La Crosse Businessman Honored For His Work With Veterans

Gov. Scott Walker and other lawmakers honored La Crosse businessman Don Weber on Monday for his dedication to service to veterans.

CEO Don Weber founded Logistics Health Incorporated (LHI) in 1999, a health care management company that often works with the Department of Defense. The company has grown exponentially over the years, and now employs about 1,100 people. Currently, almost 10 percent of LHI’s workforce is made up of veterans. The company is expected to expand over the next three years, and the goal by then is to have 20 percent of the workforce be veterans and their spouses.

Weber, who served as a Marine in Vietnam, says employers need to overcome the stigmas associated with hiring veterans, and that mental and physical issues don’t always have to be a liability. He says employers need to work more with Wisconsin National Guard and Army Reserve members who are being deployed more frequently.

“Employers look at that as a business disruption,” said Weber. “We need to work through that.”

He added: “Most of these people understand what responsibility’s all about … They understand what end results are all about. You can count on them.”

A Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) spokeswoman says over the last few years, initiatives to connect veterans with employers have grown. She says about 14,000 people have attended veteran career fairs over the last four years. Plus, more employers are signing on to WDVA-hosted symposiums where officials educate human resources directors and business owners about the importance of hiring veterans.