Washington answers National Hire-A-Vet Day call

  • Employers
  • Job seekers

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Two women talk in front of the Cox Automotive booth at a hiring fair in Tacoma.
A job seeker connects with a representative from Cox Automotive at the job fair. Cox Automotive was one of 3 winners of the YesVets Employer of the Year Award.

July 25 was National Hire-a-Vet Day, and Washington celebrated by supporting veterans.

YesVets state partners hosted a successful National Hire-a-Vet Day Job & Resource Fair at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

More than 100 employers and community resource organizations met with nearly 200 veterans and military spouses at the event. Employers interviewed attendees for dozens of open public and private sector jobs.

WorkSource staff offered free help with resume writing and interview preparation. Mobile Teams International — a dental clinic — offered free dental care. Veteran-owned food trucks sold coffee and barbecue favorites.

Before the event started, Employment Security Commissioner Cami Feek and Department of Veterans Affairs Director David Puente presented 3 Washington employers with YesVets Employer of the Year Awards. Feek and Puente honored U.S. Fire Equipment of Sumner, Aero Controls of Auburn and Cox Automotive for their exemplary work hiring, retaining and promoting veterans.

Cami Feek visits with workers at the Aero Controls booth at the job fair.
Employment Security Commissioner Cami Feek (standing) visits Aero Controls, Inc. at the job fair. The Auburn company won the YesVets medium-sized Employer of the Year Award for their efforts to recruit, hire and train veterans and military spouses.

The Seattle Seahawks donated a football autographed by player Coby Bryant. Employers who hired a veteran at the fair entered a drawing for a chance to win. Kasiano Lafaele from Veterans Security Operations was the lucky recipient.

“It was incredible to see the energy at this event,” said Hannah Schoepp, veterans employment representative at Employment Security. Schoepp led the months-long planning and organization for the job fair. [SH1] 

“We made sure veterans had access to what they needed,” she said. “This event was all about showing up for those who served — and our Washington community delivered.”

In addition to the Employment Security Department, the YesVets partnership comprises:

Read more about YesVets on the Employment Security website.

Staff from Pierce County WorkSource offices help a job seeker with their resume at the job fair.
Staff from WorkSource Pierce and WorkSource Joint Base Lewis-McChord offer resume-writing and other help to a customer during the job fair. Behind the booth from left are Yaroslav Hnatiuk, Lely Shim and Cherish Hinkle.