Supporting military communities and veteran businesses

Mike DeStefano, Executive Director, DC Market Executive: To me, there's no better place to honor our military personnel and our veterans than right here in the Capital Region. And on behalf of Wells Fargo, I want to say welcome and thank you for your service.

Victor Perez, Executive Director, Head of Veterans Segment, Corporate & Investment Banking: I'm really proud to be here tonight hosting our fourth annual military appreciation month event where we brought in our clients from both the Commercial Bank and the Investment Bank.

Randy Lynch, Managing Director, Global Head of Aerospace & Defense Investment Banking: A wonderful opportunity in this fantastic museum space to talk to our clients about what's going on in the defense community, what our clients are thinking about, what help they need.
Giselle Valdez, Executive Director, Commercial Banking Technology Banker: We had senior leaders from Investment Banking attend, as well as senior leaders from Commercial Banking, showing how Wells Fargo can really support and nurture emerging technologies in defense tech.
Andrew Barnes, Executive Director, Head of Military & Veterans Segment
Commercial Banking: Wells Fargo has been supporting the military for over 160 years through recruitment, financial education, and also vehicle and housing donations.

Phil Smith, Commercial Banking, Vice Chair, Specialized Industries: It's such an honor to have veterans, veteran owned and veteran led businesses represented in the room.

Jon Huerta, Managing Director, Head of Industrials Investment Banking: Appreciate all the veterans that came out tonight, all the great questions, all the dialog we've had, all the strong relationships that we're continuing to build.

Edward D'Alessandro, CEO Roberts & Ryan: Wells Fargo is one of the few firms that constantly is doing things for veterans, trying to bring veterans into their network and helping us grow as a firm.
Smith: We had over 100 different veteran owned and veteran led businesses, and those industries represented.
Barnes: This has been a great opportunity to connect with our aerospace and defense industry, learn from a panel of experts, and a great venue to do so.

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Open with music, audience at event, speaker approaching podium.

Chanda Mofu speaking: In the army, I knew everybody had my back.

TITLE CARD: Victor Perez, Head of the Veterans Segment, Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking

VICTOR: So, this is our third annual Veterans Day celebration in partnership with the Commercial Bank and the Corporate and Investment Bank. We've touched over 750 clients and have really highlighted the focus and support that Wells Fargo and our Corporate and Investment Bank and Commercial Bank have for the veterans segment.

TITLE CARD: Giselle Valdez, Executive Director, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking

GISELLE: We continue to do more every year that I've been here. I really enjoy coming and reconnecting with all the veterans that I consider kind of like my brothers and sisters within Wells Fargo. 

TITLE CARD: Danielle Squires, Head of Diverse Segments, Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking

DANIELLE: Veterans are the heart of our country and really one of the biggest growing sectors within our business community. 

TITLE CARD:  Justin Treml, Head of Military and Employee Banking, Consumer and Small Business Banking

JUSTIN: First off, Wells Fargo has a community, and I think that's really where it starts as a veteran, to have some place where you can call your own, you can call your home. 

TITLE CARD: Andy Barnes, Head of the Veterans Segment, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking

ANDY: I've seen it start from the very beginning and excel to where we're supporting multiple nonprofits, multiple hiring initiatives. And then our ERN has expanded tremendously over the years. 

TITLE CARD: Mike Riley, Co-head of Markets, Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking

MIKE: We're starting to understand some of the hardships that people have coming out of the military, which is a very structured environment. 

ANDY: I appreciate the support of the veteran community at Wells Fargo, because it's just like the military where you always had your back. We always call it you got your six. 

VICTOR: And I think our clients feel special knowing that they have a bank that acknowledges them and acknowledges their service and thanks them for that. 

TITLE CARD: Anna Bard, Head of Employee Volunteerism, Disaster & Global Philanthropy

ANNA:  Wells Fargo Foundation has decided to make a two year, $2 million donation to Team Rubicon to support the Ready Reserve fund.

TITLE CARD: Art delaCruz, Team Rubicon CEO

ART: Our job and my job as the CEO of Team Rubicon is to ensure that the impacts this incredible $2 million gift generates can be felt for years and years to come both in our volunteers and the survivors that we help. 

JUSTIN: If we consistently stay and build relationships and show that we are in it for their win as well, we'll continue to grow. 

Close with music

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Bill Moran, Admiral (Ret.) 39th Vice Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy: There's no more ethically strong workforce in the world than what you get out of veterans.

Voiceover: This year's Military Appreciation Month event, co-hosted by Wells Fargo and Bloomberg, celebrated the accomplishments of military service members. The event featured veterans leading innovation and scaling businesses across the country. They spoke about going from the military to civilian careers in entrepreneurship, and the importance of supporting veterans in that transition.

Brandon Tseng, US Navy Veteran, Co-Founder & President, Shield AI: If anybody here thinks it's easy, right, or, like, it's just all magical sunshine and rainbows on the outside.  It's a very, very different story, right?

Ling Shao, US Army Veteran, Founder & CEO, Spectrum AI: It's really emotionally tough. And even though we've all been in tough situations, it's really helpful to have that peer group.

Voiceover: Wells Fargo has a long history of supporting military service members through initiatives to hire and retain veterans. This year, Wells is launching the Veteran Alliance program, which allows veterans to pay it forward to the next generation of business leaders.

Mike Riley, US Navy Veteran, Co-Head of Markets, Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking: A lot of us have been through it. And you've had people that have helped you make that transition. It's important to pay that back. Veterans can do a lot of really great things if they're given the skills and the opportunity to do it. And it's up to us to help promote that.

Suzanne Vautrinot, Major General (Ret.), US Air Force, Wells Fargo Board of Directors Member: It really is an absolutely extraordinary group. Words matter; people really matter. 

Admiral Bill Moran: We will continue to be able to provide the communities great servants of the communities, great entrepreneurs, great employees. And that, to us, to me, and I hope to all of you, is the strength of this country

[Wells Fargo has proudly supported military veterans and their families for more than 160 years.]