Change From the Inside Out
Join Personal Branding Ambassador Dakota Meyer and HOH’s Senior Director of the Military Spouse Program Liz O’Brien as they sit down with Derek Blake, Vice President of Marketing and Military Programs for La Quinta Inns & Suites, as he discusses the unique military hiring strategy at La Quinta. Listen in as he shares examples of how La Quinta’s military engagement has changed the company from the inside out. Learn more about La Quinta Inns & Suites’ military hiring programs.
“It was conversations about what military spouses contribute to the family. Why would a company not want to create a strategy to embrace, and hire, and retain military spouses? At that point, it became very simple to us. It contributes to the brand and we want to be an advocate for military spouses in the marketplace.” -Derek Blake
Top Takeaways from Change From the Inside Out
1. La Quinta noticed military spouses lacked the types of hiring initiatives available to veterans, so they implemented a program and became an innovator in the military spouse space.
“Six years ago everyone was talking about veterans, veterans, veterans, but no one was talking about military spouses. We thought it was a real miss… and it was something we all believed was very important 6 years ago, primarily because of the great talent La Quinta gets when they hire a military spouse.” –Derek Blake
2. Once La Quinta made military spouses a priority, other organizations soon followed suit.
“People like you leaned in and brought other companies in and they’ve realized because of the model you’ve created at La Quinta, the value of bringing spouses to the table.” –Liz O’Brien
3. La Quinta recognized the need to develop a sustainable solution, and that awareness has ensured their program is still successful today.
“We get great talent when we hire members of the military community and that’s changed who we are as a company…For us, it’s the right thing to do, the smart thing to do, and it’s driven by great talent, and that is what has sustained this program.” –Derek Blake
