Jobs after military service with no degree can be hard to find.
As of September 2026, veterans experienced an average unemployment rate of 3.6%, up from 2.7% in 2025. There are approximately 17.2 million veterans in the United States, meaning about 650,000 veterans are unemployed.
Veterans with PTSD can have an even harder time. Some studies found that veterans with PTSD were 50% more likely to experience unemployment. Without the support of veteran-friendly employers, those who do secure employment can struggle to keep it.
However, we believe veterans add incredible value to the IBCI team.
We’re committed to hiring veterans and creating jobs for vets that ease the transition from active military service into the civilian workforce. We’re proud to hire from the military, and the veterans among our associates are proud to be a part of the team.
We know every company says that. So don’t take our word for it.
Instead, allow us to introduce Ricky Whitehouse, one of our expert service technicians in Camden, South Carolina.
He spent twenty-two years in uniform as an avionics technician. As an airman, he learned mission-critical skills like:
Those might sound like resume fluff, but they are critical soft skills for any industrial battery technician.
Indeed, Ricky used those skills to build a second career.
After joining the IBCI team, Ricky found a mentor who taught him how to apply the technical skills he learned in the Air Force to this specialized industry. This on-the-job training built on his military experience.
Now, Ricky has been a valued team member for over thirteen years.
Although he occasionally helps out in our repair shop, Ricky is primarily a road tech.
Service calls can happen in all kinds of unusual places.
For Ricky, the most memorable was a call to a U.S. Naval vessel. He spent days working throughout the ship, running cables through rubber conduits and installing metal locking connectors.
The Navy veterans among you will likely sympathize. Those crawl spaces aren’t the most comfortable working environments.
Even more conventional calls offer the satisfaction of a job well done.
Once, a regional distribution center drove its battery-handling equipment off the guide track, pulling the trolley assembly from the power rail. Motive power is critical in every warehouse. So without the ability to swap out batteries, they were effectively shut down.
Operating the forklift himself, Ricky lifted the affected equipment and repositioned it under the track. Next, he re-leveled the track and secured it with all new hardware. Finally, he reattached the trolley assembly to the power rail and secured its mounting arm to the battery equipment.
His efforts prevented a catastrophic shutdown at the distribution center, saving the client thousands and getting their staff back to work.
One of the most important skills that the military teaches is attention to detail.
With industrial batteries, the details can make all the difference. Consequently, Ricky makes it a habit to thoroughly inspect each facility on every call, including:
This commitment to understanding the big picture has allowed him to rescue clients from themselves.
On one call, Ricky found that the client swapped their fleet from traditional lead-acid batteries to TPPL batteries. However, they didn’t update the charging profiles on their existing battery chargers. The mismatch could have seriously damaged their brand-new TPPL batteries.
Ricky caught the error and corrected it, protecting the fleet.
The skills they learned in the military set them up for long-term success. They excel in this industry, and we are grateful for their exemplary work. That combination is why so many veterans stay with IBCI for years.
Work-life balance is also a major benefit.
Personal lives often take a backseat during military service. So it’s understandable that many veterans seek post-service careers that allow them more time with their families. Ricky is one such veteran.
Even after 31 years of marriage, family time with his wife, Shelly, is still one of Ricky’s favorite things. Together, they raised two children. Their son’s marriage expanded the Whitehouse family, adding two grandsons.
On a perfect day at home, Ricky loves grilling for his family, playing Fortnite, working on the family cars, and flying drones with his grandsons.
His career with IBCI gives him the time and stability to make family his priority.
We create careers for veterans, helping them build lives beyond the job.
If you’re a veteran, thank you for your service. If you’re also looking for a job that you can make a career, check us out. We’re always looking for new veterans to add to our family.
To learn more about making IBCI your post-military career, contact us online or at one of our 16 locations:
Alabama - Birmingham
Florida - Jacksonville and Lakeland
Georgia - Atlanta
Maryland - Hagerstown
North Carolina - Charlotte, Conover, Kernersville, and Wilson
South Carolina - Camden and Greer
Tennessee - Knoxville and Nashville
Virginia - Richmond and Salem