This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 128th installment visiting with Marc Cuffaro, founder/CEO of Operator Transition Assistance Corporation (OPTACorp), which works to successfully integrate transitioning special operators and uniquely qualified veterans into post-military careers in corporate America.
Describe what OPTACorp does. We are a consulting and advisory agency dedicated to investing in veterans, as we prepare them for careers. That principle also applies to our clients, with whom we work closely to identify specific employment requirements, to find a fully qualified veteran that meets their needs. What makes us unique is the time we spend with both our veterans and clients. Our transition phases provide a pathway for the veteran to personally bring their skills and experience to business leaders. We represent superior candidates that can provide a competitive advantage. We are passionate about creating the best opportunities for the veterans who have volunteered to serve and protect our nation.
How did you get started? After witnessing the struggles faced by some friends upon transitioning from the Special Forces into the corporate workforce.
What is your background? The team behind OPTACorp possesses 20+ years of elite special operations experience combined with more than 50 years of business development experience in the corporate sector.
Who is your mentor? Colonel Kim Moros, Deputy of the Care Coalition. Col. Moros is a leader in the transition of veterans into corporate America. Her success is nationally recognized not only in the military sector, but in the private sector as well. She recognized OPTACorps professional manner and how it aligned with what the Care Coalition was doing. She quickly realized that I would have a greater level of success of moving the program nationally with a higher level of placements because I was a civilian.
Describe your customers. OPTACorp clients are all businesses that support the employment of veterans with skills in project management, logistics, engineering, quality assurance, IT, security and business development.
Name three things you wish you knew when you started? 1. To have a better understanding of what these brave men and women have been through. 2. To have a more efficient model to support their needs. More time focused on how to question them, and a better understanding of their physical, mental and emotional needs. 3. To work more specifically with clients that understood what veterans could or are currently doing within their organizations.
What do you enjoy about the business? The feeling of helping a group of men and women that I consider to be our heroes.