Meet My Heroes

Meet My HeroesMeet My HeroesA few months ago, Readers, I asked you to send in pictures of yourselves to remind Ladders.com team that its all about you the heroes of this economy.This week Id like to introduce you to a few of Ladders.coms everyday heroes your fellow subscribers who have found great new jobs here on the site. After all, folks like Sandy, Susan, Chris, Kurtis, Michael and Jim and you are the reason were here.Ex-Military Fire Chief Returns to War ZoneSandy Sanders is a hero by any measure. After 20 years in the Air Force, the last 10 as a fire chief, and several more as a civilian fire chief, he was looking for a job that would use his skills managing a big fire department or multiple operations. Working through OpsLadder, Sanders landed a position as fire chief for construction- and engineering-services giant KBR. After he finishes a training program in Houston this June, he will be in charge of fire stations in 44 locations in Asia and the Middle East. His job is to make sure all these locations, many of them in war zones, are running smoothly.Read moreAfter a Break, a New Door Opens in Real EstateUpLadder member Susan LoGiudice used the time after getting laid off from her real-estate management job to explore work toward her MBA, roles as a TV extra and a trip to Europe. When she returned from that trip, LoGiudice had not one, but two job interviews waiting for her. She is now working as director of leasing for Vantage properties of New York, one of the citys leading investors in residential and retail properties. If you are laid off, you should definitely post your resume, maximize your use of recruiters and tell everyone you meet that you are looking for a job, LoGuidice said. You do have to put yourself out there. But look at it as an opportunity to do something youve always wanted to do but couldnt because you were stuck at work.Read moreTuning Up a Career in Music MakingChris Anderson loves to make music, and the MktgLadder members new job brings his profession and passion together. After he was laid off as national director of shopper marketing for Pepsi Co., Anderson used Ladders to score his dream job, global product manager for Gibson Guitars in Nashville, Tenn. This is an opportunity to get paid for something I love, and Im so glad I had the patience to really think my priorities through before I got into the search, Anderson told Ladders.com. I had the patience to wait and make sure I was getting the right job for me, not just taking the first thing that comes along.Read moreAfter 35 Years, a Change of GearsKurtis Tatum had been working as a consultant at Unisys for the past 35 years and enjoyed his work. Hed done many different jobs there, and for the past five years had been traveling worldwide optimizing data centers. But last June, he decided that he needed to start thinking about looking for another job. He said he needed to be proactive, rather than react to the market. Through TechnologyLadder, he lan ded a job as practice lead for Siemens IT Solutions and Services. They have money to invest and innovate, Tatum said. The job is doing very similar work to what I am doing now. And they were looking to bring in senior people to help them grow. They liked the experience and skills I could bring to their team.Read moreRegional Sales Manager Finds Higher Pay in Medical SalesSome days, in sale you can feel like you are on top of the world. Other days, you feel like you have been stepped on and trampled on. But I have done the cubical job and I have done the hard-labor job and I have done the sales job, and even at my worst day in sales, I will take that any day over any of the other industries, said SalesLadder member Michael Meyer of his position as regional sales manager for Sleep Solutions Inc, a privately held diagnostic service provider focused on products for patients suffering sleep disorders. There is no doubt that this is where I see myself. And every day, I love it.Read moreHi red From Army Reservist to Veterans HRJim Deimer faced a real challenge at the end of his active duty. A former human-resources professional in the financial sector, the Army reservist was coming up on the end of a long activation in support of operations in Iraq and islamische republik afghanistan as a personnel officer. So, as he prepared to come off active duty, Deimer turned to Ladders to help him network. I found The Ladders to be a good resource not just for the $100K jobs. It gets your name in front of people. Deimer is now a human-resources manager for the Department of Veterans Affairs, helping other military veterans bridge the gap.Read moreOK, Readers, I hope you enjoyed these six stories of success in the trenches. Now lets write yours