Each November, we celebrate Veterans Day. This remembrance provides an opportunity to honor the brave service and many sacrifices of our veterans. This year, Veterans Day came on the heels of the Hampton Roads Alliance releasing the “Hampton Roads Playbook.” The holiday, together with the playbook, illustrate how important veterans are to the local Hampton Roads economy.

The playbook makes the case that the 19 military installations in Hampton Roads return 15,000 service members to the workforce, 8,000 of whom find work locally. We must grow our existing 895,000-strong labor force by enticing more veterans to stay in Hampton Roads if we are to realize the full growth potential of the “DEAL” (defense, energy, aerospace and logistics) framework.

Our shared experience as U.S. Military Academy graduates prepared us to be strong organizational leaders, whether the organization is The Mariners’ Museum and Park, a landmark cultural institution, or Bank of America, a global financial services firm.

Bank of America recently increased its military hiring goals, committing to adding 10,000 more individuals with military backgrounds during the next five years. The company is deeply committed to advancing the career opportunities for our veterans nationally, but also right here in Hampton Roads.

As chief audit executive for Bank of America and a member of the company’s executive management team, Len draws daily on the leadership skills developed during his service in the U.S. Army. He has had the privilege of advocating for veterans as an executive sponsor of Bank of America’s Military Support and Assistance Group (MSAG), which includes 43 chapters and more than 22,000 members. MSAG provides strong community and professional development opportunities for military employees and their families and friends.

At the Mariners’ Museum and Park, Howard is also expanding the veteran population in his organization. While veterans comprise 7% of the museum’s 116-person (and growing) team, they fill approximately 25% of its formal leadership roles.

As president, Howard applies what he learned in his active-duty service to leading the Mariners’ team and helping other local nonprofit and civic organizations. Following West Point, he graduated from Ranger School and earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law before serving as an Army JAG officer in Tal Afar, Iraq.

The challenges Howard overcame in some of the Army’s toughest schools, or in the confusion and uncertainty of a combat theater, helped him develop strategic thinking, perseverance and an aptitude for innovating to accomplish objectives.

Given our common approach to incorporating the veterans’ experience into our own teams, we both look at the Hampton Roads economy and see massive opportunity to leverage this same veterans’ experience for other employers.

Across the DEAL framework — the two-aircraft carrier buy, an expanded sub program and the burgeoning AUKUS (Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States) alliance; or offshore wind, investment in natural gas, nuclear research and engineering; or autonomous flight control (space, air or undersea), advanced manufacturing and throwing payloads into space; or expanding capacity and market share through our multimodal port and logistics — our Hampton Roads economy doesn’t require people who can simply be trained to follow a script. We need a workforce with a healthy contingent of veterans that can help convert our massive collection of assets and our unlimited regional potential into value for our region, nation and world.

In this season of honoring our veterans and, at this moment, in Hampton Roads, we call on our fellow employers across the region to continue actively recruiting our veterans as they transition to their post-service careers. The skills and experience veterans bring to the table will enhance your teams.

From a regional perspective, Hampton Roads’ growth and potential depend on a robust veteran presence in the workforce. From a national perspective, we need a strong, innovative and productive Hampton Roads fueled by a veteran-infused workforce.

Len Botkin of Charlotte, N.C., is chief audit executive for Bank of America. Howard H. Hoege III of Newport News is president and CEO of The Mariners’ Museum and Park.

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/11/29/column-invest-in-veterans-to-grow-the-regional-workforce/