Uniting in Service: Military Thriving Minneapolis

September 12
9:00 am
 - 2:00 pm
 CT

National Sports Center

1750 105th Ave NE
Blaine, MN 55449
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

In the wake of the tragic attacks of 9/11, Americans everywhere (young and old) heard the “call to serve” our country, our communities and one another. The quote: “Every day is September 12th” is a distant memory. Military recruiting rates and propensity to serve among young people are at all time lows. Similar shortages exist in service professions and industries we now must call on young people to consider; while a vast majority of them weren’t even born on September 11th. In addition to these massive skills gaps threatening our national security and hindering economic growth, our country and our communities are divided by polarization.

On Friday September 12, 2025 leaders from across the public, private and nonprofit sectors had a unique opportunity to come together, Uniting in Service in Minneapolis to address these systemic challenges.

Uniting in Service: Military Thriving Minneapolis provided an unprecedented opportunity for several hundred local residents in the Twin Cities to serve shoulder to shoulder — with one goal in mind: to strengthen military and veteran engagement with youth and spotlight positive outcomes of service both in and out of uniform.

Schedule of Events

September 11

Evening Reception (invite-only)
Hosted at Wells Fargo HQ in downtown Minneapolis

September 12

Uniting In Service Minneapolis
National Sports Center – Welcome Center

Event Highlights

Agenda
9:00 AM – 10:00 am

Community Run
wear blue: run to remember: honoring our fallen through movement and reflection and building community

10:00 AM – 12:30 pm

Hands-on Community-Wide Service Project
with Nonprofit Partners

12:30 PM – 1:00 pm

Closing Remarks & Call to Action: toward building a Military Thriving Minneapolis

NOTE: The Spartan DEKA STRONG will continue until 2 PM, to ensure that all participants who wish to participate have the opportunity to do so

(Registration for the DEKA STRONG will be on-site only, but if you know you want to participate, please come dressed in athletic wear.)

Our Partners

About Us

ZeroMils is a term of both science and art, used in the military to describe a state of perfection that accounts for accuracy and effectiveness. Once attained, ZeroMils allows  you to achieve maximum impact on a target.

Our mission as social impact consultants to corporations and nonprofit organizations is to create Military Thriving cultures and communities. Our vision is to use our experiences to make our history every Veteran’s and Military Spouse’s future—with a focus on small business owners like us.

We are intentional in our efforts to serve alongside organizations and leaders who focus on what we know to be true:  that although Veterans and their families face unique challenges, the vast majority of us overcome them and thrive as a result of our service and not in spite of it.

Our Founders

Portrait-Remaster-Kevin-1
Kevin Schmiegel
CEO

Kevin Schmiegel is CEO at ZeroMils. A retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, Kevin is a mission-focused leader with a proven track record for rapidly scaling nonprofits and a reputation for delivering significant results. Kevin founded Hiring Our Heroes at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was CEO of two other national nonprofits. Raising $100 million for these causes over a decade, Kevin and his teams have impacted millions of Americans, in and out of uniform. He is a proud husband to Laura and a father of five.

Portrait-Remaster-Paul-3
Paul Cucinotta
President & COO

Paul Cucinotta is a retired Marine Corps colonel who after serving on active duty for almost three decades followed his passion for service to the non-profit space to help individuals thrive, while strengthening communities and bridging the civilian service divide. This ultimately led him to founding ZeroMils with fellow Marine Veteran and long-time friend, Kevin Schmiegel where they are creating Military Thriving® cultures and communities with their clients and partners in the places where they live, work and serve. Paul and his wife Beth have four children and three grandchildren, and when not serving their community can be found enjoying the beach on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina.

ONLY CONNECTED, 

CAN WE THRIVE.

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