Sodexo Hires Heros: District Manager Bill Benson
By Suzanne Thompson, Senior Recruiter and Angela Guidroz, Military Sourcing Manager

Bill Benson

Sodexo proudly serves and employs the heroes who protect our freedom. Veterans, reservists and members of the National Guard will find opportunities right for them in Food & Beverage Management, Facilities Management and Engineering, as well as Sales, Accounting, IS&T, Human Resource Management and more! With 6000 locations, Sodexo can even provide transfer opportunities for spouses when a service member is deployed or relocated across the U.S.

So how does one go from the mechanic room of a nuclear submarine to being a District Manager at Sodexo? We connected with Sodexo District Manager Bill Benson to learn how.

Bill is just one of many who began their career in the military and then joined Sodexo after serving our country. Bill, who stands over 6 feet 5 inches tall, joined the Navy and found himself at home in the mechanical room on a naval nuclear power submarine. When asked why the mechanic room, he stated "that it was one of the few places that I could stand up straight.” So he found his passion in the nuclear power field with a mechanical background.

Bill served in the Navy for eight years. He learned about Sodexo from Joe Brutto, a friend from his Navy days and a current District Manager with Sodexo, who called to share information about Sodexo and the career opportunities available.

Bill joined the Sodexo Facility Solutions division as an Operations Manager within the Hospitals division. During his 18 months as an Operations Manager, he was able to put to use the technical and leadership skills he had learned in the military. Applying his past military training and experience to all that he was learning at Sodexo, he progressed to the next level as a Director. Knowing that he wanted to do more with his career, he moved to the resource team to work on infrastructure assessments. One of his assignments included reengineering the hot water system within a 350,000-square-foot hospital. Through his Navy experience, he had a thorough understanding of the control system and flow rates of the hot water system, which enabled him to improve efficiencies and reliability. This past April, Bill was promoted to District Manager over the Southeast region for Hospitals Facility Solutions division. He is also completing his Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering.

When asked, what three skills did you bring from the military that best prepared you for your career with Sodexo, Bill replied: "dedication to the job at hand; a ’no failure’ type attitude, there is nothing that we can’t do or fix; and personal skills while interacting with a diverse group of individuals."

Bill is just one example of the many individuals who join Sodexo after having a military career. To learn more, visit our microsite: Sodexo Hires Heroes. We are a proud recipient of the ESGR Pro-Patria Award and a G.I. Jobs Top 50 Military Employer for our recruiting efforts and company policies that support veteran employees. Sodexo is also a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Freedom Award, the highest recognition given to employers by the Secretary of Defense for exceptional support of our nation’s defense.