Small Business, Big Commitment: HX5’s Approach to the Hiring Our Heroes Fellowship

For a company with approximately 1,000 employees, hosting two Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellows per year represents a meaningful commitment. Large defense contractors can absorb dozens of fellows annually, supported by dedicated military recruiting teams and substantial administrative infrastructure. Smaller firms like HX5 must balance fellowship participation with operational capacity and the practical demands of onboarding and integrating participants.

HX5 CEO Margarita Howard has maintained the company’s participation in the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program since 2021, hosting eight fellows over that period. Her approach reflects a deliberate judgment that consistent, scaled commitment matters more than sporadic participation at higher volumes.

Two fellows per year allows HX5 to provide a genuine integration experience. Each fellow spends 12 weeks working four days per week on actual company projects, gaining exposure to the operational realities of defense and aerospace contracting. The fifth day each week is reserved for professional development programming, addressing the professional skills that bridge military and civilian career environments.

The fellows HX5 hosts gain access to work that Howard describes as, in some cases, being done nowhere else in the world. Projects supporting advanced weapons research, sensor system reviews, and modeling and simulation for defense and space programs offer substantive, mission-aligned experiences for transitioning service members whose military careers often involved similar work.

Howard’s sustained engagement with the fellowship program reflects a broader philosophy about what veteran support actually requires. Rather than responding to hiring needs opportunistically, HX5’s steady annual commitment builds a pipeline of informed candidates who understand government contracting from the inside and who bring military experience that maps directly onto the company’s core work. Refer to this article for more information.

More about Margarita Howard on https://homebusinessmag.com/success-stories-lifestyles/defense-contractors-margarita-howard-adapts-gen-z-amid-competition-stem-talent/