Smoothstack Earns Third Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award from the U.S. Department of Labor

Federal honor recognizes how Smoothstack and Fedstack turn military experience into engineering careers with enterprise and government employers

MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Smoothstack, a workforce transformation company that develops technology talent for enterprise and federal employers, today announced that it has earned a 2026 Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award from the U.S. Department of Labor. Administered by the Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS), the HIRE Vets Medallion is the only federal award program that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire, and retain veterans. It is Smoothstack's third time earning the award at the Gold level, following 2022 and 2025. 

Employers in financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, and government are competing for engineers who can contribute inside complex, regulated environments from day one. Veterans already bring much of what that work demands: operational discipline, sound judgment under pressure, and experience meeting exacting standards. What they often lack is a direct route into modern engineering roles. Smoothstack builds that route, hiring on skills and aptitude and developing veterans and other high-potential talent for software engineering, cloud, automation, and Super Intelligence (SI) roles with its clients.

The award is earned on results. Employers must meet published benchmarks for veteran hiring and 12-month veteran retention, offer programs that support veteran employees, and maintain a clean record under federal veterans' employment laws.

"Too many companies thank veterans for their service and then hire for credentials instead of capability," said John Akkara, CEO of Smoothstack. "We hire for what veterans have already proven and develop the rest. Being recognized by the Department of Labor for the third time shows that this approach works, and our clients see it every day in the engineers who stay and lead."

That model is anchored by Smoothstack's MEI™ (Mirrored Environment Immersion) framework, which mirrors each client's engineering environment so engineers build skills on the tools and workflows they will use on the job, then validates those skills continuously in production work. In the federal market, Fedstack, a Smoothstack company, applies the same approach to government technology. Every engineer earns the Full Stack SI Engineer credential by proving capability across four independent measures: technical skills, leadership, Agile delivery, and federal immersion.

Fedstack has also brought the model to cybersecurity and military families. Its Women Veterans and Military Spouses Cybersecurity Cohort, built with WiCyS and Women in Technology, placed veterans and military spouses into client security operations center roles.

"Agencies modernizing critical systems need engineers who understand the mission as well as the technology," said Christopher Coligado, Executive Vice President and Federal Business Lead at Fedstack. "Veterans and military spouses have lived that mission. We build the engineering skills on top of it." 

Veterans and military spouses exploring technology careers can learn more at Smoothstack.com and Fedstack.com.

About Smoothstack
Smoothstack is a leading workforce transformation company advancing SI-driven workforce development and skills-based hiring. The company develops untapped talent into technology professionals and supports Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies that need job-ready engineers in high-demand fields. Learn more at Smoothstack.com.

About Fedstack
Fedstack, a Smoothstack company, develops elite software engineers who shape the future of government technology. Through intensive technical development, hands-on software engineering, leadership development, Agile delivery, and federal immersion, Fedstack builds talent prepared to contribute to the systems and technology that keep America running. For more information, visit Fedstack.com.

About the HIRE Vets Medallion Program
The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is earned by businesses that demonstrate unparalleled commitment to attracting, hiring and retaining veterans. The 2027 HIRE Vets Medallion Award application period will open to employers on Jan. 31, 2027. For more information about the program and the application process, visit HIREVets.gov.

There are different awards for large employers (500-plus employees), medium employers (51-499 employees), and small employers (50 or fewer employees). Additionally, there are two award tiers: platinum and gold.

Media Contact

April Garvey, CMO, [email protected]

SOURCE Smoothstack