From both a military and civilian standpoint, this operation was a success. While the danger was minimal, the potential positive impact on the community was great. And by all accounts, the opportunity that Operation Partnership gave active-duty military personnel to get a closer look at TECO was as good for their post-military job prospects as it was for the company that can benefit from their skills and dedication.
Tampa Electric was one of several corporate participants in Operation Partnership, conducted by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce on June 8. The idea behind the annual event is to strengthen ties between MacDill Air Force Base and the business community.
Bruce Napier, senior administrator of Organizational Development with TECO Services, coordinated activities at TECO Plaza, in which more than a dozen team members partnered with visitors from the military.
“TECO has been such an incredibly great place to work for that it only made sense, as I see it – with my background in the Air Force – to open our doors to our valuable community partners at MacDill as well as possible future team members here,” he said.
After breakfast at the Tampa Chamber of Commerce, the visitors and their TECO chaperones met with Senior Vice President of Electric and Gas Delivery Bill Whale at TECO Plaza. Whale, a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, gave the visitors an overview of TECO’s operations and talked about similarities between military culture and the culture of the company.
Then it was down to Franklin Street to get a peek at a key element of TECO’s business strategy: electric vehicles. Keith Gruetzmacher, senior manager of Marketing Services with Peoples Gas and Kenneth Hernandez, program manager for Alternative Fuel Vehicles, gave the group a good look at one of the newest additions to TECO’s Green Fleet, the electric Cadillac ELR.
Lead Line Supervisor Tony Faison – one more military veteran at TECO with six years in the Air Force behind him – said he heard only great feedback from the group from MacDill.
“I talked to each and every one of them; they’re looking for a good company to work for,” he said. “One question I heard more than once was, ‘If I get hired, will I be stuck in one place?’ And I told them absolutely not – I’ve changed positions many times. What you put into it is what you get out of it; you just have to apply yourself.”
For several visitors, applying themselves at TECO starts with applying for a job with the company. That includes Tech Sgt. Erik Chenault.
“TECO’s a great community-based company; the long tenures of its employees speaks volumes about how well they’re treated and how much they like working here,” Chenault said – adding that he planned to send TECO his resume that afternoon.
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