The Cordovans, a group of local musicians and co-workers, traveled from Charleston to New Orleans last month to perform in a competition.

That contest was one of the semi-final rounds of the annual Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands, which gives the winner a chance to travel to Cleveland, Ohio, to compete against the other eventual finalists at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in October.

The Cordovans, made up of Beau Johnson, Billy New and Nick Zareski, emerged from the Big Easy victorious and will represent MIL Corp., which provides support to various government agencies.

The Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands celebrates musicians with day jobs, and helps raise funds for the Rock Hall Education Programs.

Zareski, New and Johnson have all played for local bands in the past, and when a co-worker found out that the three men were all musicians, it was suggested that they could play a few songs at a company function. As a result, The Cordovans was born.

“Even though many fans guess we are a band of brothers due to our style and loose resemblance, we are not related; just co-workers,” Zareski said in a press release put out recently by the MIL Corp.

“While working together at The MIL Corporation, Beau was introduced to Billy as a fellow singer/songwriter and they began to collaborate. Beau and I knew each other from playing together in other bands in the past and he brought me in to rhythmically round out the mix.”

When the idea to compete in the Fortune Battle of the Bands was presented, the musicians jumped at the chance.

According to Johnson, the experience was rewarding, and he looks forward to the next step in the competition.

“We are awed by the opportunity to play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Johnson said. “New Orleans was our first true road trip as a band and winning the semi-finals truly served as validation of all the hard work and passion we put into our preparation and the performance.

“We very much look forward to representing The MIL Corporation in Cleveland and cannot express enough thanks for the support the company and our co-workers have given us throughout this journey.”

The MIL Corp. is also looking forward to seeing how its employees do at the finals in October.

“It’s also been great to see our MIL and the other staff rally around the guys in the band and support them in this. This really has been a fantastic way to showcase our employees’ talents and MIL’s commitment to work/life balance,” said Amy White, senior manager.

If The Cordovans win, it means that MIL Corp. will get a two-page write up in Fortune Magazine.