CEO: Jeffrey Edwards
Headquarters: Novi, Michigan
Website: www.cooperstandard.com
COOPER STANDARD TEAMS WITH NASCAR PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR VETERANS
Cooper Standard has a history of supporting military veterans by providing career opportunities and training for men and women transitioning from active service.
Its dedicated Careers for Veterans Program actively promotes the welcoming culture for veterans to join Cooper Standard. This initiative increases public awareness of the advantages of transitioning veterans back to civilian life and actively supports several veteran transition training programs.
The company-wide commitment to recruit, support, and hire veterans transitioning back to the civilian workforce created a campaign inspiring other employers to do the same. The leading global supplier of systems and components for the automotive industry has approximately 30,000 employees in 20 countries.
As part of the program, the Cooper Standard’s internal affinity group, named “Salutes”, provides support in veteran employee orientation, mentoring and coaching, career assistance and workplace networking. The group also works together on many veteran related charitable activities.
TEAMING WITH NASCAR
Cooper Standard has leveraged its partnership with NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski and his team, Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR), to further advance the awareness of its Careers for Veterans initiative. Together, Cooper Standard and BKR have brought national attention to the importance of hiring military veterans since 2013 with the sponsorship of the Careers for Veterans 200 at the Michigan International Speedway.
The event raised funds for non-profit organizations to provide transition training, such as the Next4Vets program developed for returning women veterans who are transitioning from active duty to the workplace. The first Next4Vets class of women graduated in 2014. It also provides funding to expand veteran-oriented scholarship programs in colleges through a partnership with the Manufacturing Institute. Cooper Standard is widely known for embracing diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives to help cultivate a culture of engagement and innovation. The Company’s Career for Veterans initiative is just one of the many programs Cooper Standard supports to encourage and foster a culture of diverse talent.
