Army Veteran Finds Meaningful Employment at Hankook

Army Veteran Finds Meaningful Employment at Hankook Tire

            Brian Olds served in the U.S. Army for twenty years before retiring at the rank of Sergeant First Class and entering the civilian job market. After discovering opportunities for employment at Hankook Tire’s Tennessee Plant through a job fair in the area, Brian knew that his military leadership skills would be a good fit for the company.

            “I was looking at different venues [for employment] and I knew that Hankook was hiring a lot of people,” said Brian. “I saw the logistics part of it, and I knew they were going to need someone [to fill that position].”   

            Not only was Hankook able to offer Brian post-military employment, but also a position that allows him to utilize his military background to make an impact at the company on a daily basis. As an inventory management specialist, Brian’s primary role is to manage the inventory of all finished products – an average of 35,000 tires at any given time – as well as managing the shipping and receiving of products to and from warehouses. In this role, Brian is responsible for managing a team of seven employees as well as developing solutions to problems that arise.

            “In the military, we go through different leadership courses that teach us to be proactive in a situation and be able to minimize or mitigate problems that could arise,” said Brian. “Those courses have helped me at Hankook to be able to show that I can help.”

            After retirement, it was important for Brian to find an opportunity that would allow him to remain in the State of Tennessee, where he had created a life for himself and his family.

            “Being here and being out of the military has definitely been a stable opportunity to spend time with my family and my kids,” said Brian. “Hankook has provided me that opportunity to stay here in Tennessee.”  

            The State of Tennessee has been heavily focused on improving its employment rate in recent years, working to bring more industries such as Hankook to the area. Since the completion of phase one of its Tennessee Plant, Hankook has helped expand the job market in Middle Tennessee by creating nearly 1,000 jobs that have benefitted local residents like Brian. The company remains committed to creating an additional 800 positions with the completion of its phase two.

            “In the past seven years, my administration has focused heavily on bringing jobs to Tennessee, because we know that hard-working Tennesseans like Brian will find opportunity in those jobs,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. “When companies bring jobs here, they are investing in our state and in the people that live here.”

            Brian has a unique connection to Hankook beyond his employment with the company. He was stationed in Korea for a year during his first active duty tour in 1997, which has given him a natural cultural connection to Hankook. Additionally, as a part of its national efforts to support the military, Hankook is a corporate partner with the military service organization Disabled American Veterans (DAV). As a newly disabled veteran, Brian was excited to learn about the organization’s relationship with Hankook.

            “I’ve seen the positive role that they’re playing and I feel that it’s important that disabled veterans’ voices are being heard,” said Brian.

            Brian’s story was recently featured in a video produced by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s administration. View the video here.