During The Home Depot Foundation’s Operation Surprise campaign, we’re celebrating our brave service men and women by spotlighting the military members in our orange family. In the coming weeks, former and active-duty military and spouses share their stories and career experiences working at The Home Depot. 

Michael Steverson is a military veteran who served as a Lieutenant in the Coast Guard. After 10 years of active duty, he was recently hired at The Home Depot through the Hiring Our Heroes program. He joins the Locust Grove distribution center in Georgia as an Operations Manager. 

Military service, specifically within the Coast Guard, was destined for Michael. His father served and retired after 31 years in the same branch, and Michael saw the benefits of a military career firsthand. 

“When I needed a stable career in my twenties, I thought about how the Coast Guard helped my father provide for our family,” he says. “I wanted that for my family. It was absolutely the best decision I could have made.” 

A married father of three, Michael’s duties in the Coast Guard included investigating safety protocols on ships as a Marine Safety professional. After the military, Michael had plenty of job offers to choose from for his next career. But it was The Home Depot’s Hiring Our Heroes program, and the number of fellow veterans also eager to join, that pushed Michael towards his new role at Home Depot. 

“It was not just what they said, but what they believed in,” says Michael. “I had to get up and introduce myself to one of the vice presidents during the training, and one of the things I told him is that I saw a direct correlation between the values we observed in the Coast Guard and Home Depot. I don’t think there is a better place to work for veterans.”  

Like other new veterans no longer actively serving, Michael will view Veterans Day from a different perspective this year.   

“I think it will mean that much more,” he says. “A lot of us veterans, we’re not looking for the accolades. But it’s great to work for a company that values your service. It’s not just what they say but what they believe in, and it shows.” 

The Home Depot is proud to employ more than 35,000 veterans and military spouses throughout the company. Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested more than $350 million in veteran causes and improved more than 48,000 veteran homes in more than 4,500 cities. To learn more about our veteran initiatives, please visit HomeDepotFoundation.org. If you’re a veteran looking for career opportunities at Home Depot, visit www.careers.homedepot.com/military.