Shines Stories: Capital One, St. Cloud

A philosophy that is simple but effective: “hire great people, help them live their best lives.” St. Cloud’s Capital One actively promotes an open and inclusive culture where individuals can bring their diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences together to harness our collective wisdom and challenge the status quo. This includes actively seeking current and former service members to join their teams and bring the skills they’ve learned serving our country to the table to succeed in a new space.

Capital One has been a proud part of the St. Cloud community ever since Capital One acquired ING DIRECT in February of 2012. You’ll find one of their Capital One Cafés right here in downtown St. Cloud. “Stop in anytime for a great cup of coffee or chat with one of our Ambassadors about what Capital One can offer to make banking work for you,” said Alyze Bagnal, Sr. Project Manager, on the Chief of Staff Team at Capital One. 

More broadly speaking, Capital One is 25 years old, and initially began as a credit card company before expanding into other areas of financial services, such as banking. Capital One is now a nationally recognized brand with tens of thousands of employees, a global footprint, and a mission to change banking for good. “At our core, we value innovation and simplicity to empower our people and create seamless experiences for our customers in moments that matter in their lives.”

Our communities have benefited so much from the support and presence of Capital One, but as we approach Memorial Day, we wanted to shine a light on the work they do with Veterans. “We’re incredibly proud to be a Yellow Ribbon Company (as of 2018). This status is bestowed by the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs to veteran-friendly businesses. This designation affords us the opportunity to engage with other businesses across MN to support our military members and share best practices for recruiting, engagement, and retaining military talent. 

How we approach hiring is the cornerstone. We focus on three core principles: 1) create a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive and innovate, 2) attract and develop talent from all backgrounds and experiences, and 3) ensure our systems and programs promote fairness and equity. But we don’t stop at getting the right people in the door. Education is crucial, both for recruiters and people leaders, to better support not only hiring but retaining military talent. For example, recruiters receive training on translating and understanding military experience to better support veteran candidates. We also prioritized tours of Camp Ripley (pre-COVID) for 30+ people leaders to learn more about our National Guard commitments and duties, and conduct USERRA and ESGR training for people leaders.

We’ve mentioned how important our workplace culture is, and one of the things that makes it a thriving, open culture of growth and belonging is our business resource groups. Salute is one of those business resource groups and focuses on supporting our military veterans and active-duty associates and allies. The group generates engagement and education opportunities, while also celebrating, recognizing, and honoring military members and spouses. Salute plays an integral part in Capital One’s observance of Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Military Spouse Appreciation, and more throughout the year. And we’d be remiss not to mention the thoughtful benefits, military community investment efforts, and new hire transition program Capital One offers for sustained military associate and family support.

We partner with groups such as the St. Cloud Veterans Affairs (VA) Department, Warrior to Citizen, St. Cloud Standdown, and local veteran-focused non-profits to meet the needs of our community, as well as the St. Cloud Armory and Camp Ripley in Little Falls. We believe our efforts to walk the walk and stand out as a top employer for attracting active duty and veteran service members are reflected in our designation as a Yellow Ribbon Company.

We’re thankful to be part of the St. Cloud area community, and we’re invested in its success. After all, we’re your friends and neighbors. Our Associates are part of this community. We live and work here. Our children attend school here. We patronize local businesses, pay taxes, and vote here. Capital One is actively committed not only to the development and success of its own people in Central MN, but also to initiatives such as housing stabilization, bringing banking to underbanked populations, and supporting small businesses, all of which become a tide that lifts all ships. We’re honored to serve this community, not just through our financial services but also through creating career opportunities and elevating organizations doing great work for us all.”

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