Sands Hires its First Corporate Team Member through the Hiring Our Heroes Program

After participating in the Hiring Our Heroes program at corporate headquarters this past year, Sands hired its first program fellow in early 2025.

Chase Jackson recently completed his service in the U.S. Air Force as a Technical Sergeant, Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) journeyman/Joint Terminal Attack Controller instructor and was matched with Sands as an HOH fellow last fall. He joined the company as a cybersecurity analyst at the culmination of his fellowship in January.

It’s no coincidence that Sands’ first HOH hire was in cybersecurity. The company was introduced to the program by Doug Medley, director of Cybersecurity, who also participated in HOH.

“HOH was one of many Department of Defense SkillBridge opportunities presented to me during my Transition Assistance Program briefings,” Medley said. “As an HOH alum, I felt it was important to add a pathway for separating service members to work in positions not associated with the government. Since I saw first-hand the win-win situation the program offers, it only made sense to bring it to Sands.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s HOH program is offered to military service members, veterans, and military spouses. Launched in 2011, Hiring Our Heroes connects the military community with American businesses to spur economic opportunity and a strong, diversified workforce. The program aims to create meaningful employment opportunities through hiring events, digital programs, upskilling opportunities and fellowships.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation connects participating host employers to its rich pipeline of military talent for a 12-week fellowship. Candidates are carefully matched with participating companies based on their specific skills and company needs. Once fellows are assigned to a host company, they undergo exclusive on-the-job training and are able to gain work experience in the private sector. This real-world training is augmented by weekly educational sessions held for the HOH cohort working in various company assignments.

“The host company gets access to a large group of professionals with a wide variety of skillsets and experience levels to grow and sustain their team,” Medley said. “They also get to know a candidate and determine suitability for a role without all the costs associated with hiring a team member or paid intern. Service members get to learn about a company while still receiving their military pay and benefits. This allows them more flexibility and opportunities to find a job that is the right fit for them.”

Jackson found Sands and the cybersecurity team to be a great fit for his desired professional environment.

“The individuals who work here respect people who are willing to work hard,” he said. “Co-workers go above and beyond to help those that want to learn. Management goes above and beyond to accommodate personal life events such as appointments, emergencies, etc. This means a lot to me because added flexibility provides more control in personal “life” situations.”

With his positive experience, Jackson encourages other members of the military community to consider the opportunities that Hiring Our Heroes can offer.

“I think the benefits of the program are awesome for people who know the company they want to work for as well as those that have no idea what company they want to work for,” he said.
“From personal experience, we usually have no idea what we want to do after leaving the military. HOH gives transitioning service members the chance to market their skills for roles outside the military, honing in on what fields best suit their learned skillsets. I honestly could not have had a better experience.”

Sands’ participation in Hiring Our Heroes is part of the company’s ambition to contribute $200 million globally to workforce programs from 2021-2025. As of the end of 2023, Sands had contributed $181 million to programs in this area and will update on its 2024 progress in its next ESG report to be published this spring. To learn more about the company’s priority on workforce development, read the most recent ESG report: https://www.sands.com/resources/reports/