Jessi Willman, CEO at Keller Williams Realty set out a memorial with her staff to honor the 13 fallen soldiers who recently died in Afghanistan to show her thanks for their sacrifice. But Willmann wanted to go the extra mile and continue to show her appreciation by opening her doors to those who have served.
"This great company that I work for, we are now starting to honor our veterans with a designation so that they can do work with other veterans and they can do referral business with other veterans and it’s just a way of saying thank you and way of keeping that camaraderie that we know is so dear to them," says Willman.
By opening her doors and creating more job opportunities for vets, she's able to help people like Isaac Lozano, who served in the Navy for five years.
"Jessi has helped me like I said more than I can explain," says Lozano, "I don’t remember there was ever being a time that I didn’t want to be in the military."
Working in real estate, with a team is sometimes similar to working with servicemen.
"His team holds him accountable and I think that’s really where he finds that camaraderie just like he had when he was serving," says Willman.
Since Lozano has had to make that transition from military to civilian life, he has some tips for those about to do the same.
"If you can put in the work, you can do it you know but for your mental health and things like that you’ll know when you’re ready," says Lozano.
As for Willmann, she plans on continuing to do what she can do all she can to support veterans.
"I hope that they know that by doing this we are supporting them especially with their transition into civilian hood and the fact that they are starting a new career and a new life and we cannot forget what they have done for us," says Willmann.