Veterans bring highly sought skills to Iowa’s clean energy workforce

Throughout nearly a decade serving as a Navy Seal, Troy Van Beek has witnessed the ways war can change countries.

From serving in Afghanistan to Africa and beyond, he was propelled by the disparities he saw around the world. To help make a difference, Van Beek returned to the U.S. in 2006 to earn his degree in sustainability from Maharishi International University in Fairfield.

“There was just such a divide between those that had those resources and those that didn't,” Van Beek said about his time serving. “I had gone through an experience where I was accosted by somebody that was just so deprived and that experience itself was something that triggered me, and it really forced me to take a look at how I could be a help.”

This led Van Beek to found Ideal Energy in 2009, before he graduated from college.

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Initially it was an energy efficiency company, as Van Beek wanted to reduce carbon use. But as he got more involved in the work, Alliant Energy began offering solar energy incentives.

“Our business quickly pivoted toward solar,” Van Beek said. “As I like to say, it tends to be more sexy than putting plastic over your windows and changing up your light bulbs.”

Ideal Energy, which is based in Fairfield, used to work with residential and commercial energy, but now accommodates commercial and industrial developments.

When he kick-started his company, the term “sustainability” wasn’t used the way it is today. Van Beek said it took time for people to start to understand it. Now, it “rolls off the tongue” easier, he said.

Van Beek — who is originally from Wisconsin and graduated from high school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan — came to Iowa for college because it was the only university he could find that offered a four-year degree in sustainability.

But since Van Beek started in the renewable energy industry in the early 2000s, job opportunities and awareness about the sector have boomed — especially for veterans.

Milt Buker is vice president of Veterans in Energy, a nonprofit working to provide awareness and support for veterans in the energy sector.

Buker said about 15 to 20 years ago, the Department of Labor identified a labor shortage in the energy industry specifically, since many skilled energy workers at the time were approaching retirement.

Energy workers are “highly skilled, so it takes years to train them,” Buker said.

This prompted an effort to push awareness and education about energy sector jobs to veterans.

“There’s a lot of direct links between the skills energy workers and veterans have,” Buker said. “The Department of Labor basically noticed those links.”

Fast forward to 2023, and 10.2 percent of Iowa’s energy sector is veterans.

Iowa is in the middle of the pack among Midwest states for the percent of energy workers who are veterans. Indiana has the greatest percent with 12.5, and Kansas has the smallest with 9.4 percent.

Skill crossover

Buker — who served in the Army — said veterans have many skills that are a “direct link” to the skills needed to excel in the energy industry.

They both have “attention to detail, the working in high volume, high-stress type of environments, dedication to service and community,” Buker said. “For example, no matter how bad the weather is, the energy sector employees get out of bed any time of day and they go out to help everyone restore power, getting them back to their normal lives.”

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Buker said some in the military community have created pathways for incoming and current military personnel to learn about energy sector jobs.

For example, military recruiters talk with high school students to spread awareness about high-paying jobs within the sector. Soldiers can go to job fairs after they complete boot camp and have opportunities to attend listening groups and hiring expos to learn about career opportunities.

“Before the primary focus was, ‘Hey, if you need a job, use state programs, [or] go to the state job boards, instead of teams coming in, presenting different industries opportunities [to those serving] and how they closely link,” Buker said.

He also said during a person’s last six months of service, they can participate in a “skill bridge” program to learn more of the technical skills needed for a post-military job.

They can complete specific training to learn how to be a solar technician or a wind technician, Buker said. ”That's really helped driving those numbers up.“

He said these programs have helped veterans go straight into the energy sector after serving.

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Cheryl Lees, is the veteran, military spouse, and disability employment program manager for the Department of Energy. She said the DOE works to provide soldiers and veterans options to get their foot in the door of other industries as well. Those include national security, international affairs, business and STEM careers.

“We believe the employment trend comes from veterans’ connection to our mission, their desire to continue serving our country through their transferable skills, and our commitment to recruiting and developing veteran s and disabled veterans,” Lee said.

She added that the DOE’s workforce over the past five years is on average made up of 33 percent veterans nationwide.

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Jamie Norton, director of veteran workforce services with Iowa Workforce Development, said aside from veterans possessing leadership, problem-solving and technical skills, there are certificate programs specifically for veterans going into renewable energy.

Veterans helping veterans

Van Beek said the number of veterans working for him is close to or even higher than Iowa’s statewide 10 percent of veterans working in the industry.

“The idea is that there's such phenomenal training in the military that they're building leaders. People have to grow up very fast when you join the military,” Van Beek said. “You learn a lot about yourself and your ability to be strong in the military and that's what we need: leaders. I only want to hire leaders with my company.”

He said hiring veterans for Ideal Energy happens both organically and he seeks them out.

“If I have an opportunity to hire a veteran, I will; I do value that,” Van Beek said. “I know what the training is, and the value of it.”

Buker said veterans “love“ to help other veterans because of the dedication and skills they often bring to the job.

“You can take someone who served four years and in a military service, and it may take eight or 10 or even 12 years to get that type of equivalent operational experience,” Buker said. “Veterans look out for other veterans.”

Olivia Cohen covers energy and environment for The Gazette and is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Comments: (319) 398-8370; olivia.cohen@thegazette.com