The bond among those who have served as one of the few and the proud is felt even between strangers. I met Nick through an ad and we made a connection, said Rocky Jones, a retired Marine and now Senior Supervisor for the Alexandria-based moving company Two Marines and a Truck.
Id been in the moving business for a long time and when I met Nick Baucom I felt that we had similar backgrounds, goals and ideas of where to take a company.
Baucom had just spent six years in the Marine Corps. I made my decision to join up after the 9/11 attacks and I was in Iraq during the march to Baghdad from Kuwait. I spent six years in the Marines with three years of total active duty time. I spent six months as a recruiter, honing my sales skills and signing young men up for the Marines. I got out holding the billet of platoon sergeant in April 2008.
Two Marines and a Truck came into existence on November 10, 2008. For those not affiliated with the Marine Corps, that auspicious day just happens to be the Marine Corps birthday. Hoorah! I have always owned my own business and I was looking to work with people who had the same values, said Baucom. I met Roland Rocky Jones who had been in the Marines for four years and he already was in the moving business. I had been helping friends move and I had heard stories about bad moves. A moving company staffed with former Marines seemed like a good idea.
On November 11, the new company began the process of getting licensed and obtaining their Department of Transportation Motor Carrier License. Today they have seven Marines working for them and one of them is an active duty colonel at the Pentagon.
Brian Giesen is a very satisfied Two Marines and A Truck customer. I looked online for movers. I had heard a lot of horror stories and I was cautious. When I saw the information on Two Marines and a Truck, the name stuck out to me. Marines, I felt they would be reliable and there was a trust factor, Giesen said. I was right. They were on time, finished an hour ahead of schedule and what blew me away was how well organized everything was when they brought it inside my new place. These are great, trustworthy guys whove served our country and are extremely fast, efficient and skilled movers.
What I like about working with Marines is that we all chewed on the same bone, said Baucom. We speak the same short-hand Marine talk and we are chain-of-command oriented. Baucom believes that the moving business is pretty recession proof and that because they give a square deal, are upfront and honest, there is an opportunity for them to grow regionally and then nationally as a company.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, veterans are being hit pretty hard by the downturn in the economy and are retuning to prior places of employment that are now closed or finding reduced opportunities. To help veterans, the Department of Labor is focused on the need for employers to provide veterans and eligible spouses advancement opportunities. Veterans possess unique attributes that enable them to make significant contributions in the workplace, said Charles Ciccolella, Assistant Secretary of Labor for veterans. They are an important source of highly skilled and experienced talent and play a key role in regional workforce development strategies.
Hire Vets First is a web site of the Department of Labor that has resources for returning vets and employers who wish to hire them. The site gives 10 reasons to hire a vet, and as a part of the Presidents National Hire Veterans Committee, stresses that hiring Veterans of Americas armed forces is not just goodwill. It is good business.
Baucom agrees: We are customer service focused and my Marines are always professional. It is nice having that trust. I and the customer know what to expect from my crews.