TD salutes the dedication and bravery of all military personnel and their families this National Veterans and Military Families Month. We have a growing community of veterans who bring a unique perspective to our business and a passion for going above and beyond. The bank's mission is to build upon our commitment by creating a community where all active duty, reserve, former military, services, and family members can share their experiences, grow their careers, and raise awareness of veteran matters to our colleagues, customers, and communities.
November is National Veterans and Military Families Month, a great opportunity to honor and celebrate the significant part that US military veterans play throughout every department of the TD Bank workforce. Military training brings about unique perspectives that create strong, loyal, creative-thinking team members. We proudly salute all those who served in the U.S. military and have chosen a career with TD Bank.
What Can't Be Seen on Paper
Tenisha Hill, a Loss Mitigation Specialist with the TD Helps Collections and Recovery Group in Greenville, South Carolina, says that TD Bank is a great place to work because of the opportunities, and the inclusive culture that highlights a veteran’s strengths.
A 12-year veteran of the Army Reserves, Tenisha ended her time there with the skills, experiences, knowledge, and intuition of a Sergeant. Since joining the team at TD Bank in August 2016, she’s put those qualities to good use in a variety of ways, as she moves toward her goal of a career in HR training and development.
“As a military veteran, many of your strengths aren’t on your resume. They're instilled in you during your time serving," she said. "But at TD Bank, you can add a lot to the business by being a team player, dedicating to mission completion, and staying focused and on task. It doesn’t matter how long you have been out of the military; these things stay with you as part of you. TD Bank lets those parts of you shine and allows you to be your whole self as well.”
Discipline and Growth Bring Opportunities
William Rojas, who joined TD Bank in March of 2014, and now works as a Group Manager in the Greenville, South Carolina Retail Card Services division, offers a similar sentiment.
“Working at TD Bank allows me to continue developing the skills I learned while in the military, like adapting to an ever-changing environment," he said. "Here I can put my strengths to good use and keep expanding them. As I grow as a leader and a person, I have more opportunities to do that.”
William served in the Army for three years, ending as an E4 Corporal. During his time, he did several overseas peacekeeping tours, traveling to Panama, Egypt, Israel, Germany, and Macedonia.
The Best and Hardest Thing
For William, a deeper appreciation of life came from his Army service. William calls it “the best and hardest thing” he has ever done because all his tours abroad removed him from the comfort of his home, forcing him to mature. His time in the military brought discipline, showed him different cultures, made him miss his mom’s cooking, then returned him more aware than ever of all the opportunities available in life for those who seek them. This was one of the main things that attracted him to TD Bank: the opportunities—and the many different directions he could go.
Honoring Veterans Day
Veterans Day is November 11. The holiday was recognized as paid time off at TD for the first time in 2021. This is a decision that Tenisha and William appreciate very much because it acknowledges how much the bank cares about veterans and local communities that are part of the TD family.
"I plan to spend Veterans Day with my family and friends," Tenisha said. "Each year myself and a group of fellow vets partake in a free lunch and/or dinner offered at one of the local restaurants honoring veterans, so we celebrate each other and other vets. I will also visit my grandfather's grave to pay my respect."
William is also staying local and planning to have dinner at one of the restaurants in Greenville. He appreciates how so many businesses in his town support the veteran community.
"It is a lot of fun to go out and engage with others who served our country," he said.
Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion Are Key
Tenisha says that what drew her to TD Bank was its inclusive culture:
“During my job search, I kept seeing that TD Bank focuses heavily on diversity, inclusion, and opportunities, and that was something I wanted to be a part of," she said. "Among the most important lessons I learned in the military was focus on the mission, teamwork, and never leaving fallen comrades behind. I felt TD Bank really believes in that too, and I couldn’t wait to join the team.”
William says what drew him to TD Bank was also a sense of inclusion and teamwork
“The Army helped me learn to value what's important. It gave me responsibility and it also taught me about responsibility toward others, and how my decisions affect others. I wanted to work in a place that values responsibility, and loyalty, and I found it here.”
The loyalty that the U.S. veterans in the TD Bank workforce bring to the table is one of the most valuable of their many intangible skills. This kind of loyalty means that no matter what the situation is, they’ll see it through to the end.
TD Bank is honored to have these quality people among our ranks, and every colleague who works alongside them is lucky to have team members like Tenisha and William whose core mission is to never leave them behind. William agreed with Tenisha when she says, “If I see someone needing a little help or guidance in getting their work done, I’m there to give them a hand. My military service really brought that out in me.”