Marine Corps Veteran Finds Success at Cintas
Attracting military members, both active duty as well as veterans, has always been an objective for Cintas. It can be traced back to its founder Dick Farmer, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps before he eventually founded the company.
The military’s cultures and values align well with Cintas’, and David Coe knows this well. The Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Cintas grew up in a military family, leading to serving in the Marine Corps.
“I grew up in a family with a strong tradition of military service,” said Coe. “My dad was a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War, I had uncles who also served during Vietnam, and my grandfather served in World War II.”
While there was never any expectation for David to serve, he ruminates it was always in the back of his mind and he felt inspired to join.
David served in the Marines for nearly ten years, six of which were active duty and more than three years in the reserves. He was deployed to Iraq once during his service.
David credits the skills and capabilities he learned during his experience in the Corps with his success in the workplace.
“The military is a terrific place for individuals to learn work ethic, communication and problem-solving skills, professionalism, goal setting, and how to truly become part of a team to accomplish things that would be impossible as an individual,” said Coe.
He believes the same skills he learned in the military that have led to his success at the Fortune 500 company are why many other veterans also excel here. There are currently more than 1,400 self-identified veterans employed by Cintas in various roles across the company.
“Regardless of which military branch Cintas partners may have served in, there are so many great characteristics that they can apply to our business,” said Coe. “It’s all about hard work, integrity, professionalism and being part of a team.”
While these characteristics can be applied to roles at other companies, it’s the attitude and mindset of being a part of something that's bigger than oneself that David feels sets Cintas apart. He shares this as a key reason why so many Cintas employee-partners who have served in the military find success at Cintas.
“Everything about what we do here at Cintas is rooted in taking care of our partners and our culture,” said Coe. “We want to be a great resource and a fantastic provider to our customers and make their experience working with us truly world-class, no matter what service line, product, or division we're supporting them with. At the same time, we also want to make working at Cintas a fantastic experience for our partners. So much of that, I really believe, aligns with a very similar philosophy of the core values that guide our military today.”
David and others at Cintas have found partners and military members with similar qualities through VALOR.
VALOR is one of the six Partner Business Resource Groups (PBRGs) at Cintas that helps build an environment where those transitioning from active military to civilian life can thrive and excel.
“There are so many aspects about VALOR that I think really make a difference in the day-to-day lives of our partners,” said Coe. “Because whether you are a partner who is a veteran, has a connection to our military, or you just align with what our military is all about, there is a community waiting for you in VALOR.”
David says that VALOR, like all the PBRGs at Cintas, allows employee-partners to feel a connection with one another, to see another side of someone and see how much Cintas does for its partners, the people they serve and the businesses supported by Cintas partners each day.
“It’s great to be a part of a company like Cintas where so much of our culture is rooted in taking care of customers and our employee-partners,” said Coe. “But being able to have resource groups inside the company that take this even a little bit further and help create a sense of community helps make Cintas really stand out versus other employers.”