– Colliers International | Pittsburgh Sends Thanks and Appreciation to Our Veterans –

Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Forbes.com; CBSLocal.com

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports Pittsburgh has earned another top score in the “best places” books, this time as the best place in the nation for veterans to move from active duty to civilian life, according to a new study commissioned by financial services company USAA and Military.com.

In their third annual report, “Best Places for Veterans,” researchers focused on the needs of recently discharged veterans because of the recent drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan, said retired Cmdr. Ward Carroll, editor of Military.com, a military and veteran membership group.

Those young veterans, many of whom are in their early 20s, are thinking about continuing their educations, finding rewarding civilian jobs and possibly starting families, making Pittsburgh — with its high-quality universities, diverse local economy and affordable neighborhoods — an ideal place to consider settling, he said.

The “Best Places for Veterans” list identifies U.S. metro areas that give newly minted veterans more opportunities to find a job or go to college while enjoying a good quality of life in an affordable area.

Researchers from Sperling’s Best Places reviewed 379 major metropolitan areas for employment sectors that align with military skills, such as defense, engineering, medical services and aviation, and also examined the overall job climate. They also looked for quality colleges, universities and local primary schools. And they examined quality-of-life factors such as affordability, crime rate, taxes and recreation opportunities. Variables were rated according to what recent and soon-to-be veterans said was important to them.

“Our firm is so grateful to our brave active military members and veterans, as well as their families, for their dedication to our great nation,” said Gregg Broujos, Managing Director & Founding Principal at Colliers International | Pittsburgh.  “Personally, my father is a Marine Colonel, and my father-in-law is an Army General so I have witnessed first hand how military members and their families sacrifice so much to serve the United States proudly.  To all of our military personnel and their families, Colliers International l Pittsburgh would like to say “Thank You”.”

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