John Deere dealerships are working with the United States Department of Defense to assist military personnel as they return to civilian life, with at least one such veteran finding opportunity in Monroe County.

Sydenstricker Nobbe Retail Manager Jeff Matzenbacher offered a brief explanation of this sort of internship, a DoD program known as SkillBridge.

As it’s done with other large businesses, the department has partnered with John Deere and its various dealers to provide soon-to-be veterans with work experience more in-line with the civilian world.

As Matzenbacher said, candidates who join with a John Deere dealership do so for around six months leading up to their retirement from the military, potentially making use of some skills they acquired during their years of service.

The primary purpose of the SkillBridge program is to prepare these veterans as they transition back to civilian life.

“It’s the guys coming out of the longer contracts in the military and transitioning to the civilian life again,” Matzenbacher said. “This way they’ll come out and be set up with a job. The ultimate goal is, when they get through the training and the five, six months, that they’re offered a position.”

Matzenbacher added that Sydenstricker Nobbe in Waterloo began participating in this internship program more recently, though other locations have hosted  military personnel for a year or two now.

On the John Deere website, the company describes what it calls the Military Hiring Program, welcoming active-duty military personnel, veterans, family of military personnel and others.

John Deere also points to two veterans who have participated in the program, one who grew up working around John Deere tractors and became a technician with the company after his career with the Marines and the other an immigrant who has made use of his accounting and finance skills developed over 20 years in the Air Force to work as a senior analyst at John Deere Harvest Works.

Monroe County’s own John Deere location has also been able to assist a veteran in his return to civilian life as Nick Jagusch has been working in Sydenstricker Nobbe’s shipping and receiving operations.

Jagusch currently resides in Caseyville, having long been stationed at Scott Air Force Base.

With over a decade of service in the military, Jagusch will soon mark 12 years of service – and his retirement – come March.

His retirement on the horizon, he took interest in the SkillBridge program as, like many military personnel, he had concerns about acclimating to life outside the routine of the military.

“A lot of people, they’ve done 10, 20 years, so, after 20 years of doing the same thing over and over, they’ve gotten into a habit,” Jagusch said. “It allows us to see how the other side works.”

Jagusch has since found himself with Sydenstricker Nobbe for the past few months, and, as Matzenbacher described, his experience in the service has helped him find a niche within the dealership.

“His MOS in the military was up here at Scott Air Force Base, he was shipping and receiving people and materials all over the country, all over the globe, really,” Matzenbacher said. “He kind of fell into his pocket.”

While Jagusch likewise spoke about his experience working logistics and doing warehouse supervising has provided him with a decent skillset, he added that the customer service side of things has been more of a change, though he is picking it up.

He spoke highly of the program in general, and reiterated his satisfaction at being able to acclimate more to working as a civilian.

“I love it so far,” Jagusch said. “I’ve worked with great people. It’s something different that I haven’t done as far as the civilian side of stuff. Work-wise, it’s kind of similar, but there are a good bit of differences… I feel like it’s been a great opportunity. Something I definitely recommend to other military folks is looking at Skillbridge when you’re on your way out of service.”