The Value of Veterans

Greencastle Associates Consulting knows how to harness military talent.

By Dan Fazio

Founded in 1997 by three Army veterans, Greencastle Associates Consulting fields an all-veteran team that helps clients get from Point A to Point B.

The company’s success in harnessing the value that veterans offer to corporate clients helped it achieve the top rank in the Less Than $500 Million revenue category for the third straight year.

“Greencastle is ecstatic to be recognized for the past four years by Military Friendly®. Our No. 1 ranking for the last three years is proof that we are dedicated to the veteran community. As a small company, we are dedicated to being 100% veteran operated and that dedication is reflected in our consistent No. 1 ranking.”
–Joe Crandall, former Navy SEAL, Chief Executive Officer, Greencastle

Being an all-veteran company helps the Philadelphia-based management consulting firm take challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic in stride.

“COVID-19 and the ensuing economic lockdown has had minimal effect on the financial performance of our company. However, it forced us to look at culture and employee engagement differently. Moving the entire team to remote work was easy, making sure they felt connected to the company and our mission was the challenge. The senior leadership began to proactively reach out to any employee we hadn’t talked to in over a month. I think being proactive and caring has helped our team overcome and adapt.”
–Joe Crandall, former Navy SEAL, Chief Executive Officer, Greencastle

Overcoming and adapting comes easily to Greencastle, which is staffed and operated entirely by military veterans.

“Here at Greencastle we value veterans because every one of us is a veteran. We inherently know how difficult it can be to make the transition. Unlike other companies, we know how to read a DD-214, OERs/NCOERs, FITREPS, etc. We interpret the value veterans can provide for our corporate partners and clients.”
–Troy Beane, Executive Director, Greencastle

Q&A with a Greencastle Associates Veteran

Alan Van Saun
Management Consultant
Greencastle Associates Consulting
Malvern, Pa.

Age: 39

Post-secondary education:

Bachelor’s degree, civil engineering, US Military Academy, 2004
Master’s degree, national security and strategic studies, US Naval War College, 2015

Military service:

Major (O-4) Army (2004-2019)
Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) Army Reserve (2019-Present)

MOS: Special Forces Officer (18A)

OEF/OIF/Operation Juniper Shield (West Africa)

Hometown: Ewing, N.J.

What was your military job?
As a Special Forces officer, I had the honor of leading and working with fellow Green Berets as we trained and advised foreign militaries to solve their problems. The essence of being a Green Beret is to work by, through and with foreign militaries to make their country more secure.

What was your biggest challenge in transitioning from the military?
My biggest challenge was narrowing down a role or industry that interested me, in order to build a realistic exit strategy. As an officer in the Army, we tend to be generalists, which provides a lot of options, but also makes the job search challenging. A lot of great companies want to help, and want to hire veterans, but at a minimum you must be able to describe what you’re seeking, and that was a challenge.

What’s your current job?
As a management consultant, I help client companies solve their toughest problems. A lot of my work focuses on project management, and requires me to clearly define a problem, collaboratively identify solutions, work with business leaders to pick the best solution and then lead a project team through execution of the solution.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your job?
The pandemic had little effect on my job, because as veterans we are accustomed to working in challenging and remote conditions. While I no longer have the ability to go to a client site and build the relationships I need to succeed through personal interaction, we have been able to adjust and build those relationships remotely and instill confidence in our clients that we’ll still accomplish the mission.

In your opinion as a veteran, what does it mean to you for an organization to be designated Military Friendly®?
In my opinion, a Military Friendly® Employer recognizes that veterans may not necessarily have the technical expertise in some industries, but they have the ability to learn quickly and lead others. This means the company provides an environment where the veteran is entrusted to work and lead on the front lines of the business, and is also afforded the opportunity and resources to learn new technical skills and advance through the ranks.

You can find this article, as well as all 240 2021 Military Friendly® Employers in the December 2020 issue of G.I. Jobs magazine. READ HERE