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Marysville chamber’s military affairs committee Members of the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce’s new military affairs committee include Melissa West, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Marysville, committee chair and former military spouse; Caldie Rogers, president and chief executive of the chamber and former Russian linguist for the U.S. Army Security Agency; Emily Baarson, Washington state Trade and Economic Development, Seattle, active military spouse; and Jesse Bennett, Fleet & Family Life Consultant, Marysville. Others include Dr. David Beyer, president, Everett Community College; Robert Brock, Rodland Toyota, Everett; Steve Chilson, Lasting Impressions Signs & Designs, Marysville; David Chin, Go Small Biz, Everett; and Deanna Dawson, Snohomish County Economic Development office, Everett. Janet Duffy, Residential Management Inc., Marysville; Marge Edwards, former military spouse, Arlington; Pamela Flemions, Marysville; Joe Frew, Frontier Associates, retired Air Force, Lake Stevens; Patti Gobin, Tulalip Tribes, Tulalip; Teri Gobin, Tulalip Tribes TERO, Tulalip; Richard Huling, Naval Station Everett; and Cmdr. Donald Leingang, executive officer, Naval Station Everett. Patrick Martinez, WorkSource, Everett; John McKeon, McKeon & Associates, Marysville; Marci Miller, Horizon Bank, Marysville; Rebecca Mulhollen, WorkSource, Everett; John Patterson, U.S. Department of Defense, Snohomish; Jim Pederson, Naval Station Everett; and Paul Pukis, American Family Insurance, Navy veteran, Mill Creek. Patti Samsel, Columbia College, Navy veteran and spouse, Marysville; Marilyn Sheldon, Tulalip Tribes, Tulalip; Lenny Simpson, WorkSource, retired Navy veteran; Mike Warden, Quil Ceda Tanning, Marysville; and Rick Williams, Naval Station Everett, Navy veteran.

CONTACT SCBJ John Wolcott, Editor jwolcott@scbj.com Dave Clark, Assistant Editor dclark@scbj.com

Spouse’s story spurs chamber action

By John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor

The community crusade to create a friendly hiring environment in Snohomish County for military dependents began nearly 18 months ago when Caldie Rogers, the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce’s president and chief executive, received a tearful call from a young woman she had raised and mentored for many years.

She had a four-year business administration degree and a master’s degree in international business, as well as eight years of growth in her career, including achievement awards. Having just married a military officer, she began a job search with businesses at his new duty station and soon had two major companies competing to hire her. But when the potential employers discovered she was a military spouse, they each withdrew their job offer.

Starting over, she sent out nearly 100 carefully researched job inquiries. Used to receiving a 95 percent response to her resumes, she was surprised that no one responded — until she changed her base mailing address to a post office box. Then, nearly every resume brought a response. Ultimately, however, all successful job offers ended when she revealed she was a military spouse.

It also was disheartening, Rogers said, because the woman saw “help wanted” signs all through the community, signs that noted military spouses should not apply.

“I had lunch with Rear Admiral William French, then the commander of Navy Region Northwest; Captain Eddy Gardiner, then the commanding officer of Naval Station Everett; and Commander Donald Leingang, executive officer for Naval Station Everett. I learned that this problem has become one of the top major concerns of the armed forces today and that since September 11, this hiring bias has expanded to include military reservists and their families,” she said.

She took the subject to the chamber’s board of directors during a retreat, and they were “equally outraged at what has become the norm in seasoned military communities. … We wanted to ensure that this would never happen in our new military community in Snohomish County.”

At the board’s next meeting, it unanimously approved formation of a military affairs committee to address the hiring issue and prepare plans to create a friendly hiring environment in the county’s business community for military families.

Actually, the September summit meeting on the hiring environment would have happened months earlier, Rogers said, but so many cities, businesses and military leaders were offering support that it had to be delayed to include everyone’s efforts, support and appearance at the program.

“Every branch of service has its own Special Forces, known collectively as the ‘silent professionals,’” Rogers said at the launching of the Military Family Friendly Employment Partnership Initiative. “But the resilience of those left behind manning the home front to free these brave men and women to focus on the defense of our great nation has directly contributed to the success of the most powerful military force in the world.”

Perhaps, she suggested, the true “silent professionals” are those who stay behind, and they need the support of their communities in an environment “that is and will remain military family friendly.”

Related: Program encourages hiring of military spouses