SALISBURY — Serving in the military helps individuals develop a wide array of skill sets applicable to civilian life, but sometimes that pipeline can be difficult to navigate. An event held in Salisbury on Saturday worked to put veterans transitioning out of the service into purposeful employment.

Initially, the event was scheduled for March 2020, but like most functions that year, it was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Rowan Chamber of Commerce, Rowan EDC, NCWorks, Salisbury VA Health Care System, City of Salisbury, Rowan Tourism Development Authority, NC4ME, and other community partners worked together to bring that program back so people like Anika Myers could take advantage of what it had to offer.

Myers has been in the South Carolina National Guard for six years.

“I recently got back from a deployment in Arizona, so now I am wanting to transition back to civilian work,” Myers said on Saturday. The National Guard member obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina in public health, and now she wants to find work in the healthcare industry.

“There were some positions I was interested in specifically, like the VA health care system,” Myers said. “I went and chatted with them. There was (also) Carolina Caring, and they are supposed to be opening up an office in Fort Mill, which is where I am currently located.”

Myers was among many veterans who traveled to Salisbury for the two-day networking opportunity.

On Friday, the first leg of the event was called Beers & Careers. It was a welcome reception from 4-7 p.m., allowing guests to check in and receive welcome bags at the Paul E. Fisher Gateway Building, followed by the opportunity to network with community partners and employers at New Sarum Brewery.

The following morning came the job fair at the Salisbury VA Health Care System’s gymnasium, which featured approximately 40 employers.

“I did some networking primarily and gave out my resumé to a few different vendors,” Myers said.

If she was offered a job, Myers indicated that she would consider relocating.

“(Salisbury) is not too far from my family or my drilling location, which are my primary concerns,” Myers said.

Myers said she was thankful for the weekend’s opportunity as searching for jobs can feel like a lot.

“The amount of resources is almost overwhelming, but you have so many people dragging you in different directions that it is hard to focus,” she said. “I get excited easily, so reining in my focus and going down one direction is important.

“Veterans have a lot of opportunities, and that is wonderful, but getting things catered to what my desires are is what I ultimately am after.”

Dr. Andrea Baumer is the acting associate director at the Salisbury VA.
“We partnered with the chamber of commerce and the Rowan Economic Development Council and NC Works,” Baumer said. “They used their contacts to reach out to our local employers and invite them to join this job fair and this military talent attraction event.”

Baumer said that veterans are uniquely positioned to transition into the civilian workforce for a number of reasons.

“In my experience, veterans and military members learn so many diverse skills that can be replicated or easily transition to different fields,” Baumer said. “That is one of the great things about the military.

“Teamwork and leadership to the technical skills they learn really translate well into the civil service.”

Baumer has been with the Salisbury VA for two years.

“Our last event was in September, but it was just for the VA,” Baumer said. “This is actually our first event in my time here in Salisbury where we are partnering with the community and inviting all of our community partners for the job fair.

“At our last job fair, we recruited anything from police officers, social workers, and, of course, nurses, we always need nurses. (There are) food service workers, housekeeping aides and dental assistant positions too. We had a wide variety of jobs available right here at the VA.”

Rowan EDC Marketing Communications Manager Mollie Ruf said that more than 200 people attended the fair on Saturday.