Most transitioning veterans make an immediate leap from military to corporate employment.

In George Lynch’s case, he embarked on what he affectionately called “the six-year weekend.”

Soon after leaving the Marine Corps in 1999, Master Sgt. Lynch received a call from a childhood friend from the fishing community of Barnegat, N.J., whose family owned a fleet of commercial and charter fishing boats. His buddy needed a crew member for a weekend excursion.

“He asked me to help out for the weekend. I had so much fun that I stayed for six years,” Lynch laughed.

He scoured the Eastern Seaboard for swordfish, tuna, and scallops.

“It was a fun and romantic lifestyle – spending time with old friends and getting lots of sun and fresh air,” Lynch said. But it wasn’t the career for him.

On the Job
These days, Lynch casts his line for a different type of fish – top-notch employees for Garda (formerly AT Systems), one of America’s largest security companies. Based in St. Petersburg, Fla., Lynch overseas the southeastern region of Garda recruiting operations, for Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Carolinas.

Lynch recruits armored-car drivers, branch managers, IT specialists, and cash-vault representatives. Although he seeks candidates from all walks of life, he specializes in military recruiting.

“A high percentage of our employees have military experience,” said Lynch, a 20-year U.S. Marine veteran. “Garda provides an appealing environment for veterans – everything from uniforms and carrying weapons to a strong focus on the corporate mission. Veterans are a natural fit as they already have great leadership skills and discipline.”

A Strong Career in Security
Garda is the premier provider of armored transport, cash-vault services, and cash-control systems. Based in Pasadena, Calif., the company serves a host of FORTUNE 500^® companies and financial institutions. Garda’s the world’s fifth largest physical security and cash logistics firms. Garda has approximately 50,000 employees worldwide and earned revenues of $680 million last year.

Searching for Garda’s best employees requires Lynch to forgo the traditional nine-to-five schedule. One day he might take a 0700 flight to Atlanta to attend a career fair. Or he might drive to branch office to meet with a candidate. Or he could spend his day conducting phone interviews.

“I’m on the road about 20 days a month,” Lynch said. “I like the variety and travel, though. I like to tell people that I’ve never had a ‘job’ but rather ‘careers.’ I think a typical nine-to-five job would bore me.”

In Uniform
It was a sense of adventure and a desire to serve his county that led the New Jersey native to enlist in the Marine Corps in 1979. After boot camp at Parris Island, Lynch went to Camp Geiger, N.C. for infantry school. During the first half of his career, Lynch served in infantry and special operations – including training at Officer Candidates School (OCS) in Quantico, Va.

In 1989 he switched to recruiting, serving at Marine Corps Recruiting Station New Jersey. He developed a marketing program for 38 stations in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; commanded a team of more than 70 recruiters; and created an initiative to monitor recruits and ensure their completion of basic training. Lynch’s efforts helped his unit twice earn the New Jersey recruiting station of the year award – as well as the designation as the Marine Corps’ top recruiting station nationwide for the Eastern Recruiting Region.

In Transition
In 1999, after 20 years of service, Lynch decided to try his hand at civilian work. He took a transition class but really had no idea what career he wanted to pursue. Then, out of the blue, he received that fateful phone call to fish.

“I loved being at sea,” Lynch said. “But by 2006 fuel costs were killing us. We had to cancel the New Jersey-Florida runs because they made no more sense economically.”

Besides, he missed recruiting and wanted to do it again on a corporate level. Lynch saw an online ad from Garda seeking recruiters and decided to apply.

Although the pay and benefits are great, it’s the military-friendly atmosphere that really pleases him: “Veterans are really valued and appreciated here. There’s a strong camaraderie here that’s rare in the civilian world.”