It was a military transitioner’s dream. Soon after Chad Stacy separated from the Army, he received a call from a huge electronics corporation practically begging him to come in for an interview.

“I moved back home to Camden, New Jersey, when Radio Shack called,” said Stacy. “I thought ‘Radio Shack? Retail? I did that as a kid. Why would I want to work retail again? I was a 10-year military veteran with a security clearance.’”

Luckily, Stacy listened to the representative’s offer. Radio Shack needed a recruiting manager for 200 stores in New Jersey and several nearby states. She told Stacy the position offered him the potential to eventually move up the ranks of management. Sounding like a great opportunity, Stacy took the job and set the stage for a successful corporate recruiting career, which would eventually lead him to Lowe’s.

On the Job

Stacy, 35, is a senior field recruiter for Lowe’s, responsible for the company’s northeast region (Maine to Maryland) and manager for Lowe’s military recruiting program. The former staff sergeant gathers qualified veteran talent for various management positions – including sales, store operations, administrative, and security/loss prevention.

“I took on the military recruiting component late last year,” said Stacy, “so I’m looking forward to getting things in full swing this year. We are going to career fairs, transition offices, and advertising in publications such as G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse.”

Stacy is recruiting service members because he knows they are more than warm bodies with a résumé. They are performers.

“I recruit for leadership positions,” he continued. “I can’t imagine better candidates than military veterans. They have discipline, courage, and attention to detail. These are characteristics that can make a big difference.”

Based in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., Stacy arrives to work daily at 0700. He begins interviewing candidates at 0800, a process that normally lasts all day. Periodically he visits area Lowe’s stores and attends local career fairs.

“I usually conduct eight interviews each day and go home around 1800,” said Stacy. “I check my e-mails for applications and résumés every evening. There’s a war between companies for talented employees, and I want to stay on top of things.”

The Company

Over the past 60 years, Lowe’s has grown from a small-town hardware store to a FORTUNE 100^® company and the nation’s tenth-largest retailer. It is also ranks in G.I. Jobs’ Top 50 Military-Friendly Employers^®. The Mooresville, N.C.-based company is the second-largest home improvement retailer with 1,325 stores, 23 distribution facilities and employing more than 200,000 people worldwide.

It also boasts a Retail Management Leadership Program developing department managers for superior customer service, merchandising, and increased sales performance at the store level. Each of a stores’ department managers supervise 8 to 12 associates averaging millions of dollars in sales per year. Training for these positions include a combination of classroom, e-learning and on-the-job education.

In Uniform

Stacy joined the Army in 1996 to win the love of a woman. He knew if he was going to have any chance of marrying her he needed to improve his career prospects.

“I was a mason, working construction and laying out concrete,” he said. “I knew I needed to do something different. I figured I’d join the Army since my dad had a great 36-year career.”

After basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., Stacy attended human resources management school at Fort Jackson, S.C. During his career as a personnel specialist, he served in Germany, Washington, and Maryland.

The Transition

Stacy decided to leave the Army in 2005 because he had two children and wanted to establish roots for his family. “It’s funny. About a year before I left, my wife and I were saying, ‘It’s time to go’. Now we both really miss the military.”

After taking transition classes, Stacy posted his résumé online; reached out to family, friends, and colleagues; and attended several career fairs. Once hired by Radio Shack, he stayed with that company until 2007 – when financial turmoil forced rounds of layoffs.

However, a friend soon connected Stacy with Lowe’s and he was hired right away.

“My sales pitch aside, I have to say Lowe’s is a fantastic company for military veterans,” Stacy said. “There’s a great sense of teamwork and camaraderie. You receive excellent training and strong leadership is embraced. Also, the pay and benefits are very competitive.”