Home Base Iowa News

Home Base Iowa Announces Career Planner at Camp Dodge

JOHNSTON – Iowa Veterans and their spouses will now have walk-in access to professional career-planning right here in central Iowa.

Beginning February 8, a career planner from Home Base Iowa will be available at Camp Dodge military base on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Veterans, active duty service members, and their spouses will be able to receive tailored resume assistance, advice on career exploration, and connections to HBI-affiliated employers. HBI career planners also can provide access to valuable career tools, including workshops, mock interviews, and hiring sessions at IowaWORKS job centers, as well as assistance with all pathways to employment, such as apprenticeships, certificates, and higher education.

“Never has there been a greater need for qualified, dependable workers in Iowa than right now,” said Jathan Chicoine, Home Base Iowa program manager. “Home Base Iowa’s on-site career planners will be a valuable resource to our Veterans, active duty members and their spouses in finding meaningful and fulfilling careers in Iowa. This critical new tool will help expand HBI’s outreach across the state while attracting more skilled and qualified employees into Iowa’s workforce.”

Home Base Iowa is a unique initiative that connects Iowa businesses with qualified Veterans and their spouses looking for career opportunities as they transition to civilian life. The program currently partners with just over 2,400 businesses across Iowa. HBI provides resources to help connect Veterans and their families to education and career opportunities when transitioning to a new community.

Walk-ins will be welcome at Camp Dodge, or email HBI@iowa.gov(link sends e-mail) to schedule an appointment. The career planner will be located at:

Education Office, Bldg 3586 (next to the Camp Dodge Exchange)
7105 NW 70th Avenue
Johnston, IA 50131

For more information, visit www.homebaseiowa.gov(link is external).

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Home Base Iowa Businesses Applauded by U.S. Department of Labor for Efforts to Hire Veterans

DES MOINES, IOWA – Gov. Kim Reynolds congratulates four Iowa businesses on being selected to receive 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Awards honoring their commitment to successfully recruiting, hiring, and training Veterans.

The U.S. Department of Labor presented the medallions during a virtual ceremony earlier this week. Three Home Base Iowa businesses – Shinn Kellogg, of Albia; Circle Computer Resources, of Cedar Rapids; and Global Security Services, of Davenport – received platinum-medallions. The fourth company, Comer’s Car-Go, of Lewis, received a gold-level award.

“I commend these Iowa businesses for going the extra mile to support our American heroes that have faithfully served our country,” Governor Reynolds said. “Veterans have tremendous talents and skills to benefit employers and their country. It’s gratifying to see that Iowa companies are putting those skills to work inside their businesses, and we remain wholly committed to making our state the best place for Veterans to find their next careers when they return home.”

As the only federal-level employment award for commitment to Veteran hiring, retention, and professional development, the medallions were awarded to four Iowa companies who were honored along with 845 other U.S. businesses from 49 states and the District of Columbia. Shinn Kellogg, Circle Computer Resources, and Global Security Services all are part of Home Base Iowa, a one-of-a-kind program that connects Veterans and transitioning service members to more than 2,300 businesses, 29 college and university partners and 117 Home Base Iowa communities statewide. To become a member of the Home Base Iowa program, a business must have its own employees; however, businesses such as Comer’s Car-Go that work exclusively with independent contractors are eligible for recognition of their efforts to hire and train Veterans. Currently, Home Base Iowa is engaged in every county across the state to expand on its existing footprint with a focus on new HBI communities, initiatives, and incentives directly targeted at increased Veteran employment.

Jathan Chicoine, Program Manager for Home Base Iowa, said the Vets Medallion recognition sends a great message to Veterans across the country that Iowa is a welcoming employer.

“This is just another example of the extraordinary efforts Iowa companies take every day to make connections with Veterans in search of new careers,” Chicoine said. “Iowans understand the enormous benefits you get in terms of skills and leadership that you get when you hire a Veteran. We must continue to put support behind the local businesses that are leading this charge.”

Founded in 2014, Home Base Iowa (HBI) provides key services to help connect Veterans and their families with education and resources that can assist transition to a new community. The Home Base Iowa website includes a “Find a Veteran” feature that allows business and community partners to log in anytime and search Veteran profiles. Partners are alerted when a Veteran resume is published with matching location and industry criteria. These features allow for connection and outreach by providing a user-friendly platform to find and attract Veterans with the skills they need. For more information, visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov(link is external).

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Home Base Iowa to co-host 11th Annual Iowa Statewide Veterans Conference

DES MOINES - Home Base Iowa (HBI) will partner with the Iowa Academic Council on Education (ACE) to host the 11th Annual Iowa Statewide Veterans Conference on Oct. 13, 2020. The conference will be held virtually on Zoom from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. This year’s theme is “Our Vision Forward: Engaging all of Iowa” and is structured around three general areas of focus: Businesses, Communities, and Institutions of Higher Education. The conference is intended to increase synergy and collaboration across Iowa in support of our Veterans, military personnel and family members.

"Working together, we can make Iowa the state of first choice for Veterans, transitioning military personnel and their families,” said Beth Townsend, Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “This conference will focus on creating new ways to recruit Veterans to Iowa as well as develop more awareness of the benefits to hiring Veterans regardless of the industry.”

“Higher Education is often the first place that many Veterans are reintegrating into civilian life,” said Matt Miller, President of ACE and Director of Veterans Services at the University of Iowa. “We are excited to partner with Home Base Iowa this year to co-host the Annual Iowa Statewide Veterans Conference.”

Governor Kim Reynolds will deliver a message during the conference to recognize the commitment made by over 100 HBI communities statewide. Keynote speakers include Retired Major General Timothy Orr and Brigadier General Shawn Ford, Deputy Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard. The event will also have breakout sessions for participants on topics such as how to become an HBI community and how businesses can leverage HBI to build their workforce.

The event is available at no cost to the attendees. Register for the Zoom webinar with this link. The conference agenda is now available. For more information contact HBI@iowa.gov

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June 19, 2018 - (Vinton, Iowa) State officials announced today that Benton County has received the designation as the 82nd Home Base Iowa Community.

Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend was on hand to recognize and celebrate the accomplishment. The event was hosted by local businesses, community leaders and veterans.

"As a veteran myself, I can tell you this program is making a difference and connecting veterans and transitioning service members with great communities and jobs,” said Director Townsend. “Veterans are strong assets to the workforce and will help Iowa close its skills gap and reach its Future Ready Iowa goal in which 70 percent of the workforce has education or training beyond high school by 2025.”

Momentum for the program has continued to expand with growing support from additional cities, counties and businesses across Iowa.

Home Base Iowa is a one-of-a-kind program assisting veterans and transitioning service members by helping to connect them with almost 2,000 Iowa businesses statewide that have pledged to hire over 10,000 veterans. Home Base Iowa connects veterans with businesses, communities, higher education partners and statewide resources which support veterans.

The Find a Veteran website feature is one of the unique features of Home Base Iowa. Find a Veteran allows Home Base Iowa businesses and communities to log-in anytime and search veteran profiles. They are also alerted by email when a veteran resume is published with matching location and industry criteria. These features allow program partners to directly connect and outreach to veterans by providing a user-friendly platform to find and attract veterans with the skills they need.

Veterans also receive resume and job placement assistance through their local IowaWORKS centers throughout the state.

Iowa offers many incentives to veterans and transitioning service members including no state taxes on military pension and veteran hiring preference, which allows veteran preferential treatment in hiring decisions for both public and private organizations. Additionally, the state of Iowa provides up to $7,500 for the down payment or closing costs of a home through the Iowa Finance Authority Military Homeownership Assistance Program. The state also provides in-state tuition rates for qualifying veterans, their spouses and their dependents.

Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:

Within a designated community, at least 10 percent of eligible, hiring businesses must become Home Base Iowa businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
Community prominently displays Home Base Iowa Community designation, and
Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body

The Benton County has met or exceeded these requirements. For more information on Home Base Iowa, please visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov.

For more information contact:

Jason Kemp
515.822.8951
Home Base Iowa Program Manager
jason.kemp@iwd.iowa.gov

May 30, 2018 (Red Oak, Iowa) – U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst along with other state and local officials announced today that Montgomery County has received the designation as the 81st Home Base Iowa (HBI) Community. Local community leaders, businesses and veterans attended the event at Red Oak’s Historic Downtown Fountain Square Park, near the Veteran Monuments to celebrate.

Home Base Iowa is a one-of-a-kind program to connect veterans and transitioning service members with almost 2,000 businesses statewide who have pledged to hire over 10,000 veterans. In addition to the 81 communities statewide, the program also has 24 college and university partners.

The program connects businesses and communities with veteran job seekers using the “Find a Veteran” feature on the Home Base Iowa website. Find a Veteran allows Home Base Iowa businesses and communities access to all active veteran job seekers who have submitted their resume through the website. The program has had over 250 veteran resumes submitted in 2018.

Businesses and communities are also alerted by email when a veteran resume is published with matching location and industry criteria. These features allow program partners to directly connect and market to veterans by providing businesses with a user-friendly platform to find veterans with the skills they need. Find a Veteran also helps communities market their opportunities and quality of life in order to attract veterans and their families.

Iowa offers many incentives to veterans and transitioning service members including no state taxes on military pension and veteran hiring preference, which allows veteran preferential treatment in hiring decisions for both public and private organizations. Additionally, the state of Iowa provides up to $7,500 for the down payment or closing costs of a home through the Iowa Finance Authority Military Homeownership Assistance Program. The state also provides in-state tuition rates for qualifying veterans, their spouses and their dependents.

Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:

Within a designated community, at least 10 percent of eligible, hiring businesses must become HBI businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
Community prominently displays HBI Community designation, and
Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body

Montgomery County has met or exceeded these requirements. For more information on Home Base Iowa, please visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov.

For more information contact:

Jason Kemp
515.822.8951
Home Base Iowa Program Manager
jason.kemp@iwd.iowa.gov

May 25, 2018 (Columbus Junction, Iowa) – State officials announced today that Louisa County has received the designation as a Home Base Iowa Community, demonstrating its commitment to connecting veterans and transitioning service members to businesses and cities in the county.

Momentum for the program continues to gain support from more and more communities according to Home Base Iowa program manager Jason Kemp, who participated in the Louisa County celebration.

“This program continues to grow and gain support because of wonderful communities that embrace veterans and their families,” Kemp said. “Thankfully we live in a state where people help people, and that’s what this program is all about. With our state’s low unemployment rate and tight labor market, businesses are finding value in hiring veterans.”

Home Base Iowa is a non-profit, public-private partnership that aims to connect veterans along with transitioning and retiring service members to opportunities in Iowa. As veterans seek civilian careers, Home Base Iowa connects them to actively recruiting GI Bill apprenticeship programs and employers statewide. In addition to welcoming communities and excellent jobs, the program also includes veteran-focused educational institutions and opportunities for continued service along with countless resources for veterans and their families.

The one-of-a-kind program is a collaborative effort by the entire state of Iowa to connect veterans and their families to a state that values, honors and repays their service. State and local leaders remain active champions for the program. Home Base Iowa includes almost 2,000 HBI businesses which have pledged more than 10,000 jobs over the next three to five years.

The Find a Veteran website feature is one of the unique features of Home Base Iowa. Find a Veteran allows Home Base Iowa businesses and communities to log-in anytime and search veteran profiles. They are also alerted by email when a veteran resume is published with matching location and industry criteria. These features allow program partners to directly connect and outreach to veterans by providing a user-friendly platform to find and attract veterans with the skills they need.

Iowa offers many incentives to veterans and transitioning service members including no state taxes on military pension and veteran hiring preference, which allows veteran preferential treatment in hiring decisions for both public and private organizations. Additionally, the state of Iowa provides up to $7,500 for the down payment or closing costs of a home through the Iowa Finance Authority Military Homeownership Assistance Program. The state also provides in-state tuition rates for qualifying veterans, their spouses and their dependents.

Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:

Within a designated community, at least 10 percent of eligible, hiring businesses must become HBI businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
Community prominently displays HBI Community designation, and
Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body

The Louisa County has met or exceeded these requirements. For more information on Home Base Iowa, please visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov.

For more information contact:

Jason Kemp
515.822.8951
Home Base Iowa Program Manager
jason.kemp@iwd.iowa.gov

May 3, 2018 (Glenwood, Iowa) – Gov. Kim Reynolds along with other state and local officials announced today that Glenwood has received the designation as the 79th Home Base Iowa (HBI) Community. Local community leaders, businesses and veterans attended the event at the Harvey T. Rimel American Legion Post 141.

“It’s my privilege to congratulate Glenwood on becoming the 79th Home Base Iowa Community,” Gov. Reynolds said. “I’m thankful for Glenwood’s commitment to helping Iowa become the state of choice when it comes to recruiting veterans and transitioning service members to work in our state and make it their home.”

Home Base Iowa is a one-of-a-kind program to connect veterans and transitioning service members with more than 1,900 businesses statewide who have pledged to hire over 9,000 veterans. In addition to the 79 communities statewide, the program also has 24 college and university partners.

The program connects businesses and communities with veteran job seekers using the “Find a Veteran” feature on the Home Base Iowa website. Find a Veteran allows Home Base Iowa businesses and communities access to all active veteran job seekers who have submitted their resume through the website. The program has had over 200 veteran resumes submitted in 2018.

Businesses and communities are also alerted by email when a veteran resume is published with matching location and industry criteria. These features allow program partners to directly connect and market to veterans by providing businesses with a user-friendly platform to find veterans with the skills they need. Find a Veteran also helps communities market their opportunities and quality of life in order to attract veterans and their families.

Iowa offers many incentives to veterans and transitioning service members including no state taxes on military pension and veteran hiring preference, which allows veteran preferential treatment in hiring decisions for both public and private organizations. Additionally, the state of Iowa provides up to $7,500 for the down payment or closing costs of a home through the Iowa Finance Authority Military Homeownership Assistance Program. The state also provides in-state tuition rates for qualifying veterans, their spouses and their dependents.

Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:

Within a designated community, at least 10 percent of eligible, hiring businesses must become HBI businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
Community prominently displays HBI Community designation, and
Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body

The City of Glenwood has met or exceeded these requirements. For more information on Home Base Iowa, please visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov.

For more information contact:

Jason Kemp
515.822.8951
Home Base Iowa Program Manager
jason.kemp@iwd.iowa.gov

March 29, 2018 (Cedar Falls, Iowa) – State officials offer their congratulations today to Black Hawk County for achieving the Home Base Iowa Community designation, demonstrating the commitment to attract and employ skilled veterans to the area.

The designation was given to Black Hawk County at a morning event attended by Jason Kemp, the Home Base Iowa program manager. Local businesses, community leaders and veterans were on hand for the designation.

Home Base Iowa is a one-of-a-kind program to connect veterans and transitioning service members with almost 1,900 businesses statewide who have pledged to hire over 8,000 veterans. In addition to the 78 communities statewide, the program also has 24 college and university partners.

The program connects businesses and communities with veteran job seekers using the “Find a Veteran” feature on the Home Base Iowa website. Find a Veteran allows Home Base Iowa businesses and communities access to all active veteran job seekers who have submitted their resume through the website.

Businesses and communities are also alerted by email when a veteran resume is published with matching location and industry criteria. These features allow program partners to directly connect and market to veterans by providing businesses with a user-friendly platform to find veterans with the skills they need. Find a Veteran also helps communities market their opportunities and quality of life in order to attract veterans and their families.

Iowa offers many incentives to veterans and transitioning service members including no state taxes on military pension and veteran hiring preference, which allows veteran preferential treatment in hiring decisions for both public and private organizations. Additionally, the state of Iowa provides up to $7,500 for the down payment or closing costs of a home through the Iowa Finance Authority Military Homeownership Assistance Program. The state also provides in-state tuition rates for qualifying veterans, their spouses and their dependents.

Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:

Within a designated community, at least 10 percent of eligible, hiring businesses must become HBI businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
Community prominently displays HBI Community designation, and
Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body

Black Hawk County has met or exceeded these requirements. For more information on Home Base Iowa, please visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov.

December 7, 2017 (Ottumwa, Iowa) – State officials extend their congratulations to Wapello County on achieving the Home Base Iowa Community designation.

Wappello County became the 77th Home Base Iowa Community at a Thursday afternoon event featuring two keynote speakers, Brigadier General Randy Warm with the Iowa National Guard and Myron Linn, Deputy Director of Iowa Workforce Development. Local business leaders, community leaders and veterans also attended the event at the Ottumwa Bridge View Center.

Home Base Iowa is a one-of-a-kind program that assists veterans and transitioning service members by connecting them to over 1,800 businesses, 21 college and university partners and 76 other Home Base Iowa communities statewide.

Through the web-based “Find a Veteran” feature, Home Base Iowa businesses and communities are connected to veterans who have submitted their resume online. It also allows users to sort job seeker(s) based upon location and/or primary industry to enable direct contact and marketing to those veterans. This user-friendly platform allows businesses to find veterans with the skills they need and gives communities the ability to attract veterans and their families.

The program’s collaborative efforts help connect veterans and their families to resources and benefits in a state that values and honors their service. These benefits include no state taxes on military pensions, in-state tuition, and down payment assistance and closing costs toward a qualifying home purchase. Iowa also offers a cost of living below the national average and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, currently three percent.

Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:

Within a designated community, 10 percent of the businesses must become Home Base Iowa businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
Community prominently displays Home Base Iowa Community designation, and
Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body

Wapello County has met or exceeded these requirements. To learn more about Home Base Iowa, visit HomeBaseIowa.gov.

For more information contact:

Jason Kemp
515-822-8951
Home Base Iowa Program Manager
jason.kemp@iwd.iowa.gov

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