Military appreciation more than a quick salute at Kellogg

In honor of Military Appreciation Month, one Kellogg Company executive shares his experience as a U.S. Air Force veteran and his 20-year career at Kellogg.

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By Joe Zortman, Vice President Kellogg, Social K – Kellogg Company Blog

Joe Zortman

I am reminded each time I see the American Flag that for many other countries, freedom is a privilege not a right. My family has a long and storied history of military service – with recognized service in major military conflicts including the Persian Gulf War, Vietnam War, World War II and World War I. I had the privilege of joining the U.S. Air Force after I graduated from high school and I look back on my time in the military with pride that I could serve our country.

Growing up I saw the scars and heard the stories from my father, my uncles and my grandfathers of what sacrifice meant in service to our country. While on active duty, I experienced firsthand the sacrifices of our service members and their families. As Memorial Day approaches, my thoughts turn to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and died in military service. Not only to those military heroes, but the families and loved ones they left behind.

I began my career 20 years ago at Kellogg Company. As an enlisted veteran, I had work experience but had not yet earned a college degree. The company recognized my military experience and offered me a role as a Sales Reporting analyst. Two decades later, I would go on to finish my college education and have a fulfilling career with the opportunity to grow personally and professionally across the Kellogg organization. I am grateful for the hiring manager that saw the potential of a young veteran and gave me a chance.

I’m proud to work for a company like Kellogg – one that has a long history of supporting the military and continues to advocate, recruit and develop veteran employees and embrace different types of talent to help the company flourish and thrive.

Kellogg offers a variety of veteran resources including its Business/Employee Resource Group, KVets & Supporters, which is dedicated to celebrating military service, supporting our local active duty service members at Fort Custer and even volunteering to accompany veterans on Honor Flights to visit war memorials Through these activities and many others, the company recognizes the benefits that veterans bring to our workplace.

The U.S. Air Force values of ‘Integrity First’, ‘Service Before Self’, and ‘Excellence In All We Do’ aligns fully with Kellogg’s K Values. It is our company’s values that are at the core of who we are, how we do business, and what brings us together as a global team. Kellogg is committed to creating a positive, supportive and inclusive environment for veteran candidates and employees as it recognizes we can bring valuable, diverse experiences and unique skillsets to the company.


From my personal experience, our veteran community at Kellogg is much like a family – we support, encourage and champion one another and I’m honored to work for such a distinguished and inclusive company.

For more information on veteran careers at Kellogg, visit Kellogg Careers.

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