American Corporate Partners

American Corporate Partners is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to assisting United States veterans in their transition from the military to the civilian world. The organization was founded in 2008 to connect veterans to business professionals for mentoring, career counseling and networking.

History

American Corporate Partners was founded by Sidney Goodfriend in September 2008, with the assistance of six original Participating Institutions. Mr. Goodfriend, a retired investment banker, credits his own success to mentors throughout his career and has stated that he is deeply appreciative of the work and sacrifices of post-9/11 veterans^[1] Mr. Goodfriend launched ACP as a means to help the growing community of American veterans find meaningful careers in the corporate world.^[2] Since its launch, ACP's mentoring program has grown to include more than 60 participating institutions. As of mid-2016, more than 7,000 post-9/11 veterans have successfully completed ACP's mentoring program.

On Veterans Day 2011, American Corporate Partners launched ACP AdvisorNet, an online business Q&A forum which has enabled veterans and civilian professionals to connect with one another and discuss topics related to career development.^[3] ACP AdvisorNet is open to all American veterans and their immediate family members. The site has attracted business leaders from across the country who act as virtual Advisors to veterans in transition.

ACP's bipartisan Advisory Council includes diverse members such as: Jesse Angelo, David Axelrod, Jack D. Bergen, Thomas P. Bostick, Howard B. Bromberg, Alvin H. Brown, Devon Cross, Ann Dunwoody, Christy Ferer, John Hamre, John Havens, Jack H. Jacobs, Karen Hughes, John M. Keane, William Kristol, Robert J. Kueppers, Joe Lieberman, Joseph E. Martz, Mary Jo Myers, Richard B. Myers, Robert Norsworthy, Raymond T. Odierno, Peter Pace, David Petraeus, Karl Rove, James A. Runde, Jon Stewart, Lawrence Summers, and Paul Wolfowitz.

Mission

American Corporate Partners is dedicated to fostering one-on-one relationships between veterans and corporate professionals from Fortune 500 companies and select universities, with the belief that such relationships will ease the veteran's transition from the military to the civilian workforce and strengthen the relationship between corporate America and the veteran community.^[4]

Programs

ACP AdvisorNet

ACP AdvisorNet was launched in 2011 as an online business community for veterans. The site includes a Q&A forum and allows users to privately message one another for professional development. Business professionals from more than 900 companies have volunteered on the site to answer questions and give advice. In 2014, former President Bill Clinton filmed a PSA for ACP AdvisorNet, asking corporate professionals to volunteer their time and expertise by answering questions from veterans on the site.

Mentoring Program

ACP's yearlong Mentoring Program began in 2008 with Mentors from six Fortune 500 companies including PepsiCo and General Electric. In its first year, more than 500 post 9/11 veterans participated in mentorships with ACP Mentors. As of 2015, more than 60 companies currently provide volunteer Mentors and more than 2,500 veterans are in engaged in a mentorship.^[5][6]

Give Them 20

In 2015, ACP launched a social media campaign called Give Them 20 encouraging Americans to thank veterans for their service. Celebrities liked Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, Daymond John and more recorded videos completing 20 push-ups to thank veterans. ^[7]

References