In 2013, 3M Automotive Aftermarket donated $250,000 to programs that help returning military veterans, and honored some 25 veterans who are currently working in auto body repair shops along with their repair shop owners at the November
NASCAR race in Texas.
“The message of ‘Hire our Heroes’ was directed to shop owners and managers, so it felt right to recognize those veterans working in our industry and the owners who employ them,” said Dale Ross, U.S. Marketing Operations Manager for 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division. “The
$250,000 donation was made possible due to the support from our many distributors and collision shop customers through their purchases of 3M products, and we thank them for helping make this program a success in 2013.”
This year, 3M Automotive Aftermarket will expand the Hire Our Heroes program to continue to serve those who served our country. The 2014 program will again include a goal of $250,000 in grants and support for collision repair training delivered through the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF). And this year, CREF and 3M are creating a job matching service to connect graduates of the collision repair programs with auto body shops looking for skilled, qualified employees.
Grants are available for qualifying returning veterans and family members. Grants may be used for tuition, school fees, tools, textbooks and equipment at qualifying technical schools. For additional information and to apply, visit
www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org.
“We are excited to be able to continue the 3M Hire Our Heroes program in 2014 and expand it to provide more resources to our returning veterans who want to pursue education, training and jobs in the collision industry,” said Dale Ross, “We had an opportunity to meet many deserving veterans during the course of the 2013 program and were honored to help with their transition to civilian life and a new career path.”
For 2014, distributors of 3M products and shop owners of collision repair facilities throughout the United States can continue to help support the 3M Hire Our Heroes campaign. For every qualifying purchase by a shop owner of select popular 3M products, 3M will contribute to the campaign, with a goal of $250,000 total. This year, distributor sales professionals who lead the effort can also earn a trip to a NASCAR race in Bristol, Tenn., or a trip to SEMA, the largest automotive show in America.
Shop owners who participate in the program receive 3M Hire Our Heroes promotional materials for their shops to show their support of our country’s veterans.
The ultimate goal of the 3M Hire Our Heroes campaign is to support the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in raising awareness for hiring America’s heroes and help drive employment in the collision repair industry for these deserving veterans and their families. In addition, 3M is a national board member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes program.
For more information on the 3M Hire Our Heroes campaign, contact Ted Guck, 3M Automotive Aftermarket, at [email protected] or visit www.3mcollision.com/hire.
About 3M
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $31 billion in sales, 3M employs 89,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.
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