Valuing Our Veterans, Today and Every Day

two military members saluting the American flag

November 10, 2025

Last year, Interstates was honored to be one of the 2024 HIRE Vets Medallion Award recipients, earning the Large Organization Gold Award by demonstrating an unparalleled commitment to recruiting, hiring, and developing veterans. Interstates employs over 100 talented veterans and active military, Guard, and Reserve team members, including Troy Sedam. 

A person wearing glasses and a blue Interstates polo shirt is smiling softly in front of a gray-blue backdrop.
Troy’s 35 years of experience in the military shaped his strong sense of service, purpose, and reliability—qualities he continues to demonstrate at Interstates every single day.

Troy serves as a leader in the Operational Technology (OT) group as well as the Veteran's Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Interstates. With a distinguished 35-year military career, Troy transitioned from working as a tank turret mechanic to leading and commanding complex operations worldwide. 

Throughout his service, Troy and his family were stationed across the country, including assignments at: 

  • Fort McClellan, Alabama
  • Fort Knox, Kentucky
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
  • Fort Carson, Colorado
  • Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
  • Fort Riley, Kansas 

His career was also enriched by deployments in Europe and the Middle East, where he gained extensive leadership experience in diverse and challenging environments. 

Troy's Journey from Military Service to Interstates

Troy joined Interstates in May 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the unique challenges of integrating into a new organization during uncertain times, Troy found a welcoming culture at Interstates that mirrors the values of today’s U.S. Army—commitment to teamwork, mentorship, and personal development.  

“Interstates offers a family-oriented atmosphere, where people are supported in advancing their careers and achieving personal growth. I am passionate about working in an environment that fosters camaraderie and continuous learning, and truly appreciate the opportunities Interstates provides to take on new challenges and grow both personally and professionally.” 

For Troy, the transition from military service to civilian leadership was made seamless by Interstates' shared focus on integrity, respect, and mission-driven teamwork. He is proud to be part of an organization that values its veterans and leverages their unique skills and experiences to drive success. 

Creating Meaningful Connections

One way Interstates can ensure it continues to provide smooth transitions and helpful resources to veteran team members is through its Veteran's ERG. The primary focus of this group is to create connections with and between Veterans and Gold-Star Families at Interstates, understand and assist with Veteran benefits and transitions into civilian life, and to support Veteran employee whole health and career and professional growth. 

Why is this important to Interstates? Kent Heronimus, retired Air Force and Technical Training Manager at Interstates, tells us why. “Our Veterans have served our country and continue to serve our organization. They have diverse backgrounds, experiences, and unique needs that cannot be met through ‘typical’ pathways. The Veteran's ERG helps support the overall well-being of our Veterans while acknowledging/celebrating the sacrifices they have made.” 

A crowd of people, many wearing blue shirts, watch a solemn military ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Two soldiers in dark dress uniforms stand at attention on the wet stone plaza, while another soldier marches in the distance. The viewer’s perspective is from behind a person in a wheelchair wearing a hat that says “Veteran.” The white marble columns of the Memorial Amphitheater are visible on the left, and large trees line the area under an overcast sky.
The Midwest Honor Flight (MWHF) is just one of the many organizations that Interstates engages with each year. Last year, Interstates sponsored almost 30 Guardian trips to the nation's capitol.

Supporting Veterans Beyond Service

To show our appreciation to our veteran team members as well as local veterans, Interstates continues to actively engage in and support our veteran communities through organizations like the Veterans Community Project, the 50 Mile March, and Midwest Honor Flight (MWHF), sponsoring nearly 30 Guardian trips so that Interstates team members can assist veterans on well-deserved trips of a lifetime to our nation's capital. Lisa Johnson, Project Manager at Interstates, is one of many Interstates team members who were honored to volunteer as an MWHF Guardian not once, but twice, and once as a Bus Captain. 

“I do this for several reasons. One, because I see it as a very small way to thank someone for their service to our country. I didn't choose to serve in the Military myself, but many of my family members have. My volunteering with Midwest Honor Flight really does not seem like a sacrifice at all, especially in comparison to all that a Veteran has done to set aside their life for their service. Two, I do it to honor my dad, who was drafted and served as a Combat Engineer in Vietnam. He rarely shared anything about his experience, though it significantly impacted his entire life. He made it home from his deployment, but he was forever changed because of it. He passed away in 2011 from kidney cancer attributed to his exposure to Agent Orange. He didn't have the chance to take his ‘One Last Tour with Honor,’ and I believe he would have enjoyed it very much.” 

We've all been impacted by the heroic acts of veterans, whose service and sacrifices have shaped both our nation and our daily lives. At Interstates, we are deeply committed to honoring their legacies—not just in words, but through ongoing support, connection, and opportunities for every veteran to thrive within our organization and beyond. 

A group of eight people pose together in an office setting, smiling at the camera. They are surrounded by several open cardboard boxes, which appear to be filled with various supplies. Two people are kneeling in front of the boxes, while six stand behind them. One person wears a shirt with the Interstates logo. The background shows office cubicles, desks, and overhead lighting in a modern workspace.
A soldier stands inside a small, organized space, smiling and pointing to the logo on his navy-blue hoodie that reads “Interstates.” In front of him are several packages and boxes filled with supplies and snacks. The area is decorated with an American flag and military gear. Text at the top of the image expresses gratitude to the Interstates family for their support and care packages for the troops.
A group of people work together in a parking lot, loading and organizing a large number of wheelchairs near an open trailer. The sky is partly cloudy, and autumn trees with colorful leaves border the background. One person wears a blue shirt with the Interstates logo, and others are dressed casually in jackets and caps. Several rows of folded wheelchairs are visible in the foreground.
A person wearing jeans and a navy Interstates sweatshirt uses a power washer to clean a wheelchair in a parking lot. Water sprays from the hose onto the pavement as the person leans slightly forward directing the stream. Several vehicles, a grassy area, and industrial buildings are visible in the background under a cloudy sky.
Four people stand around a countertop in an office breakroom, smiling as they fold and label envelopes. Postal bins labeled “United States Postal Service” are visible on the counter, along with stacks of papers and mail labels. The background includes kitchen appliances, cabinets, and a glass wall revealing another office area.
A smiling veteran and a young woman stand arm in arm indoors, both wearing “Midwest Honor Flight” shirts — his blue and hers white — along with hats. The veteran holds a cup, and the woman holds a can, surrounded by a group of others in similar Honor Flight shirts in the background. The setting appears to be a hotel lobby with warm lighting and people preparing for an event.
A veteran in a blue “Midwest Honor Flight” shirt sits smiling in a wheelchair in front of the United States Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. The bronze statue behind him depicts six Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima, with the flag waving above them against a cloudy gray sky. The memorial’s base features gold lettering honoring fallen Marines.

The Veteran's ERG recently organized a supply drive to support several of our team members currently deployed, many of whom will be away from home for a year or longer. Interstates collected much-needed items—including toiletry supplies, non-perishable snacks, electrolyte drink mixes, and more—over the past month. 

A dedicated group then assembled and packed 10 large boxes, which were sent to our deployed colleagues and their unit. This effort is just one example of how the Interstates family comes together to care for one another, especially for those making tremendous sacrifices in service to our country.

Other photos include the preparation and participation of the Midwest Honor Flight.