Recruiters open new office, intensify efforts

  • Published
  • By Dan Galindo
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HIALEAH, Fla. --  482nd Fighter Wing Commander Col. Randy Falcon joined the Mayor of Hialeah, Julio Robaina, and city council members May 8 in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the grand opening of a new Air Force Reserve recruiting office here.

The new office is one of several efforts by base recruiters to find future reservists for the wing and ultimately find the manpower for the growing mission at the base. The 482nd FW is expecting the arrival of nine more F-16 fighter jets as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decision.

Reserve recruiters from Homestead Air Reserve Base took over the office from active-duty recruiters in February, making it the third satellite recruiting station for the 482nd Fighter Wing. The other South Florida offices are in the cities of Doral and Lauderhill.

"We have more positions to fill due to future growth," said Senior Master Sgt. Alex Vazquez, lead recruiter for the 482nd Fighter Wing. "In addition to the new office and bringing another recruiter on board, each recruiter has developed a plan to attract the most applicants for their efforts. Our team understands the need for an effective strategy, advertising and incentive plan."

Part of the recruiting strategy includes investing in a variety of advertising methods to raise community awareness. Public service announcements, career days, job fairs, community media events, zone canvassing, base tours, targeted mailing campaigns and advertising discretionary funds are just some of the available resources the recruiters are using to improve their marketing efforts.

"Also, we've updated our local incentive program so our recruiters have the opportunity to achieve success while being rewarded for their accomplishments," Sergeant Vazquez said.

The newest recruiter, Staff Sgt. Nelson Echevarria, moved into the Doral office, previously run by Tech. Sgt. Travis Newkirk, who is now the lead recruiter at the office in Hialeah. Sergeant Echevarria brings more than six years of recruiting experience to the team and previously served as an active-duty health professions recruiter.

The new office is co-located with recruiting stations for other branches of the military, an aspect of the location that Sergeant Newkirk sees as beneficial.

"The improved visibility should result in more 'walk-in' traffic, and the proximity to other recruiting services should allow me to build working relationships with them," he said. "That will lead to more referrals and possibly invitations to recruiting events that I might not have otherwise heard about."

Sergeants Echevarria and Newkirk said the move presents the challenges of building new relationships and letting the public know 'who they are' in their respective zones, but they remain confident in reaching their goals.

Sergeant Newkirk also said he realizes that there will be a certain amount of competition for potential applicants because of the competition next door.

"However, I expect to win that battle," Sergeant Newkirk said. "The Air Force Reserve is a superior opportunity."

All of the Homestead recruiters emphasize that their efforts are still only part of the effort needed to support the 482nd Fighter Wing. They point out that current members of the Air Force Reserve and the wing are often the best recruiters because they know quality people who can benefit the most as reservists and can share the positive aspects of service to our country.

Reservists who would like to refer a potential applicant for service in the Air Force Reserve can contact the Homestead ARB recruiting office at (305) 224-7127, the Hialeah recruiting office at (305) 558-3681, the Miami-Doral office at (305) 591-9419, or the Lauderhill office at (954) 792-4973.