Life can be unbelievably difficult at times, particularly for our military families forced to handle unique demands such as pre-deployment anxiety, deployment separations, post-deployment adjustments and frequent moves. Building resilience is key to managing these challenges. One Killeen Chamber member, Management and Training Consultants, Inc. (MTCI), is making significant strides in providing specialized training to the Soldiers at Fort Hood on withstanding, recovering and growing in the face of pressure and changing demands.
Headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, the MTCI Lone Star Branch is located in downtown Killeen Texas. It is a satellite location that is part of the company’s training division. The primary mission of the Lone Star office is to coordinate and provide Resiliency training to the Soldiers assigned to Fort Hood. It has been providing this training since 2011 through Central Texas College starting out through the Warrior Transition Brigade. This training was helping Soldiers who were on profile for medical reasons and could not perform their daily duties. During this time, 113 Soldiers were trained during four half-day workshops. As the population at the Warrior Transition Brigade decreased, MTCI looked to create a workshop that could help all Soldiers on Fort Hood deal with stress by providing resiliency techniques.
In 2013, MTCI formed a partnership with Variety, the Children’s Charity of Texas, to introduce a new training workshop called Building a Strong Warrior (BSW). BSW is a one-day workshop designed to give Soldiers essential tools for dealing with stress. Since its introduction, MTCI has conducted nine Building a Strong Warrior workshops that have resulted in the training of more than 200 Soldiers. One battalion has been using the workshop as part of their mentorship program for junior enlisted Soldiers. Another battalion has used the BSW workshop as part of its team-building exercises in platoon-sized elements. These workshops have helped Soldiers with emotion regulation and reduced serious incident reports within the units. The workshops have received tremendous reviews, and some Soldiers have attended more than one course because they enjoyed the class and asked to come a second time.
Due to the overwhelming success of the Building a Strong Warrior workshop, Soldiers frequently asked if their spouses or family members could attend the training. They felt that their spouses could benefit from what they were learning during the class. Due to the many requests made by the Soldiers in early 2015, MTCI introduced the Building a Strong Family workshop to the 2nd Battalion 20th Field Artillery. This workshop is designed to give family members essential tools for dealing with the stress put on military families. The first two classes conducted with 12 couples received outstanding reviews. Some of the comments made were, “I loved it, the ropes course was amazing, great bonding experience, and this class created trust.”
MTCI and Variety continue to provide the Building a Strong Warrior and Building a Strong Family workshops for units on Fort Hood. In 2016, MTCI’s goal is to bring as many workshops as possible to the 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers and provide essential tools for dealing with stress to Soldiers while they continue to provide their great service to this nation.
MTCI is an ISO 9001:2008, woman-owned small business, specializing in federal and military recruiting, retention and human resources personnel management, analysis, assessment and design. It delivers innovative and value-added solutions to assist its clients to reach their maximum performance and potential for excellence.
MTCI has deep military roots and is comprised of more than 73% military veterans, 27% combat veterans, 38% disabled veterans, 18% spouses of military veterans and 59% of associates completed full military careers. It embodies its founding principle of Maximizing Human Potential® that was echoed in the life of MTCI Visionary retired Army Sergeant Major Sam Kanouse who served in the Army National Guard.
Sgt. Maj. Kanouse entered the service as a member of the United States Army after graduating from Killeen High School in 1975. He served his country faithfully as a non-commissioned officer for 25 years. He retired in 2000 as the Sergeant Major of the Recruiting and Retention Division at the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C. During his military career he touched many lives through his sterling and caring leadership. After retiring from the Army, he founded MTCI. Sgt. Maj. Kanouse was a dreamer, but more importantly, he put his energy and talents behind his visions making them a reality. MTCI is now led by his wife, Dalena Kanouse.
Written by Ivan Geter, Director of Marketing & Outreach, Training Developer, Management and Training Consultants, Inc (MTCI)
Published in the Greater Killeen Business Quarterly 2016 Newcomer’s Guide