CVS Health gets special SOTUS shout-out from Obama

Fast forward to 22:30 to hear the CVS reference

WASHINGTON — Not only was CVS Health president and CEO Larry Merlo a special guest of First Lady Michelle Obama for Tuesday night’s Presidential State of the Union address, but Merlo was also treated to a special shout out from the President, during comments aimed at encouraging American businesses to invest in employee training and jobs creation in newer, higher-paying sectors.

“Thanks to Vice President Biden’s great work to update our job training system, we’re connecting community colleges with local employers to train workers to fill high-paying jobs like coding, and nursing, and robotics. Tonight, I’m also asking more businesses to follow the lead of companies like CVS and UPS, and offer more educational benefits and paid apprenticeships — opportunities that give workers the chance to earn higher-paying jobs even if they don’t have a higher education,” President Obama said.

The President also made a call on American businesses to help find jobs for the nation’s veterans, as they migrate from military to civilian life. “We’re slashing the backlog that had too many veterans waiting years to get the benefits they need, and we’re making it easier for vets to translate their training and experience into civilian jobs. Joining Forces, the national campaign launched by Michelle and Jill Biden, has helped nearly 700,000 veterans and military spouses get new jobs. So to every CEO in America, let me repeat: If you want somebody who’s going to get the job done, hire a veteran,” Obama said.