As a veteran-owned company, we are proud to be one of the best trucking companies for veterans and military members and are honored to have veterans and blue-star families amongst our ranks. We understand the value of veteran service and work ethic and strive to honor our veteran drivers year-round.
This year, we received the dignified honor of being named an official National Veteran-Owned Business (NaVOBA). This designation is not given to just any organization; The applicant firm must be at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by one or more U.S. military veterans. At its core, the certification is a protection for both veteran-owned businesses as well as the corporations and organizations that do business with them.
This certification means a lot to us, but especially to U.S. Army veteran and Hirschbach's CEO, Brad Pinchuk, who has known he wanted to own and operate a business from a young age. Growing up, he often earned leadership roles on sports teams, clubs, and in the workplace. In college, he earned an ROTC scholarship while excelling academically and on the football field and met his wife, Jillayne.
“I was an Active Engineer Officer during the first Gulf War. The first platoon I was assigned to had a lot of heavy earth-moving equipment; Bulldozers, scrapers, etc. Unbeknownst to me, [this] started my transportation career,” said Punchuck. Much of his four-year stint was spent overseas where he successfully led groups of 30 to 150 soldiers and earned numerous awards, medals, and promotions.
With a fresh NaVOBA certification, Hirschbach had the opportunity to be featured on Lifetime Television’s ‘Military Makeover: Operation Career,' where we shared stories of our own military veteran employees and their experiences transitioning into their professional civilian life.
We love showing our appreciation for veterans all year round. To celebrate this year's Military Appreciation Month in May, we released new RED Friday t-shirts. Standing for 'Remember Everyone Deployed' this simple mission has spread enterprise-wide, encouraging everyone to participate. You can purchase your own RED Friday T-shirts in two versions:
If you missed our new veteran wrap unveiling event this summer, perhaps you'll see this new custom truck out on the road! OTR driver and 'Best of the Best' Platinum winner, Jamil Alli, was the winner of our 2022 Military Truck Wrap Drawing Giveaway, where he was selected for a free truck wrap designed to his creative specifications. Jamil's 8 years of service in the U.S. Army, which included time in Iraq and Afghanistan, influenced all aspects of the design process. On July 19, 2023, we had the privilege of presenting him with his custom-designed 2024 Freightliner at our East Dubuque terminal.
We were able to display his truck at our Best of the Best ceremony in Dubuque, IA that weekend, where Jamil was also honored with his Platinum award.
Jamil stated, "Having Hirschbach as my employer, providing me the opportunity to design and create a truck that reflects my personal military experiences, is incredibly meaningful." He added, "I am immensely thankful to Hirschbach for making this opportunity a reality."
