Parker Honors Active Duty U.S. Military and Veterans During Cleveland Air Show

For those living in Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland National Air Show has been a Labor Day weekend tradition for more than 60 years. Every year, fans of all ages gather together under a brilliant blue sky, eager to catch a glimpse of high-speed aircraft jetting in tight formation. Parker Hannifin, with its local roots and deep ties to the aerospace industry, has been a sponsor since the early days. But in 2022, a group of veterans from within Parker teamed up to create a new tradition.

"A friend of mine, Lieutenant Matt Previts, who was a City of Cleveland liaison for the 2022 Air Show, reached out looking for ways to celebrate and treat the active duty enlisted aircrews in town," explains Mike Giammo, U.S. Air Force veteran and Industrial Product Manager with Parker's Hydraulic Valve Division.

That got Giammo thinking about the other veterans and reserve military at Parker: "We needed to move quickly and put together a team—Bill "Smitty" Smith from Parker Aerospace, Joe Chopek from Fluid Connectors Group and Brandon Bodor from Global Sales Force—and we started brainstorming about how we could celebrate our veterans inside the organization and also honor the active duty air crews of the Cleveland National Air Show."

Smitty, an Aftermarket Business Development Manager for Parker Aerospace, knew very well the mindset of the air crews: "After 21 years of active duty and serving on the Air Force Demonstration team, my family understands all of the time and weekends spent away supporting these types of events. We as Parker wanted to give back to all of those maintainers as we understand all they do to make our air show a success."

It takes more than 1,000 volunteers and staff to put on the Air Show, as well as a handful of aerial aerobatic demonstration teams supporting the Navy's Blue Angels, the F-16, and the C-130. "These demo crews have an incredibly tough job," says Giammo. "Demonstrating the aircraft is intense, important and highly choreographed. The crew members are from all over the U.S. and most of them had never been to Cleveland before so we wanted to give them a warm welcome."

Together, the four Parker veterans, who each represent different operating groups, worked alongside a nonprofit partner, the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation, and secured funding to host a military appreciation cookout with food, drinks, ice cream and live music. The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation was instrumental in both planning and execution, and connected the team to another key nonprofit, the USS Cod Submarine Memorial. The event took place on the front lawn of the WWII USS Cod in downtown Cleveland's North Coast Harbor and the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy were all represented.

In the process of planning and working toward a common goal, the team was also able to identify and connect with other veterans inside Parker. "We actually mapped it out from HR manager to HR manager," adds Giammo. "From Wickliffe to Ravenna to Macedonia to Mayfield Heights and beyond, we identified more than 70 veterans in Northeast Ohio."

"What we love about this event is that it better connects us to our local community," says Giammo. "But it's also an opportunity to showcase the many values that Parker and our armed forces share."