VERO BEACH — CVS Caremark’s (NYSE: CVS) Distribution Center in Vero Beach is leading the company’s effort to hire veterans and military spouses at its CVS/pharmacy stores, distribution centers, and corporate offices nationwide.
The facility will hold an event to officially launch the hiring effort and to pay tribute to the distribution center’s dozens of colleagues who are veterans. The celebration will include remarks from CVS Caremark’s Chief Diversity Officer and other company representatives, as well as the Presentation of Colors, and the singing of the national anthem.
Each of the facility’s veterans will be presented with a letter of appreciation signed by CVS Caremark President and Chief Executive Officer Larry J. Merlo, as well as a Military Challenge Coin that CVS Caremark gives to colleagues and other veterans as a token of appreciation for their military service.
In April, CVS Caremark joined the national Joining Forces initiative, a White House program aimed at hiring and training 435,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years.
As part of Joining Forces, CVS Caremark has committed to hiring veterans and military spouses for 25 percent of its new hires in logistics and distribution centers nationwide, which equates to about 1,000 jobs over the next four years.
Earlier this year, CVS Caremark was recognized by DiversityInc as one of the Top 10 Companies for Veterans. Larry Merlo also signed the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve’s (ESGR) Statement of Support, reiterating the company’s commitment to uniformed servicemen and women and their families.
“CVS Caremark understands and appreciates the values, skills, and experiences that veterans and military spouses bring to the job. We recognize the sacrifices that veterans and military spouses have made for our country and are honored to provide qualified candidates with meaningful employment opportunities at CVS Caremark.
We are proud of our team’s effort to make hiring veterans and their spouses a priority here in Vero Beach and at our locations across the country,” said David L. Casey, Vice President, Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Caremark.
Thirty-two of the Vero Beach Distribution Center’s 275 employees are veterans. Of those, 22 were hired within the past year. In all, 25 percent of the facility’s management staff are veterans.
“With one million service members transitioning out of the military over the next several years, our company is poised and ready to add more of these talented individuals to our workforce.
Our Vero Beach Distribution Center has been making a concerted effort to hire veterans and military spouses for months, and our team of colleagues has been enhanced because of it,” added Ron Link, Senior Vice President, Logistics, CVS Caremark.
There are more than 5,000 unemployed Veterans in the Vero Beach area, and the distribution center has made it a priority to hire veterans for a wide array of positions.
Later this year, the distribution center will be inviting local Veterans in to learn about career opportunities at CVS Caremark locations across the country.