Two veterans launch ventures devoted to hiring veterans
Vietnam veterans Tony Accamando and John Piazza live their lives by the motto, “To say ‘thank you for your service’ is not enough. Hire or help a vet.”
Accordingly, some 50 military veterans work at their company, Veterans Cable Services Inc., in Bethel Park.
The business also is home for the nonprofit Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans, which raised $1.3 million in less than two years to provide 60 trained dogs that help veterans cope with the visible and invisible wounds of war, including traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder.
In December, Mr. Accamando of Eighty Four, who served in the Army, and Mr. Piazza of Bethel Park, who served in the Air Force, started a third venture, Veterans Pro Services, also in Bethel Park.
Two plumbers and an auto mechanic have been hired with plans to hire more, along with electricians and heating and air-conditioning specialists. Experienced employees will train new workers, who must have served in the military.
Chad Waseman of Bethel Park was an electrician in the Air Force from 1994 to 1998, stationed in New Jersey. He joined Veterans Cable in July 2014 and is now vice president of Veterans Pro Services. He said he was intrigued by the opportunity to work for companies where everyone is a veteran.
“We have all served,” Mr. Waseman said. “We have the same common denominator that makes us unique. I like giving back to veterans, and that was a selling point.’’
Working for such a firm “is almost like a fraternity,” said Vietnam-era Army veteran Michael Torcasi of Green Tree.
Last fall Mr. Accamando lured him out of retirement to help get the new company up and running. He’s a certified public accountant who is working inrevenue and sales.
Drafted into the Army after he graduated from college, Mr. Torcasi worked as a clerk in Seattle, doing the processing paperwork soldiers needed when they returned from Vietnam. While he did not see combat, he recalled that it still took him “six to eight months to adjust to civilian life” when he left the military.
When Elizabeth Campbell of Jefferson Hills saw an internet ad for a company that hires only veterans, she immediatelycalled for an interview.
“It was very comfortable,” said Ms. Campbell, who served in the Marines from 1994 to 2002, including deploymentsin the Middle East.
She was hired as office manager in June 2017 and enjoys working where “it’s a big family. Everyone looks out for each other. There are veterans here from different eras, but we share aninstant bond.”
The first three employees hired for Veterans Pro Services include Army veteran Justin Reaves of South Park, who has two years of plumbing experience, and Air Force veteran John Bakke of Monaca, a certified master plumber with 27 years of experience.
The third is Thomas Beck of
“A lot were down on their luck. We were their last chance. We never checked references. We hired and trained them no matter what their issues.” Tony Accamando
South Park, who was a jet engine mechanic in the Air National Guard. He worked as an auto mechanic at a car dealership after he left the guard but said he’s happier working with fellow vets.
Veterans make up just 1 percent of the U.S. population, and the consensus of those interviewed is that they’re a bit different than those who have never served in the military. Veterans, they noted, know how to accommodate fellow veterans who may have specialneeds, such as PTSD.
Mr. Accamando and Mr. Piazza originally started Veterans Cable in 1984 just for those returning from Vietnam.
“A lot were down on their luck. We were their last chance,” Mr. Accamando recalled. “We never checked references. We hired and trained them no matter what their issues.”
The company was successful, providing contract workers for cable companies such as Comcast and Armstrong Utilities. After five years, the original company disbanded because contract workers weren’t needed.
Working for years with a number of organizations that helpveterans, especially those who served in war zones, Mr. Accamando said he realized that the best way to help a veteranis to hire a vet.
He noted that veterans don’t receive government checks unless they have a disability or have served for 20 years. They do qualify under the GI Bill for college or some job training programs.
On July 4, 2014, Mr. Accamando and Mr. Piazza restarted Veterans Cable Services in an office at 150 Hillside Drive, Bethel Park, where all of the decor is red, white and blue.
When veterans returned from Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, “there was no welcome home,” Mr. Accamando said. “I think in the last 50 years our country has learned to separate the wars from the warriors.”
Retired soldiers bring “intensive training, discipline and work ethic” to the companies that hire them, says the Veterans Pro Services website, which suggests that other companies should commit to giving 10 percent of their jobs to veterans.
Details: www.vetsproservices.com or 888-745-VETS (8387).
Linda Wilson Fuoco: lfuoco@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1953.