*Note: This story reflects a previous year’s plans. Learn more about Target’s 2023 military discount.
As Veterans Day approaches, Americans are getting ready to commemorate the day, including the most important part—thanking veterans for their service and sacrifice. At Target, we have a long history of supporting veterans, active military members and their families, including thousands of our own team members, and we do it in many ways.
One important way we honor those who served is through our hiring and team engagement. We’ve pledged to hire more veterans and their spouses as a member of the Veteran Jobs Mission and the White House’s Joining Forces initiative, and offer a range of benefits for activated reservists. At our headquarters in Minneapolis, our Military Business Council provides resources and support for team members, job candidates and guests with military connections. And our team members across the nation volunteer for projects with leading non-profits and organizations that benefit service members and families.
A few examples from our decades of partnerships? We’ve worked with Operation Gratitude on their care package programs and look forward to helping them celebrate their two millionth package this December. We’ve supported The Mission Continues through service projects and other events that help those returning from deployment transition to civilian life and careers. This year, we began a new partnership with the USO on its Special Delivery Program, which helps expecting parents celebrate baby showers with deployed spouses across the globe. And to help communities recover after Hurricane Harvey, we donated $100,000 to Team Rubicon, an organization that brings military veterans together with first responders to deploy emergency response teams.
To further show our deep appreciation for all men and women in uniform and the family members who support them, we’re proud to offer a 10% Veterans Day military discount from Nov. 7-11, 2017, in our stores and online. Click here for the details.
Through it all, it's our team members who bring these efforts to life every day. Meet four team members who use their military experience and skills to lead our teams and serve their communities.
Jim Kendall
Lead Special Investigator, Assets Protection
Military ties: Jim served four years in the Marine Corps and another four in the Army National Guard. He was deployed for 18 months and awarded seven medals during his tour, including a Purple Heart for his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Part of the 133rd Engineering Battalion out of Maine, members of his unit were the first American troops to build a ground-up school in Iraq, as well as hospitals, government offices, police stations and roads for Iraqi communities.
On joining Target: “I started my career after I got back to the U.S. and feel incredibly lucky for the experiences I’ve had. It’s been a great company for me and my family over the 10-plus years I’ve worked at Target.”
On transitioning skills to a civilian career: “One thing my deployment taught me is loyalty. It’s important to be loyal to my teams as we rely on each other to accomplish our mission (or in this case, our business objective). I also learned that you don’t need to be a manager or platoon sergeant to lead. Real leaders lead from within the team—up and down in terms of rank. The stronger the team, the better the results, and the more rewarding the experience is for everyone involved.”
Chloee Daniels-Miller
Senior Corporate Security Consultant, Legal Affairs
Military ties: Chloee joined the Army in 2009 and became an Army officer through a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in 2011. She currently serves in the Minnesota Army National Guard, and has provided intelligence support to both aviation and heavy combat maneuver units. She deployed once to Kuwait and recently participated in a US Army Europe exercise in the Baltic states.
On joining Target: “My career began in the stores—I worked in Assets Protection for a few years before moving to headquarters to work in Corporate Security in the Corporate Command Center (C3). Now my role is in Global Continuity and Resiliency, where we train and prepare teams to resume their critical work should a business disruption occur.”
On transitioning skills to a civilian career: “I joined Target’s Military Business Council because I enjoy the volunteer opportunities. We’ve worked with The Mission Continues to improve a local community center, and with Habitat for Humanity restoring homes for local veterans. We also partnered with an organization called 23rd Veteran on an upcoming 'ruck march' fundraiser to help veterans re-integrate into civilian life. And we’ve packed hundreds of care packages with Operation Gratitude for the military and first responder communities.”
Ralph Asher
Lead Operations Research Analyst, Global Supply Chain and Logistics
Military ties: Ralph led technical teams as an active duty US Marine Corps Officer from 2006 through 2012, and has served as a Reserve Officer since then.
On joining Target: “After leaving active duty, I settled in the Twin Cities to be near family and became a team member a few years later. I now get to use advanced mathematical modeling skills on the job to support supply chain projects.”
On transitioning skills to a civilian career: “There are a lot of similarities between Target team culture and the Marine Corps Leadership Principles, including accountability, team effort and boldness. The Marine Corps encourages leaders of all levels to think critically, trust their teams, take calculated risks and solve problems to achieve their broader mission. This mindset has really benefited me in the private sector—I approach problems with confidence and try to understand the why before formulating the how.”
Kristi Einhorn
Procurement Director, Target Properties
Military ties: Kristi joined the Air Force in 1998 through an ROTC program, did field training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, and later became a captain, working in Space Command as part of the 21st Space Wing at Cavalier Air Force Station in North Dakota.
On joining Target: “I’ve been a team member for 13 years. I currently lead the marketing procurement team, which purchases and distributes content like Target ads, annual reports and store signing.”
On transitioning to a civilian career: “One important thing I learned during my time in the Air Force was to think through how my day-to-day actions impact others. It’s a skill I carried over to my Target roles, because everything we do in our daily work makes a difference in bringing guests great experiences every day.”
Check out Target.com/military for details, and to learn more about our ongoing support and partnerships happening all year long.
Looking for opportunities to build and develop skills for your career? Explore open roles on our Careers pages and meet more of our team members on The Pulse blog.
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