NEWS RELEASE - April 13, 2008

"Operation Hometown USA"

   ASweetwater will host a major national career placement event for military veterans on Friday and Saturday, April 18-19. "Operation Hometown USA" will focus on transitioning men and women from the U.S. military to long-term, high-paying careers in the wind energy industry, where hundreds of jobs are currently available across West Texas.
Wind energy leaders such as GE Wind, Blattner, Concrete Mobility, Barr Fabrication, Brown Brothers, and many more will showcase the event.
in addition, the job fair and career placement activities will be open to non-veterans, as well as to non-wind major employers, such as Ludlum Measurements, Inc., Buzzi Unicem, the Texas Department of Criminal justice, various oil companies, and others across the region. Veterans will be given VIP "front of the line" treatment at the events.
Operation Hometown USA will involve professional skills seminars for veterans at TSTC on April 18, as well as a job fair in the Student Center at TSTC. Activities at TSTC will begin at 1:00 p.m. and last until 5:00 p.m.
On Saturday, April 19, career placement and hospitality activities will take place at Sweetwater High School. The career lacement event will consist of employer interviews, job placement testing, and actual job offers, where possible. Activities at SHS will begin at 9:00 a.mn. and conclude at 3:00 p.m.
Operation Hometown USA is cooperative effort of such groups as the West Texas Wind Energy Consortium, Training, Texas, Texas State Technical College West Texas, Sweetwater Enterprise for Economic Development (SEED), Sweetwater Chamber of Commerce, Mitchell Country Board of Economic Development, West Central Texas Workforce Board, Green Collar Vets (www.GreenCollarVets.org), the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association, and six Sweetwater hotels.
Green Collar Vets is a Dallas-Fort Worth-based initiative that aids the transition of veterans to long-term, high quality careers in green energy, green construction, and other emerging new careers. Almost 40,000 American men and women are transitioning out of the military each year.
West Texas currently ranks as the worlds's sixth largest "nation" for wind energy operations. Wind energy positions in the area include wind turbine technicians, welders, logistics supervisor, truck drivers, wind construction teams, and numberous othe skill sets related to long-term maintenance of wind generators, wind towers and wind plades. In addition, hundereds of jobs are immediately available in non-wind manufacturing and service companies in the area.
More than 20 major employers have already committed to participate in the weekend's events. Veterans are being recruited by green Collar Vets and through veterans' liaison efforts of the West Central Texas Workforce Centers. Active-duty military and veterans are expected from such bases and posts as Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, Dyess Air Force Base, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonion, and other locations.
"We are inviting local community groups, area schools, churchs, civic clubs, and others to participate in this event as we welcome the veterans and showcase out communities to them," said Sweetwater Major Greg Wortham.
Interested churches, schools, and civic clubs are invited to contact Major Wortham, SEED, or the Sweetwater Chamber of Commerce to learn more about participation opportunities during the April 18-19 weekend. Major opportunities will be for hospitatility booths and volunteers at TSTC's Student Center on Friday, April 19. These groups are invited to host booths that showcase their church or activity for these prospective new residents, as well as provide food (at SHS) for the career placement participants.
Several business and industry Sponsorships have already been pledged and more are invited. These contributions will be used to defray lodging, gasoline, and food costs for the veterans who will travel to Sweetwater for Operation Hometown USA.