An Army program that expanded in January is seeking to guarantee cadets from the U.S. Army Cadet Command job interviews with Fortune 500 companies.

The expansion already has 10 partner companies that include Citi, Caterpillar and Eastman.

Bismarck native Capt. Shannon Peck has been the program manager for the ROTC Partnership for Youth Success since its start.

Peck was born and raised in Bismarck. His parents are Richard and Marlene Peck.

"It's been quite a journey," Peck said of his 20-year transition from being a student at Bismarck State College to managing the ROTC PaYS program.

It's a journey peppered with accomplishments.

In 1987, Peck said he found himself disillusioned with where he was at in his life. He joined the Army, planning on doing a two-year stint, and fell in love with military life.

He's held many positions during his time with the Army, even working security for President Reagan's funeral.

He also served a combat tour in Operation Desert Shield.

While working as a mental health counselor at Fort Knox, Peck was named "Best in the Business" by the American Correctional Association.

It was during his time at Fort Knox that one of his civilian supervisors convinced him to go back to college.

"That's what I love about the Army. You've got people who will invest in you and not let you fail," Peck said.

Peck returned to school again in 2006, this time going to the public affairs school in Fort Meade, Md. After his graduation, he went to work at Cadet Command as a public affairs officer, where he came into his current position as the program manager for ROTC PaYS in November of 2007.

"What we want to try to do strategically is to connect the American people to the army," Peck said.

He said people have a tendency to view the Army as far away. With this program, Peck said he hopes to show people that officers of the Army don't just serve their country in far-off lands. There are officers serving their country at home.

The ROTC PaYS program also seeks to promote a stable environment for young officers by providing them with good job opportunities in leadership positions.

It's described by many as a win-win situation.

"They (Cadet Command students) are not normal college students," Peck said. "The average GPA of a Cadet Command student is 3.8."

The graduating cadets get the opportunity of a guaranteed interview at many top-notch companies. The companies get the opportunity to hire from a pool of prospective employees that have been groomed by the government for leadership.

"The Midwest is more challenging, as there are not as many Fortune 500 companies to choose from. In that case, we are looking for the premier employers in the region," Peck said.

He said he urges any company that thinks they are a premier company in its area to contact him at 757-788-4552 or by e-mail at shannon.peck@;us.army.mil.

Companies also can be referred to the Office of the PaYS program manager 55 Patch Road, Building 56, Fort Monroe, Va., 23651.

"While actively seeking companies to capitalize on the leadership of Army officers, we encourage the referral of any company," Peck said.

Peck is planning a trip to North Dakota in early June to present ROTC PaYS to prospective partner companies.

(James Ziegler is a student at Bismarck State College. He can be reached at 302-0822.)