Ten years ago, Mark and Tori Baird got a knock on their door from a Marine who’d just returned from Iraq.
The soldier was wondering if they had any jobs around the house that could help him earn $100 which he needed for an electricity bill.
The retired couple offered to give the Marine $100, but he refused the charity.
Five hours later, after doing odd jobs for the couple in the yard and home, the Marine left with a hundred bucks. The encounter sparked the idea for the Bairds to start a job board called “Hire Marines”.
The website took off, and Mark and Tori even got a call from the Admiral of the Navy who asked if sailors could also use the service. The Bairds were thrilled and renamed their web site, Hire Patriots, with the goal of providing work for veterans.
(LEARN more about the job board’s success at Brad Aronson’s blog) – Photo credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images