The Sword - March 2016

In This Issue

Orion International Announces Acquisition of Novotus

Orion International: January 1991 - January 2016 - Celebrating 25 Years of Success

National Distinguished Candidate Conference 

Upcoming Hiring Conferences

According to Our Clients Meet Our Candidates

Refer a Colleague to Hire Military Talent

Connect with Orion

Orion International Announces Acquisition of Novotus

Military Talent Firm Combines with Leading RPO Provider

January 25, 2016 (Raleigh, NC & Austin, TX) - Orion ICS, LLC (Orion International), the nation's largest military talent acquisition firm, announced today that it has acquired Novotus, a leading provider of Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and Recruiting Services..

"Orion has spent 25 years establishing ourselves as the market leader in Military Recruiting. With the acquisition of Novotus, we unite the nation's top Military Talent Firm with a top, award-winning RPO firm," said Mike Starich, Chief Executive Officer of Orion. "This powerful combination will enable each company to leverage the strengths of the other, and provide greater impact and opportunity for both our customers and candidates."

Following the acquisition, Novotus will be led by President Cory Kruse. "We are very excited to leverage Orion's sales engine to fuel our growth, offer a legitimate and highly potent military talent offering to our customers, and to offer end-market diversity and scale to Orion's growth."

Founded in 2002, Novotus is an established full service recruiting organization and leader in RPO. Based in Austin, TX, Novotus was recognized as the number one ranked Mid-Market RPO Provider by HRO Today in 2014, and member of the Baker's Dozen in the Enterprise category in 2015.

"Orion International is the largest military talent firm in the country combining forces with one of the leading RPO firms," explained Elliot Clark, CEO of SharedXpertise Media LLC, publisher of HRO Today Magazine. He continued, "It will be a unique and valuable offering for companies seeking RPO with a tried and true military talent component."

Learn more about Novotus.

Orion International: January 1991 - January 2016 - Celebrating 25 Years of Success

Founded by five former JMOs in 1991, Orion celebrates its silver anniversary this year. Two of our original founders, Bill Laughlin, and Randy Nelson, continue to serve on Orion’s Board of Directors today. The guiding principle of the five founders was, first and foremost, teamwork. The partners succeeded as a team due to their cooperation, sharing of ideas, and financial decisions, which benefited the group rather than the individual. The three foundations for the new venture were Clients, Candidates, and the Team. Twenty-five years after its inception, these principles and foundations have helped Orion find careers for more than 36,000 veterans.

Orion opened its doors on January 7, 1991, with headquarters in Raleigh, NC; and offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In its first year in business, Orion found careers for 95 transitioning Officers within 25 companies, including Target, Pfizer, Schering-Plough, DHL, ABB Power, Alcoa, GE Energy, and Ingersoll-Rand. Positions were primarily in Pharmaceutical Sales, Distribution, and Retail Management. Orion’s very first placement was Jon Fulton, a USNA

Orion’s very first placement was Jon Fulton, a USNA Graduate and five-year Navy Nuclear Officer. Fulton turned to Orion after a disappointing experience with another recruiting firm. Fulton says “After talking with my recruiter, Bill Laughlin, I felt like he knew who I was, what I was capable of doing, and had my best interests in mind as he sought to place me with the right position and company.” The company and position were certainly the right fit, as Fulton will celebrate his 25th anniversary with Alcoa in April of this year! After three years in business, Orion became the first military recruiting firm to find careers for Enlisted Technicians and Non-Commissioned Officers. After seeing success in placing Officers, the team decided to try finding careers for

After three years in business, Orion became the first military recruiting firm to find careers for Enlisted Technicians and Non-Commissioned Officers. After seeing success in placing Officers, the team decided to try finding careers for NCOs, and tested the idea with several well-established clients. This proved very successful, and Orion is the undisputed leader in Enlisted Technician and NCO placement today. 

In 2010, Orion again expanded our offerings to Veterans and demonstrated an industry-leading mindset by becoming the first Military Talent Firm to work with non-technical Combat Arms service members. Since then, Orion has matched nearly 2000 Combat Arms veterans with civilian careers. Orion’s 25th anniversary also marks the company’s fourth year of partnership with the White House Joining Forces Program. Highlights of this partnership include Orion alumni being asked to speak at Joining Forces events with First Lady Michelle Obama, media coverage, as well as multiple features on the White House blog. In the last several years, Orion has pioneered several new offerings for clients. From our Military Talent

In the last several years, Orion has pioneered several new offerings for clients. From our Military Talent Programs, to the Distinguished Candidate Conference, and Temp-to-Perm Staffing, we continue to demonstrate Innovation and Excellence at every turn by leveraging the far-reaching networks they’ve spent 25 years developing. Orion’s top clients today include industry leaders like Siemens, Whirlpool, SpaceX, Honda, Phillips 66, Honeywell, and Wrigley.

It seems fitting that Orion was named after one of the most prominent constellations in the sky. Twenty-five years after five former JMOs decided to make a difference in the military recruiting world, Orion has grown into the nation's leading Military Talent firm. As we celebrate this important anniversary, our mission at Orion holds steady:

To strengthen American Business with Best-in-Class Military Talent, through the relentless pursuit of excellence and unwavering commitment to our Nation's Military Professionals.

Learn more about Orion's services for companies interesting in hiring veterans here.

National Distinguished Candidate Conferences

Mark your calendar for our upcoming National Distinguished Candidate Conferences:

March 7-8, 2016 in Dallas, TX 

April 25-26, 2016 in Philadelphia, PA

Since 1991, our clients have told us that the most important factor in deciding to hire military through an agency is the Quality of Candidate. Our unique Distinguished Candidate Conference is designed to recruit, assess, screen, and present the top military candidates for your hiring needs. In 2014, nearly 100 client companies strategically hired Orion’s Military Officers through our Distinguished Candidate Conferences, with over 40% making multiple hires.

Orion’s Distinguished Candidates are carefully selected and represent the very top tier of Military Officers transitioning from Active Duty. They are seeking careers in growth roles including Leadership Development, Operations Management, Engineering, and Sales.

Our Junior Military Officer Candidates at these National Events:

In addition, Orion’s Executive Leadership Team will be available throughout the event to meet and discuss your company’s talent planning and how our dedicated on-boarding programs, assessment tools, and other enterprise-scale service offerings may be able to support your organization in 2015 and beyond.

What do our clients have to say about the caliber of candidates at an Orion Distinguished Candidate Conference?

"Our experience at Orion's Distinguished Candidate Conference was a great success. The candidates were of the highest caliber and extremely well matched for our Leadership Development Program. This event enabled us to hire 5 outstanding JMOs very efficiently, saving weeks of time. I look forward to seeing the impact these new leaders will have on BP." - Program Manager, BP

The Distinguished Candidate Conference enables you to develop a strong pipeline of future leaders and foster strategic organizational growth.

Learn more about our Distinguished Candidate Conferences and discover for yourself the impact a Military Officer can have on your organization.

Upcoming Hiring Conferences

Orion Military Hiring Conferences - Interview Junior Military Officers, Noncommissioned Officers and Enlisted Technicians Recruited for your Hiring Needs

An Orion Hiring Conference is your chance to interview the best military job seekers, selected specifically for your open positions. You will be presented with prescreened, qualified and suitably matched veterans that are interested in your available opportunities. Click on the dates below to learn more about our upcoming hiring conferences.

According to Our Clients

“Orion provided us with many qualified candidates. The hard part was choosing which ones we wanted. We were very impressed with the quality of candidates we were able to interview." - Ryan Carr, Equipment Engineer, X-Fab Texas

"We were very impressed with the candidates at the Hiring Conference we attended and how they presented themselves. Several of those we interviewed were extremely capable and would be great additions to any organization with potential to move to senior leadership." - Tom Malloy, Project Executive, Swinerton Builders

"We discovered this Hiring Conference by accident but wanted to attend. Our Account Executive was so very helpful in making this happen. This was one of the best hiring events I have ever been to." - Cynthia Jones, HR Manager, Interplex Nascal, Inc. 

Meet Our Candidates

Refer a Colleague to Hire Military Talent

Is your company or that of a friend or colleague in need of military talent? For every referral you provide, you will be automatically entered into our monthly drawing for a $50 gift card. Even better, if your referral results in a hire, you will personally receive a $100 gift card as our way of saying thank you. As always, we will maintain your privacy and never share your information nor that of your referral.

Click here to refer a colleague to hire military talent!

Connect with Orion

Did you know that there are several ways to connect with Orion and learn how veterans impact the civilian workforce?