Friday, March 26th, 2010

In this internet and email age, thank goodness there are those who still value the art of the physical “thank you” note. I was delighted to receive an extremely well-written one in my mailbox from this week’s TopVet Nicholas Pinchuk, CEO of Snap-on (NYSE: SNA).

A fellow Vietnam Veteran, Pinchuk warmly welcomed us to his offices in Wisconsin last month. We exchanged stories about our service and the many ways military service contributes to success in Corporate America. Former 1st Lieutenant Pinchuk is a shining example of success and achievement in American business.

As he told us in an exclusive TopVet interview:

“In Vietnam, you learned the lesson of being confident and collected under pressure. And what you saw more graphically than in any other situation is that in such a pressure environment, your team can get rattled, but they look to you, as their leader, for stability. …They will take their cues from you. They will be confident or concerned, depending on how you react to the situation.”

In Vietnam, Pinchuk led with confidence and by example. Today, under his leadership, Snap-on greatly values these traits in their business. Check out “Snap-on salutes our Veterans,” a special video profiling a career Navy Veteran-turned successful Snap-on franchisee. Here are the lessons learned from military service successfully playing out in the civilian world of work. Snap-on is a proud supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project, an important partner of Veterans Advantage, too.

So, here’s to Nicholas Pinchuk! We honor him for his service and salute him for his achievements and continued leadership in business.

Tags: news, photos, veterans articles
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Friday, March 19th, 2010

We are pleased to announce a new benefit upgrade for Veterans Advantage members. Greyhound honors your service with an increase to 20% Everyday Savings discount (up from our previous discount of 15%). The new 20% off is available every day of the year (no blackouts!) for an unlimited number of trips, and includes your family members. Just show your active Veterans Advantage card at literally thousands of Greyhound locations across America.

If you’ve never traveled by bus before, now is a good time. The buses are new and comfortable. And there’s no advance purchase required.

Greyhound has been recognizing Veterans Advantage membership cards for discounted travel since 2004, and we thank them for going with a deeper discount in honor of those who served and their families.

Tags: travel discounts
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Friday, March 12th, 2010

We were delighted to learn that President Obama is giving $250,000 of his Nobel Peace Prize award to Fisher House. As part of his pledge to donate all of the $1.4 million award, it’s also noteworthy that Fisher House received the largest donation among a group of leading charitable organizations, which included the Clinton-Bush Haiti Relief Fund. This further demonstrates that Fisher House is among the best in American philanthropy.

We are proud of Fisher House, and have been longtime supporters of them as well. Their public/private partnerships are making a significant impact on the lives of the critically wounded and their families.

“The program is now becoming part of the American consciousness,” Chief Executive Ken Fisher told Veterans Advantage in an exclusive interview, our current VetFamily honoree. “It’s slowly but surely starting to gain a lot of momentum.”

Just two days before the announcement, I visited Ken’s offices to present our VetFamily Award to him. I was joined by Roy Asfar, our Vice President of Marketing, and producer of Ken’s VetFamily award designation, as well as Veterans Advantage board members Peter Eldredge and Gerry Byrne. Gerry is also on the Board of Fisher House.

(l. to r. ) Peter Eldredge, Ken Fisher, Scott Higgins, Gerry Byrne

Tags: news, photos, Veterans Advantage Advisory Board, vetfamily
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Monday, March 8th, 2010

As part of our ongoing coverage to bring you up-to-date on combinable discounts (for instance, check out recent news on Dell computer discounts, pet care, Continental Airlines, and Car Rentals), we’re proud to update you on another benefit partner combining discounts and benefits only for Veterans Advantage members.

Omaha Steaks, a leader in the premium foods business since 1917 and actually one of the first companies to launch an e-commerce site in the 1990s, is combining a special 5% discount on retail and sale prices online, by phone or at its retail stores for card-carrying Veterans Advantage members.

When active members log into Members Only, they get access to a special discount link for immediate online discounts, which will be shown at checkout, as well as instructions on how to get the discount offline.

Only two months until outdoor grilling season. Are you ready?

Tags: combinable discounts, news, veterans articles
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Monday, March 8th, 2010

I’m not much for saying “I told you so,” but last month we predicted a big day for the producers of “The Hurt Locker,” which was the clear headliner of last night’s Oscar awards ceremony. With best picture and director honors, its great to see stories of military service continue to gain way into the American conversation.

Tags: Events, veterans articles
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