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Nov 30, 2023
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Invenergy Celebrates Veterans and Military Families Month
by Invenergy
As Veterans and Military Families Month comes to a close, Invenergy reiterates our appreciation for all those who have served in the United States military.
At Invenergy, we're proud to hire many of these men and women who have been able to put the skills they acquired during their military service to use in the clean energy industry. About 8% of Invenergy employees are military veterans, and the contributions these individuals have made as people and employees have been invaluable.
Below, we're highlighting a few of these exceptional individuals at Invenergy.
Jeremy Hunter, Performance Analytics Manager, Operations Engineering
Please provide details about your service including your branch, rank/title, job, how long, when, and where you served.I joined the Navy two weeks after I graduated high school in 1997 and served on active duty until 2002. I was a gas turbine electrician and reached the rank of second-class petty officer. I spent 18 months on security duty at Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, and three years on the Guided Missile Destroyer USS Mahan.
How did you get your start at Invenergy?
I was working for another renewable energy company in North Carolina and wanted to find a job closer to my family in central Illinois. There was an opportunity on the Operations SCADA Engineering team, so I decided to apply. Fellow veteran Brad Purtell hired me on the PI Support team.
Frank Santiago, Director, Operations Support Systems
Why do you like working in the clean energy industry? I like knowing that what I do has a positive impact on the world around us and that I am contributing to a better future for the generations to come. I also like being in an industry that has a positive outlook, poised for continual growth. What we do will continue to be in high demand for years and even decades to come.
How did your military experience prepare you for your job now? What skills, capabilities, and characteristics transfer over?
My role in the Navy centered around energy production, albeit from a different source, so my transition to a role at Invenergy as a Control Room Operator made sense. I was also familiar with working overnight and in rotating shifts, working from Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and complying with various regulatory bodies. Later in my career with Invenergy, I had to call upon my experience leading a small team in a calibration lab on the USS Carl Vinson as I returned to management in a new role. My team has since grown well beyond the calibration lab personnel I supervised, but the principles and experience remained relevant.
My role in the Navy centered around energy production, albeit from a different source, so my transition to a role at Invenergy as a Control Room Operator made sense. I was also familiar with working overnight and in rotating shifts, working from Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and complying with various regulatory bodies. Later in my career with Invenergy, I had to call upon my experience leading a small team in a calibration lab on the USS Carl Vinson as I returned to management in a new role. My team has since grown well beyond the calibration lab personnel I supervised, but the principles and experience remained relevant.
Megan Glancey, Manager, Renewable Development
What advice do you have for veterans exploring a job in the clean power industry? Be bold and reach out. Veteran representation in clean power is still growing, so you might not find the wealth of network you would in other large industries just yet, but we are working to create and maintain on ramps for new veteran talent.
Don’t be shy, stick your hand out and ask to connect with someone in the industry, you must have those initial conversations to learn what you do and don’t want with your next career.
Can you tell us about some of Invenergy Veterans Network's (IVN) initiatives?
I’m currently the co-chair for Invenergy’s Veteran Network Recruitment Committee. We’re running full force in an active recruiting campaign for junior enlisted members who have the best mechanical training on ships, tanks, or aircraft and could easily translate those skills to turbine or solar panel maintenance, or officer leadership talent that can step seamlessly into a people management role and excel.
Harrison Park, Staff Engineer, Renewable Engineering
What motivated you to join the military? I joined the military shortly after high school because I wanted a relaxing gap year before college. At least that’s the joke I would tell people.
I told myself I wanted to be the best of the best and that I wanted to be a part of something bigger and I wanted to serve my country and all the other things my recruiters told me. I realized later that the actual reason I joined was because I wanted to see what I was capable of. I found out what I was capable of and what I wasn't capable of. I'm happy I found what I was looking for.
How did your military experience prepare you for your job now?
One of the first lessons I learned myself was that making sacrifices for the people to your left and right are always worth it and the people who you had around you are what really matter after the years have passed. I've learned that being compassionate, kind, and supportive has a place even in the military. Keeping a positive mental attitude has helped keep me and the people around me keep high spirits even in difficult times. I try to keep that attitude of kindness, compassion, and support wherever I go. Here, those lessons learned have helped me foster strong working relationships which have led to a level of collaboration and camaraderie I could not have imagined without those lessons.
One of the first lessons I learned myself was that making sacrifices for the people to your left and right are always worth it and the people who you had around you are what really matter after the years have passed. I've learned that being compassionate, kind, and supportive has a place even in the military. Keeping a positive mental attitude has helped keep me and the people around me keep high spirits even in difficult times. I try to keep that attitude of kindness, compassion, and support wherever I go. Here, those lessons learned have helped me foster strong working relationships which have led to a level of collaboration and camaraderie I could not have imagined without those lessons.
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