If anyone knows how impactful collaboration can be for employee resource groups, it’s Lloyd Knight. 

Knight is the Veteran Talent Acquisition Strategy Manager at UPS and the co-founder of VETLANTA, a collaborative initiative aimed at making Atlanta a leading community for veterans. With extensive experience in veteran engagement and industry collaboration, Lloyd has played a pivotal role in enhancing veteran support through innovative programs and partnerships. 

Knight sat down with American Veterans Group to share his insights into how organizations can leverage collaboration opportunities to better support veterans. You can hear more from Knight during “VetSuccess: Empowering Veteran Resource Group” webinar on October 23, 2024. 

What led you to starting UPS’ first veterans resource group? 

Lloyd Knight: I’m retired from the Air Force, spent 20 years in, and had a great transition to UPS. During my time at UPS, I was successful, got hired as a manager, and was promoted three times in my first four years to the director level. But something was missing. 

As far as professional development, there was women’s leadership development. UPS was years ahead of many companies in this area, and they were inclusive. I used to attend their workshops and lunch and learns, and afterward, I’d find my nearest HR professional and ask, “Will there be something for other groups?” Eventually, they called me on it. 

UPS was starting business resource groups at UPS for different communities (like LGBTQ, African-Americans, Latinos, single working parents, and a few others) and they wanted me to start the first veterans group. I was busy, traveling all the time, and finishing up a Master’s degree. But I agreed, and ran it for two years, which set the foundation for what eventually became 22 chapters at UPS across the country. 

What’s the story behind VETLANTA? What was the inspiration? 

 Ten years ago, I connected with David Watermaker and John Phillips (who would go on to be the co-founder and the Vice President of VETLANTA) from Coca-Cola. John knew that many companies in the Atlanta-area had recently started Veteran Business Resource Groups (VBRGs) and wanted to get them together to find out what everyone was doing for veterans. So, we hosted our first meeting with 25 people from about 15 organizations in the Atlanta-area. 

We were amazed at what our companies were doing nationally and locally for veterans, collectively hiring hundreds of thousands of veterans each year, giving tens of millions of dollars to veteran causes, and volunteering at staggering rates with veteran nonprofits. But what was missing was the network; nobody was really connected. Because of that, the space was ill-informed in many ways. That first meeting was very productive, and ended up laying the foundation for VETLANTA. 

The ball ended up getting passed to me, and I was totally out of my element. I had no clue what I was doing, but because of that, we were able to piece together something very different than most veteran organizations. 

VETLANTA is about honest and open dialogue about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the veteran resource group space. We’re blessed in Atlanta. Ten and a half years ago, we had a lot of “good,” and we have a lot more “good” now, based on what we've done. I define good as an individual contributor, a nonprofit, or a business providing the right resources at the right time, to the right people, and getting the right results in a timely fashion. 

The bad falls into two categories: sometimes large organizations get too focused on fundraising instead of providing service deliverables, and lose focus. The second type of bad is when people start nonprofits for the right reasons but don’t have the management ability or leadership know-how to be successful with donor dollars or volunteer hours. Sometimes we can help those, and sometimes they’re lost causes. 

Then there's the ugly, the fraudsters, scammers, and schemers. Unfortunately, a lot of those scammers are fellow veterans. So, we decided to form a group to connect the network, advertise the good, try to help the bad, and isolate the ugly. 

How is VETLANTA different than other veteran support organizations? 

 We weren’t formed as a 501(c)(3) or an LLC; we were just a chartered club. Our charter didn’t allow us to take or give money, so we focused on volunteerism, collaboration, and in-kind support. 

I'd love to say this was some master brilliant long-term plan, but honestly, I was just thinking, “What are we going to need money for?” There were only a handful of us, not realizing that 10 years later, there would be 14,000 of us. I knew that if we formed as a 501(c)(3), we could get money from our companies, but I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to take money that our companies were giving to credible organizations and shift it to what we were doing; it seemed counterproductive. 

The way we formed was kind of brilliant. It allowed us to get around a lot of red tape, and it allowed us to play nicely with the government. Our companies loved the message of in-kind support versus monetary support. 

We figured out that networking was the most important part, so our main service offering is summits. We would host quarterly summits– usually, a company will host the summit, provide the venue, and provide food. We have an hour and a half of networking with 25 to 50 tables where nonprofits, companies hiring, academia, and government agencies can look for those in need or those wanting to give back and get involved. Then we have about an hour of content with guest speakers. 

We grew rapidly. Before COVID, we were averaging 550 participants per summit, and our biggest turn out had 1,200 people with Governor Brian Kemp was our keynote speaker. Post-COVID, we’re still getting back to normal, with about 350 this year. 

We had to become comfortable in our own skin that we’re not a service organization; we’re a networking organization. With that network, so much good happens: People get hired, employers get better at hiring, people get help, find coaches, mentors, and champions — all without money. 

What kind of challenges did you run into along the way that others trying to replicate this may also face? How did you overcome those? 

 We were fortunate because we’ve shared our playbook, our charter, lessons learned, and best practices with over three dozen cities across the country. It’s been really hard for other people to replicate it. 

We were blessed to be started from within Fortune 50 companies, and that gave us a lot of momentum. People started showing up because they trusted our brand. 

Other cities have tried to start it from outside the Fortune 500 or Fortune 50 companies, often from an existing nonprofit or a new one. Eventually, many figure out they need to tie money to it. We’ve been blessed that we’ve never had to tie money into it. I think because of that, we have the secret sauce here in Atlanta. 

Why is it so important to have these resources for veterans? How does this benefit companies and veterans?  

I would say that 95-99% of veterans are high performers – they just need a little bit of assistance. I'm a great example. I joined the Kentucky Air National Guard when I was 17, went active when I was 18, and retired when I was 38. I'd never written a resume, never had a real civilian job interview, and I was frankly out of my element. 

A lot of these organizations provide veterans and their families with focused expertise, whether it’s on resumes, networking, or finding a mentor. That’s important for our companies when we talk about employment. 

Companies like UPS, VETLANTA, and others across the country aren’t just hiring veterans because it’s the right thing to do. We hire veterans because we know they’re going to give us a competitive advantage.

They bring a unique perspective, a diverse skill set, and global experience that most non-veterans don’t have. By going the extra mile and supporting nonprofits that help veterans, it’s just a win-win situation. 

About Lloyd Knight

Lloyd Knight is the Veteran Talent Acquisition Strategy Manager for UPS based at UPS Global Headquarters in Atlanta, GA where he oversees hiring and retention for a 19,000 military veteran work force. He is very active in veteran engagement at UPS serving many roles including starting the first Veterans Business Resource Group, developing the first Veterans Management Training Program, and served as the Chairman of the UPS Veterans Council. He is the co-founder and President of VETLANTA, an industry collaboration of veteran motivated organizations striving to make Atlanta the premier community in the country for veterans and their families. 

He is a Career Readiness Instructor for FourBlock teaching at Emory University's Goizueta Business School for their Masters in Business for Veterans Program. Lloyd is an active volunteer supporting multiple non-profits including Leadership Forsyth American Corporate Partners, Travis Manion Foundation FourBlock & Hire Heroes USA. He is the recipient of the 2018 UPS Jim Casey Community Service Award. This award is given annually to just one of 500,000 global UPS employees for demonstrating an exceptional commitment to helping their community. He is the author of KNIGHTWORK, My Unfinished Journey of VETLANTA. Lloyd has associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force in Human Resources and Aircrew Operations, BA and MA Degrees from American Military University in Transportation and Logistics Management and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Georgia. 

Learn more at VetSuccess: Empowering Veteran Resource Groups

American Veterans Groups is dedicated to advancing veteran employment. The VetSuccess conference series aims to connect leaders to advance military veteran employment and career success. VetSuccess: Empowering Veteran is designed to give organizational leaders the opportunity to share ideas, bridge the gap between different teams – from finance to HR, and hear from experts on how to empower organizations’ Veteran Resource Groups (VRGs)