Starbucks Honors Military Employees
By Megan Zielinski, contributing writer
On July 3, Starbucks introduced their new patriotic, personalized aprons, featuring the American flag, worker’s name and their military affiliation, honoring the Starbucks employees who have served and working military spouses.
The first to receive the symbolic aprons included 20 military employees at Starbucks first military Community Store located in Lakewood, Washington, nearby the huge Joint Base Lewis-McChord, serving mainly military customers. Also at this store, with each purchase, Starbucks donates ten cents to nonprofit Tacoma Goodwill—one of 12 Goodwill agencies in the US committed to assisting veterans and their families shift from military life to a successful civilian life though Operation: GoodJobs—a free program, providing veterans with job placement, skills training, a job holding service, counseling from licensed therapists, financial education, family services, and positive reinforcement. Goodwill and Operation: GoodJobs works with hundreds of local businesses to find the right match for companies and job-seeking veterans. “With Joint-Base Lewis-McChord in our back yard, we’re seeing many young men and women returning home from the battlefield and facing difficulties transitioning back into civilian life, because they need assistance with job training, skills building and support services. Goodwill believes it’s absolutely imperative that we give each of these veterans everything they need to succeed,” said Goodwill CEO Terry Hayes.
Starbucks plans to issue out more military aprons this year to employees who sign up at Starbucks Roll Call—a site where veteran employees enter their name, branch, position, store location, and to share their Starbucks story for others to read. The page goes hand-in-hand with Starbucks ongoing commitment to hire 10,000 veterans and spouses by 2018. “Our servicemen and women lead in complex environments, build teams, and are natural managers of people and resources to get things done. That’s why hiring veterans isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also a smart business decision,” said Colonel Rich Morales, Executive Director, Joining Forces, in the 2013 announcement.
The new aprons are a way for customers to recognize these workers for the sacrifices they’ve made for our country. “This extra identification on aprons will help create an even stronger relationship between our partners and customers who have a military connection,” said Cliff Burrows, group president, U.S., Americas, and Teavana.