1-7, 2016, at TPC Scottsdale. The Waste Management Phoenix Open is the best-attended golf tournament in the world and has gained legendary status for being the most unique stop on the PGA TOUR. The 2016 edition will mark the 81st playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the seventh as the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Last year the tournament host Thunderbirds raised a record $9.06 million for charity and have eclipsed $102 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932. For tickets and more information visit WMPhoenixOpen.com.
About BestCompaniesAZ – Arizona’s Employer Branding Partner
BestCompaniesAZ specializes in helping corporate clients develop, strengthen and market their unique employer brands through a variety of events, awards and communications programs. BestCompaniesAZ has co-founded and continues to sponsor Arizona’s leading workplace award programs, including Arizona’s Most Admired Companies, published by AZ Business Magazine, and the azcentral (formerly CareerBuilder) Top Companies to Work for in Arizona. BestCompaniesAZ is also the co-founder of the first workplace award program brought to Arizona in 2003, the Best Places to Work in the Valley award published by the Phoenix Business Journal. BestCompaniesAZ provides employer branding services specializing in corporate award consultation and submissions, corporate culture development and coaching, best practices bench-marking, and survey analysis and action planning. Recognition and promotion for award-winning clients is supported through a variety of marketing programs, including recruitment marketing, search engine optimization, public relations (local to national) and social media outreach. For more information, visit BestCompaniesAZ.com, and interested sponsors can email military(at)bestcompaniesAZ.com or call 480-545-5151.
About Birdies for the Brave
Birdies for the Brave is a national military outreach initiative proudly supported by the PGA TOUR. Birdies for the Brave was originally created in 2006 by PGA TOUR player Phil Mickelson and his wife, Amy, to support combat-wounded veterans. The PGA TOUR subsequently adopted Birdies for the Brave and expanded it to include a variety of military outreach initiatives, including military appreciation activities during PGA TOUR tournaments and a series Birdies for the Brave fundraising events conducted at the TOUR’s TPC clubs nationwide – an effort that has raised more than $15 million for military homefront groups that are supported by TOUR players, which provide critical programs and services to meet the specialized needs of wounded heroes and military families. For more information, please visit birdiesforthebrave.org or follow them on Facebook.
Career Connectors
Career Connectors’ mission is to connect professionals in career transition to hiring companies and quality resources. As Arizona’s fastest growing job seeker program, the organization hosts no-cost job seeker events in Chandler/Gilbert, Phoenix and North Scottsdale. At each event, Career Connectors showcases hiring companies, and offers free services including educational opportunities, DISC assessments, resume review, LinkedIn, professional business portraits, networking tips, interview coaching and one-on-one face time with hiring companies. Founded by Jessica Pierce in 2009, the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization has served more than 20,000 attendees, and worked with over 300 hiring companies. For more information, visit careerconnectors.org, or call 480-442-5806.