ILARNG’S TOP RECRUITING COMPANY IS FEARLESS IN TOUGH MARKET

The Honey Badger is an is an intelligent persistent creature that uses teamwork and tools along with thick skin and flexibility to thrive in a harsh environment.
But there is one characteristic that stands out in every Honey Badger: absolute fearlessness.
The housecat-sized mammal is known to take on rhinos, buffaloes, lions, and leopards. They eat venomous snakes for breakfast.
The Illinois Army National Guard's Woodstock-based H Co., Recruit Sustainment Program - The 'Honey Badgers' - seem to have taken on the traits of the unit's moniker. Led by 1st Sgt. Matthew Serowka, they were the top recruiting unit in the Illinois Army National Guard in fiscal year 2024. The Honey Badgers enlisted 191 Soldiers last fiscal year. The unit already has 44 recruits so far this fiscal year, and recorded its highest month on record in October with 26 recruits.
But Serowka doesn't worry about numbers. "I strictly do culture," he said. "I look after (our recruiters) personal and professional development." He describes his leadership style as being "weird."
"I believe in empowering them - getting them fully hyped, fully energized," he said. That energy was on full display at the Illinois Army National Guard's Recruiting and Retention annual awards banquet on Nov. 16. The 'Honey Badgers' took six out of the eight top Illinois Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion awards. After each name was announced, all the unit's noncommissioned officers erupted into pure joy - the kind of elation you see from the winning team when the final buzzer sounds during the championship game.
Except, there were no surprises - the winner's names were printed in the program:
• NGB Director's 54 and Recruiting and Retention NCO of the Year - Staff Sgt. Francisco Orozco, Hotel Honey Badgers (a Schaumburg-based recruiter.)
• First Sergeant of the Year - 1st Sgt. Matthew Serowka, Hotel Honey Badgers.
• Team Leader of the Year - Sgt. 1st Class Chad Wille, Hotel Honey Badgers.
• Rookie of the Year - Staff Sgt. Chanc McEstes, Hotel Honey Badgers (a Crystal Lake-based recruiter.)
• Readiness NCO of the Year - Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Booher, Hotel Honey Badgers.
• Most Improved Company of the Year - Bravo Avengers (based in Chicago's Northwest Armory next to Humboldt Park.)
• Retention NCO of the Year - Sgt. 1st Class Haley Westart, 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (with its headquarters in Normal.)
Staff Sgt. Chanc McEstes, the "Rookie of the Year," described the Honey Badgers as a big family who support each other and love to spend time together. "We'll have events or team outings. It is very family oriented," McEstes said. "We'll text each other on the side or hang out and play video games together."
There will be long days at work every now and then, but when you genuinely like the people you work with and they support each other, it "really does make it a lot easier," McEstes said.
Sgt. 1st Class Chad Wille, the "Team Leader of the Year," hears a lot about how tough the recruiting market is and how much pressure recruiters are under to 'make numbers.' But he doesn't see it that way.
"Once you get in your groove, this job is amazing," Wille said. "This job allows so much autonomy. We can try new things and see what works and what doesn't work for their recruiting style. You can get out into the public and educate them - and you can help a lot of people."
Stress and fear of not making a quota doesn't motivate this team. Making a positive impact on people's lives is what motivates the Honey Badgers, Wille said. And they work as a team fearlessly to reach their goals. "The people who are very successful are very coachable," Wille said. "Not everything is going to be perfect every day. Sometimes things don't go our way." Resilience skills and teamwork are vital to success.
Military Entrance Processing Stations see more medical issues than they used to and sometimes recruits can get held up in bureaucracy, Wille said. "But we are pretty good problem-solvers. We communicate a lot. We support each other. I might tell them what worked for me in the past. What actually works for them might be a little bit different and we help each other figure it out."
Serowka said that the ability of the Honey Badgers to recruit their own recruiters has also helped the unit. "If you look at Hotel Company, about half the recruiters were recruited by me and the other half were recruited by (Sgt. 1st Class) Wille," Serowka said.
Staff Sgt. Francisco Orozco, fiscal year 2024's Recruiter of the Year with 35 enlistments, was originally recruited into the Illinois Army National Guard by Serowka. "It is really a team effort. It is nice being acknowledged for your individual efforts, but the team helped keep me motivated and I like to think I did the same for them," Orozco said.
Wille recruited McEstes, the "Rookie of the Year" with 26 enlistments last year.
McEstes was serving with the Woodstock-based D Co., 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment when Wille offered to bring him on temporary active-duty orders with the Recruiting and Retention Battalion to see if he liked recruiting. "He shadowed a recruiter for six months and decided he wanted to give it a try. Once he got his chance, he just took off," Wille said.
While Serowka and Wille love seeing their Soldiers get recognized for their accomplishments, they love seeing the team celebrate together even more. "When everyone has a common goal, individual success is for the team," Wille said.