ALCC members often cite hiring great staff as one of their biggest challenges. If you face a staffing shortage, have you considered hiring a US military veteran? There are many resources available to help you connect with vets and find quality employees. These resources serve the entire state of Colorado, so even if you are along the Western Slope or another town outside Fort Collins/Denver/Colorado Springs, there are tools available to you.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce “Hiring our heroes” program offers:

• Hiring fairs throughout Colorado (and the nation), including a Colorado Springs Military Spouse Hiring Fair on Thursday, March 12, 2015
• Virtual Job Scout and Resume Engine, where you can search the civilian resumes of veterans and their spouses to fill positions (next virtual job fair is February 12, 2015)
• Fast Track, where you can post your jobs for veterans to review
• Free webinars with information about recruiting and hiring veterans
• A customized Employer Roadmap with the information, advice and tools you need to prepare, recruit and empower veterans and military spouses
• And much more at www.uschamberfoundation.org/hiring-our-heroes 

Hire a Colorado Veteran provides information regarding:

• The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which can reduce your income tax liability if you hire a veteran who meets certain requirements
• Connecting Colorado, where you can post a job listing or tap into information about more than 20,000 job seekers who are veterans
• Colorado Veterans’ Employment Offices, located throughout the state, from Grand Junction and Durango to Fort Collins and Lamar and places in between

In 2015, ALCC plans to tap into these resources to connect member companies with a pool of qualified candidates. The first step in this process includes working with a Regional Veterans Employment Representative (RVER) from the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment to bring veterans to the ALCC Landscape Industry Job Fair on Wednesday, February 25, 2015. The job fair will serve the Denver metro area and is open to ALCC members. For more information or to register your company to participate, call 303 757-5611.

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW:
Recruiting 2015: Get outside the box
Diggin’ the dirt: 2015 is International Year of Soil
How does your company measure up?
What’s new in 2015 for ALCC’s Job Fair?