Today, The Amerit Family of Companies includes two DVBE companies, Amerit Consulting, Inc., and KelleyAmerit Fleet Services, Inc. as well as two non-DVBE companies: Suna Solutions, and Zempleo, a certified Minority Business.  Amerit has offices in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Read the full feature on Amerit in the Black EOE Journal’s Celebrating 20 Years of Diversity Issue.

On February 7, 2012 I had the distinguished honor of listening to and meeting Captain Claude Rowe at an event sponsored by the Veterans Employee Group at Carefusion.

Claude Rowe was born and raised in the Detroit area with an aspiration to fly. During WWII though, opportunities for African-Americans in the U.S. armed forces were almost non-existent. Unless you were fortunate enough to get a slot at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, there were no other options in the States.

Rowe, however, knew there was another option in Canada. There were over 8,000 Americans trained as pilots in Canada and a fraction of them were black.  After rigorous training, Rowe received his wings and graduated as a sergeant pilot in late 1944.  He went back to Detroit where he was accepted for pilot training. In 1946, Rowe qualified as a twin-engine pilot and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the last pilot training class to graduate at Tuskegee.

The Tuskegee Airman had many noteworthy accomplishments including 16,000 combat sorties with 115 German aircraft destroyed in the air and another 150 on the ground, and 950 German vehicles destroyed. Their commendations include three Distinguished Unit Citations, about 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, at least one Silver Star, 14 Bronze Stars, 748 Air Medals and eight Purple Hearts.

With a surplus of pilots at the end of World War II – many with long and distinguished combat records – anyone who wanted to stay in had to expand their skill-set. So, Lieutenant Rowe trained as a weather officer at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and then at Chanute Air Force Base, Ill.

The weather officer school was one of the most difficult in the service, with coursework at the first-year graduate school level. Serving as a weather officer and flying when possible, Rowe served mostly overseas, including Austria and twice in the United Kingdom, first as a weather officer at the Burtonwood Depot and later as a WB-50 pilot with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.

By 1958, with no combat time or college degree, Rowe was passed over for promotion to Major, thus he enlisted as a weather forecaster and retired in 1964 as a Captain.

Captain Rowe is now 93 years old and is a delight to all who meet him. I was drawn by his humility and awed by his courage.  Through a time when this country was entrenched in segregation, Captain Rowe rose above adversity and fought valiantly for her.

Thank you Captain Rowe and all of those with whom you served as part of the Tuskagee Airman. You are a great example of courage, strength and integrity.  Thank you for your service in  defending this great nation.

Amerit Consulting is proud to be a certified DVBE Staffing, Recruiting and Business Process Outsourcing Company. For more information about Amerit Consulting please visit http://ameritconsulting.com/.

Both families will be without Dad this Christmas and both were unsure if they would be able to celebrate.Deployed in Korea, an Army soldier from Northern California will be missing his youngest of three sons’ first Christmas. In Southern California, a Navy soldier will be leaving his wife and two young daughters for his third deployment; it will be his first deployment to Afghanistan.

Through the National Military Family Association, The Amerit Family of Companies was able to help the twofamilies make this holiday season one that none of us will forget. It was truly a blessing to help make this Christmas a joyous holiday in the midst of such difficult circumstances.

The offices of the Amerit Family of Companies came together to grant these families all of their Christmas gift wishes. The amount of joy and happiness we were able to give them was a gift in itself. The children were elated when Amerit’s Santa and elves arrived with arms full of gifts. Something as small as a book, diapers, or shoes may seem miniscule to many Christmas wishes. But these small gifts, together, became a reason to smile and celebrate when hope was lost.

“Words cannot express how thankful my family is for you and your elves,” said one of the families. “Because of you and your elves, my children will have beautiful memories of this Christmas. Thank you very much.”

We proudly support our country’s military forces and are thankful for the many sacrifices each soldier makes in protecting us. We feel blessed to have been able to help make this Christmas a cheerful one to remember. We wish these and all military families a happy holiday season filled with love and warmth. To help make another military family’s wishes come true, visit www.adusa.com/FamNeeds.htm.

Gary’s latest act of kindness is in assistance to his fellow disabled veterans at The Freedom Station, A Home for Heroes. The Freedom Station in San Diego is a place for our Nation’s injured and disabled military heroes, who are medically retired or discharged, to receive temporary lodging, education and career services as well as continue their physical rehabilitation from their injuries.

Knowing first hand how important physical rehabilitation is to overcoming injuries and easing the transition to civilian life, Gary has generously donated the funds to fully equip the exercise facility on the grounds at the Freedom Station. Through this generous gift, Gary will be able to draw a full circle around his own service as a HM3 Marine Corps Corpsman with the 1^st Marine Division, 3/26 Marines.

In celebration of this year’s Veterans Day, please take a moment to honor those who have sacrificed so much in service to our country. 

Amerit Consulting is proud to be a certified DVBE Staffing, Recruiting and Business Process Outsourcing Company. Through the partnership and success of our clients we are able to continue our support of America’s Military Heroes who are in need. For more information about Amerit Consulting please visit http://ameritconsulting.com/

Amerit Consulting was founded in 2002 but one could say Amerit started when Gary Herbold joined the Navy in 1965 in San Diego and enlisted in Medical Corps School at Balboa Naval Hospital. Following two more hospital assignments, Gary was back in San Diego again in early 1968 at Camp Pendleton for additional FMF (Fleet Marine Force) training to prepare him for duty in Viet Nam with the 1st Marine Corps Division, 3/26 Marines, as a combat medic.

Gary served on the ground during the TET Offensive in Viet Nam, and while helping fellow Marines injured during a series of land mine blasts, was injured himself in both legs and spent the next year recuperating in Naval hospitals.

His heroic acts earned him a Purple Heart, and modern medicine allowed him to keep both legs.

Unknowingly, his disability instantly threw him into a different kind of life changing experience equally as difficult and challenging as serving with the Marines, but with land mines of a different sort. He had to find a job! But who was going to hire a disabled veteran?

These life-changing events shaped the rest of Gary’s life and set the table for him to become a successful Disabled Veteran Business owner. In 2002 Gary started his own business, Amerit Consulting, under the state mandated DVBE program. Gary’s experiences continue to fuel his desire to provide support and outreach to other disabled veterans and are the backbone of the culture and values that the company operates by today.

Currently, Gary serves in both local and statewide positions with roles that support the DVBE process. Most recently Gary was elected as the President of the California DVBE Alliance. The Alliance was formed in response to California’s 1989 establishment of the Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) program. The Alliance continues work with the California state government to help pass and maintain legislation in favor of DVBEs. Through these roles and outreach, Gary continues to encourage entrepreneurial-minded disabled veterans and assist them in building their businesses.

Eve Nasby, Amerit’s Vice President of Business Development, is passionately involved with the local San Diego DVBE Alliance Network, VANC and Operation Re-Boot for the purpose of helping returning veterans launch their civilian careers.

About Amerit

Founded in 2002 in the San Francisco Bay Area, today Amerit Consulting has grown to become a part of The Amerit Family of Companies, which includes two DVBE companies, Amerit Consulting, Inc., and KelleyAmerit Fleet Services, Inc. as well as two non- DVBE companies: Suna Solutions, and Zempleo, a certified Minority Business.

The Amerit Family of Companies currently operates in 46 states, with over 2,000 contractors; approximately 325 on assignment with San Diego clients. In 2011 The Amerit Family of Companies was ranked as the 13^th fastest growing staffing firm in the United States and one of the Top Ten Diversity Staffing Firms by Staffing Industry Analysts.

Other awards include Diversity Supplier of the Year from Mckesson Corporation, award for outstanding support of Operation Hand Salute by AT&T and ongoing support of Keeping the Promise, a California DVBE Alliance initiative. 

This year The Amerit Family of Companies positioned themselves for continued growth by opening two new offices- new corporate headquarters in Walnut Creek, California and a new recruiting and sales center in San Diego California. With these locations and their best-in-class human capital management professionals, The Amerit Family of Companies has positioned themselves nationally and internationally to strategically support a wide variety of companies including those in industries with unique needs like Defense, Life Science, Manufacturing, Utilities and more.

The purpose of the breakfast was to celebrate with men and women recently returned from deployment, disabled veterans and celebrity guests who have served and/or support America’s Warriors. This once a year event brought together those who are serving, those who have served, and those who are about to begin their service.

In a very moving ceremony Captain Charles Helwig, USAF, inducted over 40 women into all five branches of military service during the event. These new inductees were greeted as the “newest women warriors” with a standing ovation.

The audience was also delighted to meet the special guest of retired Navy Captain Rich Dryden, Executive Director of the California Disabled Veterans Business Alliance, Evelyn Lackey, a 101 year old Navy WAVE and veteran from WWII. She delighted everyone who met her with her  spirit and energy, saying “this is the best day ever”!

Gary Herbold, Amerit’s President, welcomed everyone to the breakfast with opening remarks about the Alliance and its purpose in assisting our returning military heroes as they transition into civilian life.  For more information about the CDVBA please go to http://cadvbe.org/

Jon Voight (Deliverance, Mission Impossible, National Treasure), a veteran himself, gave an emotional introduction of Medal of Honor recipient, Alfred Rascon. Actor Kevin Dobson (Kojack and Knott’s Landing), also a veteran, introduced Medal of Honor recipient, Tibor Rubin.

Baseball Hall-of-Famer Tommy Lasorda also entertained the crowd with his comments but then became serious as he introduced his partnership with the CADVB Alliance in developing Tommy’s Team, a new organization who’s purpose is to mentor and assist returning veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. Please find further information about Tommy’s Team at http://twitter.com/#!/TOMMYLASORDA .

Amerit was the proud host of CareFusion at this year’s event. We were also very proud to have Captain Helwig among the distinguished guests at our table.

Also among the distinguished list of celebrity attendees were Dennis Haysbert (24), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), JK Simmons (Law & Order), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), Lorenzo Lamas (Falcon Crest), Mimi Rogers (X-Files), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Sean Young (Blade Runner), Ed Lauter (The Longest Yard) among many others.

Amerit Consulting is proud to be a certified DVBE Staffing, Recruiting and Business Process Outsourcing Company. Through the partnership and success of our clients we are able to continue our support of America’s Military Heroes who are in need. For more information about Amerit Consulting please visit http://ameritconsulting.com/

“Steven brings a wealth of industry leading experience to our company. We look forward to his leadership as we continue our dynamic growth.”
Gary Herbold, President

Amerit Consulting, a certified DVBE Staffing and Business Process Outsourcing Company, is proud to announce the addition of Steven Drexel as Chief Financial Officer.

Steven Drexel is a 20+ year veteran of the staffing, human capital solutions and services industries where his expertise as both an executive and economist has been sought after by many well known corporations, industry trade associations and the federal government. Well-known for his views on staffing, risk management and corporate treasury, Steven is also an award-winning author and has been regularly featured in articles and interviews by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg Business News, Associated Press, CNN News Radio, National Public Radio, ABC News Radio, Fox News, Houston Chronicle, Houston Business Journal, and others.

Prior to joining Amerit Consulting Steven was President and CEO of Corestaff, Guidant Group, Leafstone and others under the CSG Holdings portfolio of companies, Chief Operating Officer of Ameritstem Inc. as well as Director, Corporate Finance for Kelly Services Inc.

Active in public policy and industry practices, Steven has worked with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for 14 years where he has served as Executive Committee Member of the Business Research Advisory Council and as Chairman of the Employment & Unemployment Statistics Committee. He also served as the Information Committee Chairman for American Staffing Association for 3 years. He has been/is a member of the Financial Executives Institute, National Association of Business Economists, World Affairs Council of Houston, Institute of Management Accountants, and Association for Financial Professionals.

Steven received an MBA in Economics and Finance from Wayne State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Michigan State University. He and his family will be relocating to the Walnut Creek, California area, home to the company’s corporate offices.

“Steven brings a wealth of industry leading experience and knowledge to our Executive Team. We are very fortunate and excited to have a person of such high caliber joining us and look forward to his leadership as we continue our dynamic growth into new industries and business arenas.” Gary Herbold, President.