By Lee Kirby, Co-founder and Chairman of Salute Mission Critical
It should be no secret that the more projects we win the more Veterans we can hire to start their careers in the data center industry. Procurement departments do not know our mission. We compete commercially and win based on glowing references from happy clients and competitively priced services. Client loyalty is the recipe for long term commercial success. We have been blessed by this, and it has been manifested in our continued growth which means each year more veterans find jobs in our industry than the year before. There are so many Salute champions in the industry that it is hard to single out one from another. However, there is one person that has been going beyond the call of duty and surprising us with his commitment, honor and integrity. Three years ago John Hiser (Balfour Beatty) gave Salute a chance to prove itself. We did and have
always exceeded his expectations, so it is natural that we have been able to win even more opportunities with Balfour Beatty Construction. When they are bidding a data center build project, we are one of their subcontractors selected to perform day porter services during construction and then post construction cleaning to prepare for commissioning. The extraordinary thing is, they realize that they are not going to win every deal they bid; however, their commitment to helping solve Veterans’ unemployment is resolute. Their selflessness to the cause of Veterans goes beyond words because when they lose a bid, they still propose that the client use Salute with the winning bidder. In all my years, I have never seen such a gracious gesture and will always be grateful for their support. The lives of Veterans and their families are forever changed when they have the opportunity to earn a living. Jobs give them a chance to change their life and start a career, giving them an opportunity to contribute to the success of the industry, and help other Veterans do the same. Thank you to everyone that has given us a chance to prove the value of Veterans in this data center industry.
