Press Release

San Jose video technology firm partners with Sharp Decisions for “boot camp” style employment initiative for military veterans

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 24, 2015-- Fifth paragraph, first sentence of release dated November 24, 2015, should read: Experian, EmblemHealth and Freddie Mac have utilized V.E.T.S. to hire more than 100 veterans. (instead of Experian, Ernst & Young and Freddie Mac have utilized V.E.T.S. to hire more than 100 veterans.)

The corrected release reads:

HARMONIC ANNOUNCES VETERANS EMPLOYMENT PARTNERSHIP

San Jose video technology firm partners with Sharp Decisions for “boot camp” style employment initiative for military veterans

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in video infrastructure, announced today that it is the first Bay-area company to join an unconventional national partnership to transition local military veterans into technology careers. Harmonic is partnering with the V.E.T.S. Program, an initiative from technology consulting firm Sharp Decisions that puts military veterans through intense, “boot camp” training for IT careers and then deploys them in squads of 3-4 into U.S. corporations like Harmonic, emulating the platoon-based culture in which they thrived in combat theater. The program is free to veterans.

“At Harmonic, our goal is to hire smart people who do great work and these veterans clearly meet that standard,” said Chris Pattinson, Vice President of Global Software Quality Assurance at Harmonic. “We are partnering with the V.E.T.S. Program because veterans have special traits that we value on our team: exceptional work ethic, teamwork and grace under pressure. The V.E.T.S. Program is not just good for veterans – it is good for our business.”

V.E.T.S. stands for Vocation, Education, & Training for Service members. Five veterans have been deployed to Harmonic from V.E.T.S., performing tasks ranging from quality assurance to performance analysis. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for California veterans stands at 7.4 percent - much higher than the national veterans’ average of 5.3 percent.

The V.E.T.S. program breaks the mold for veterans’ employment efforts by emphasizing military-style training and platoon-based deployments for veterans. Through V.E.T.S., award-winning strategic technology consulting firm Sharp Decisions hires tech-savvy, U.S. armed forces veterans as full-time salaried/benefited employees who undergo intensive, boot camp-like technology training before being deployed in squads of 3-4 into companies like Harmonic to perform high-demand information technology work.

Experian, EmblemHealth and Freddie Mac have utilized V.E.T.S. to hire more than 100 veterans. The V.E.T.S. program is privately funded by Sharp Decisions.

“At Sharp Decisions, we are deeply committed to moving veterans from the war zone to the workplace,” said Karen Ross, V.E.T.S. Program founder and CEO of Sharp Decisions. “We are thrilled to partner with Harmonic and expand an innovative veterans employment model that hasn’t been done before.”

V.E.T.S. participants are trained for IT careers in disciplines such as quality assurance software testing and project management for domains like financial services and healthcare, among others. The veteran IT squads have had an extremely high success rate because, with military-style training, they work as an effective team that solves problems and meets challenges as a unit, often well ahead of schedule. Learn more about V.E.T.S. at http://www.sharpdecisions.com/services/vetsprogram

About Harmonic

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) is the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure for emerging television and video services. Harmonic enables customers to produce, deliver and monetize amazing video experiences, with unequalled business agility and operational efficiency, by providing market-leading innovation, high-quality service and compelling total cost of ownership. More information is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

About Sharp Decisions

For over two decades, Sharp Decisions has provided superior, award-winning service in strategic business and technology consulting services to government agencies at all levels, as well as domestic and global corporations. With subject matter expertise in Investment Banking, Finance, Healthcare, Media & Telecommunications, and Manufacturing, Sharp Decisions is highly equipped to serve your needs.

Established in 1990 with headquarters in New York City, and locations in Princeton, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Europe and Canada, Sharp Decisions has been the technology backbone for a client portfolio that includes an array of high-profile companies. As a Certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise and approved vendor, Sharp Decisions offers a powerful, cost-effective advantage. We actively partner with other MBEs to add value and meet diversity program requirements. Sharp Decisions is also committed to hiring and training post-9/11, tech-savvy U.S. armed forces veterans through the V.E.T.S.™ Program.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151124006029/en/

Source: Sharp Decisions and Harmonic

Media Contacts:
Sharp Decisions
Jared Baiman, 212-403-7571
jared@sharpdecisions.com
or
Henry Fawell, 410-212-8468
henry@strategicpartnersmedia.com
or
Harmonic
Sarah Kavanagh, 408-490-6607
Sarah.Kavanagh@harmonicinc.com