North Andover Veteran Entrepreneur Mike Nolan Named 2026 Military Friendly® Vetrepreneur of the Year for Massachusetts

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass., June 16, 2026 — Mike Nolan, Founder and CEO of Military Talent Connectors and a Massachusetts Air National Guard Veteran, has been named the 2026 Military Friendly® Vetrepreneur of the Year for Massachusetts, recognizing his leadership as a Veteran entrepreneur and his work creating pathways between employers and military-connected talent.

Nolan, a North Andover resident and longtime military talent advisor, is now advancing into the national voting phase for Military Friendly® Vetrepreneur of the Year. Voting is open through July 4, giving Massachusetts employers, Veterans, military families, colleagues, and community members an opportunity to help elevate a local entrepreneur to national recognition.

For Nolan, the award is larger than an individual honor. It represents a mission he has been building for years: helping companies recognize the leadership, discipline, adaptability, and execution that Veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses bring to the civilian workforce.

Military Talent Connectors was created to address a persistent gap Nolan saw firsthand across corporate recruiting and military transition. Many employers say they want to hire Veterans and military spouses, but few have the dedicated infrastructure, translation framework, or onboarding support to do it well. At the same time, many military-connected professionals bring strong leadership and operational experience but struggle to communicate that experience in civilian business language.

"There's a real gap in the market between intention and infrastructure," Nolan said. "Companies across the spectrum — from enterprise to small business — want to hire Veterans and military spouses, but building a sustainable pathway takes more than goodwill. That's why I created Military Talent Connectors — to reimagine the way, and if cost is an issue, let's reimagine the cost."

Before founding Military Talent Connectors, Nolan spent nearly 11 years at Salesforce, where his involvement with Vetforce, Salesforce's military community, became a defining part of his career. As a Talent Advisor, he became a trusted point of contact for Veterans and military spouses navigating the hiring process. Later, while serving as Global President of Vetforce, he advocated for and helped build Salesforce's dedicated military recruiting program. That experience gave him an inside view of what it takes to build a military hiring program at scale — and what the market was still missing.

That experience became the foundation for MTC’s high-touch model.

The company partners with employers to identify, prepare, and support military-connected talent for roles in Sales, Customer Success, Program/Project Management, and Operations. Through its Military Recruitment Process Outsourcing model, known as MRPO, MTC helps employers move beyond intention by creating a structured pathway for sourcing, screening, fellowship support, manager alignment, and full-time conversion.

For employers, the model offers access to prepared, mission-ready professionals who are conditioned to lead, adapt, and execute under pressure. For candidates, it offers guidance, advocacy, and a clearer path into meaningful civilian careers.

“The 1% of individuals in this country who sign up for the military — they’re not taught to think about themselves,” Nolan said. “They’re taught to think about the team, the mission, the greater goal and the purpose of what we’re doing this for.”

Nolan’s work also extends into the North Andover community. He serves on the town’s Patriotic Observance Committee, helping plan Veteran-related events, including parades, plaques, statues, and monuments. He is also a Veterans Ambassador for the Society for Human Resource Management and holds the SHRM Veterans at Work certification.

Those credentials reflect the same thread that runs through MTC: service after service.

“I want this trend to stop. I want this trend to be reversed. I want doors to be opened,” Nolan said. “Nothing would make me happier than creating an opening for the military community to get into organizations.”

National voting for the 2026 Military Friendly® Veteran of the Year and Vetrepreneur of the Year awards is open through July 4.

Supporters can view Nolan’s official Military Friendly® profile here:
https://www.militaryfriendly.com/voy/vetrepreneur-of-the-year/mike-nolan/

Supporters can vote directly here:
https://viqtory.us.launchpad6.com/voy-2026/entry/461

About Military Talent Connectors

Military Talent Connectors is a mission-driven workforce solutions company helping employers connect with high-performing military-connected talent, including transitioning service members, Veterans, and military spouses. Through Military Recruitment Process Outsourcing, fellowship support, and contingency placement services, MTC helps employers source, prepare, onboard, and retain military talent for roles in Sales, Customer Success, Program/Project Management, and Operations. The company’s mission is to close the civilian–military employment gap by ensuring both employers and military-connected professionals are prepared for success from day one.

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