Chairman Ball Unveils Jobs Bills for Veterans

Brewster, N.Y.-- 3/5/2012-- Today at 1:30 p.m. several service disabled veterans will address the Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs committee in support of Senator Ball’s bill,S2423, which would give service disabled veterans preference on state contracts.

“The state of New York needs to strengthen opportunities in state contracting for service-disabled veteran owned small businesses,” said Senator Greg Ball (R, C – Patterson), who is the Chairman of the Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs committee. “The extraordinary service rendered to our state and the United States by veterans with disabilities incurred or aggravated in the line of duty during active service with the armed forces is worthy of providing a contract preference to all service-disabled veteran businesses. With the number of our veterans growing, and with their service and risk of disability increasing due to foreign conflicts, this bill would provide a small measure of recognition and support that this group of selfless men and women so deserve.”

Christopher Byrne, the director Summit Security Services, hires service disabled Veterans and is a Veteran himself. Byrne said his company has started a program call ‘The Hero Campaign: From Deployment To Employment’ to help place Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It’s important to me personally because I myself am a combat vet. I know what these men and women have been through. Hiring service disabled vets is not just the charitable thing to do, but the right thing to do,” Byrne said. “These men and women have a skill set that is unparalleled in the civilian sector. They are used to challenging situations where failure is not an option.”

John Fernandez , a service disabled Veteran who runs his own small business, said this bill is a big thank-you to the men and women who served our country.

“I think this is something that is totally necessary because Veterans make a choice to serve this country and that choice should not disadvantage them,” Fernandez said. “ Instead, they should be honored. No Veteran wants a hand out. We’re just asking for the playing field to be leveled.”

Drexel Hamilton is a full-service institutional broker-dealer founded on the principal of offering meaningful employment opportunity to disabled veterans desiring a career in financial services.

 President of Drexel Hamilton, James Cahill said, “Our Veteran’s have fought to protect our country and to prevent another 9-11 from happening. Our goal is to help the service men and women transition back into the financial community by attracting real wall street talent to help those that have given so much for us.”