Tulsa based food manufacturer, Bama Companies, has partnered with Coffee Bunker to become the charter member of the Employer Alliance. The goal of the alliance is to help military veterans transition from military careers into the civilian job field by offering quality career opportunities.
The Coffee Bunker set 11 guidelines members must make every effort to meet or exceed to be involved
- Assign an in-house Veteran Advocate
- Hire veterans as “direct employees”
- Comply with all applicable laws and regulations applicable to hiring employment
- Provide worker’s compensation insurance
- Strive to provide a starting wage and benefit package as close as possible to the veteran’s last military pay
- Provide employee benefits on terms no less favorable than that provided to other employees
- Shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, age, political affiliation or belief, or genetic information
- Provide job descriptions for all positions within the company w/SOC Codes (optional)
- have an apprenticeship program in place (optional)
- Maintain an in-house veteran support group (optional)
- Make all possible efforts to provide veterans with job/career growth opportunities
“The Bunker is facilitating this relationship between the veterans and the employers, especially on the part of what employers can do, to step up a little bit more, go above and beyond and be there to make sure that these first job opportunities are successful,” Michael Horton, Executive Director of Bunker Coffee, said.
Bama Food Safety Director, Kevin Shows, as well as Bama Talent Acquisition Manager, Kate Paciga, have been involved with The Coffee 
Bunker for several years, with Shows even serving two years on the Board of Directors.
The idea for the alliance was conceived in 2019, but the pandemic put the plans on hold. Today, Kevin Shows, on behalf of Bama Companies, was finally able to officially sign the pledge to become the first employer to join the alliance. Along with the pledge, Bama Companies also presented The Coffee Bunker with the first financial contribution of $5,000 to help jumpstart the program.
“A couple of years ago, I was looking for some volunteer work. Bama does a lot of volunteer work in the community,” Shows said. “And I myself am a Navy veteran. So I started talking to Michael about doing some volunteer work here, started really getting involved with the Coffee Bunker. I served on their board of directors for a couple of years. And then we started talking about how we could look at helping veterans transitioning out of the military in civilian life.”
Companies wishing to join the alliance may visit the Coffee Bunker website, call at (918) 637-3878, or contact Michael@coffeebunker.org.
News Coverage: KJRH Tulsa Channel 2 News Fox 23 News Tulsa