By Tom Frana, Chairman and CEO, ViON Corporation
Working with many government agencies and veterans who have served or continue to serve our nation in government and commercial IT organizations has been ViON’s privilege for over 39 years. Growing up in a military family as well as serving in the military, you appreciate the sacrifices our military make on behalf of the citizens of our country. One common characteristic has always struck me over the years, after countless interactions with our customers:
Veterans have an intense sense of mission that supports their passion, community and innovation.
This is one of the many reasons why our company hires veterans and the IT community that ViON has been a part of is a strong community as we support the government’s mission. I am fortunate to be surrounded by a team of veterans and civilians who feel the same way. As you look at key functions like securing our borders, protecting the United States’ interests and providing humanitarian aid, you will undoubtedly see that many of the men and women behind this domestic heroism have military backgrounds.
Mission in Action
After Hurricane Katrina wiped out a major data center in Louisiana, it created a huge ripple effect. At that time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) managed a significant portion of payroll for Federal employees in the New Orleans Naval Air Station Joint Reserve and this shutdown left them unable to process payroll. There was simply no way for people to get to work or manage the facility, despite herculean efforts. The event affected people both inside and outside the storm zone, leaving them indefinitely vulnerable. When ViON heard about this situation, the entire team was determined to find a way to protect the mission. We pulled together and populated a back-up center in Philadelphia with enough computer technology for the USDA to take over key aspects of the finance center and get the employees paid. Thanks to the expertise of this extremely dedicated and experienced team of project and technology managers that serve our clients’ daily needs, this all happened within a matter of days. That’s mission in action and the spirit of the soldier we see at work every day by veterans now serving in civilian roles.
As we work to innovate with our government customers and our OEM partners, creating solutions that have actionable results to help our country maintain the safety of every citizen or enable AI to deliver better outcomes, we have come to rely on veterans to be part of our teams. We need their experience and skills as we solve highly complex problems and I feel strongly that our nation is better because of that teamwork! Today, please take a moment to honor all those veterans in your organization and thank them for their service!