IST's 29th Year of Giving Thanks

The temperatures finally dropped, and summer’s officially behind us. This time of year gets a little crazy around here… so having a chance to slow down and celebrate with family couldn’t come at a better moment. 

Now, I’ll be honest… I’m almost always looking ahead. That’s just how my mind works when it comes to IST. But the holidays? They give us permission to stop and look back for a minute. And a lot has changed over these last few years. Still, as we all keep getting a little older, I know I’m not the only one with a whole lot to remember… and a whole lot to be grateful for. 

This is our 29th Thanksgiving as an IST Family. Every single year, I get hundreds of emails from clients… acts of kindness, outstanding service, those unpredictable displays of teamwork that still amaze me. The early mornings. The late nights. The weekends spent making sure packages get there on time and events go off without a hitch. 

The Extra Mile. Service with a Passion. For our clients, that’s the whole ballgame. So thank you… to every one of our incredible team members who show up at 110% day after day, year after year, to deliver. We didn’t get here by accident. 

National Veterans and Military Families Month 

November is also National Veterans and Military Families Month. And for me, gratitude and honoring our service members have always gone hand in hand… so this month, I want to talk about both. 

Josh, my oldest, captained the Navy gymnastics team and later served as a Surface Warfare Officer aboard the USS Benfold. From there, he became an intelligence officer supporting one of the SEAL teams. Sean became an F-18 Super Hornet fighter pilot. Today, they’re both proud veterans… and I could not be more impressed by the men they’ve become. 

A lot of military families know that unique mix of pride and worry that comes with service. Some of Josh and Sean’s friends never made it back home to their families… and sacrifices like that can never be forgotten. 

Here’s one truth I’ve learned through my years around service members… so much of that dedication comes from their families. Spouses pack up their own careers, pull their kids out of school and away from friends, sometimes more than once. Those transitions are hard. And they get overlooked far too often. 

GEMS: From My Family to Yours 

Our GEMS Program stands for Gainful Employment for Military Spouses. We built it after years of partnering with the Department of Defense’s SpouseWorks and the U.S. Army’s Partnership for Your Success (PaYS) programs. PaYS actually guarantees soldiers an interview with IST as they get ready for civilian life. 

So why do we hire military spouses and veterans? Let me be honest about it… 

• They’re incredibly adaptable and resilient, and they already know how to work well within a team. 
• And too often, their careers get put on the back burner… which leaves gaps on a resume and all those so-called “resume red flags.” 

What makes IST a great place to land after service? 

• Portable careers across 40+ cities 
• Flexible full or part-time schedules 
• Preference for positions near military bases 
• Time with family during deployment 
• Real upward mobility 

We’ve welcomed dozens of military-spouse hires into the IST Family now… everything from entry-level office roles all the way up to eDiscovery project management. And we’re just getting started. 

If you’re a military spouse or veteran, or you know one, take a look at our Military Spouse & Veteran Hiring page for more opportunities here at IST. 

A Seat at the Table 

To every military family with a loved one serving far from home this holiday… we see you, and we’re grateful. To the veterans, military spouses, and families inside our own IST Family… thank you for your service and your sacrifice. 

And to every one of our 5-star team members… thank you for everything you do. Truly. From Rosa and me… Happy Thanksgiving!