30 Top Employers Recognized Among 2,960 Nominations
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office, announced today the selection of 30 finalists for the 2015 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest honor the department gives to employers for support of National Guard and reserve employees.
A board comprised of senior department and other officials as well as representatives from prior recipient organizations will select the Freedom Award recipients, which be honored at the 20th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony at the Pentagon later this summer.
"Among thousands of employers across this great nation, these 30 employers have gone far above and beyond what is required to provide exemplary support to our military men and women as well as their families," said Acting Director, Family and Employer Programs and Policy, M. Alex Baird. "We are proud to formally recognize these outstanding employers as finalists for the prestigious 2015 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award."
The 2015 Freedom Award finalists include:
| FINALIST NAME |
CITY |
STATE |
| Arlington Police Department |
Arlington |
TX |
| Central Mortgage Company |
Little Rock |
AR |
| BioTek Instruments Inc. |
Winooski |
VT |
| Black Hills Corporation |
Rapid City |
SD |
| Boise Fire Department |
Boise |
ID |
| BP America, Inc. |
Houston |
TX |
| Cardinal Health |
Dublin |
OH |
| Christ's Church of the Valley |
Peoria |
AZ |
| Cigna |
Bloomfield |
CT |
| City of Glendale |
Glendale |
AZ |
| City of Shawnee |
Shawnee |
KS |
| College of the Ozarks |
Point Lookout |
MO |
| Columbus County Sheriff's Office |
Whiteville |
NC |
| Cranston Public Schools |
Cranston |
RI |
| CVS Health |
Woonsocket |
RI |
| Devon Energy |
Oklahoma City |
OK |
| Dr. Joe A. Jackson, MD, PLLC |
Biloxi |
MS |
| GlaxoSmithKline Research |
Triangle Park |
NC |
| Grandview Police Department |
Grandview |
MO |
| Hope Valley Industries |
North Kingstown |
RI |
| Kennebec County Sheriff's Office |
Augusta |
ME |
| Lexmark International |
Lexington |
KY |
| Neil, Dymott, Frank, McFall & Trexler APCL |
San Diego |
CA |
| None Such Farm, Inc. |
Buckingham |
PA |
| Seattle Fire Department |
Seattle |
WA |
| Snell & Wilmer, LLP |
Phoenix |
AZ |
| State of Wisconsin |
Madison |
WI |
| T-Mobile USA |
Bellevue |
WA |
| Town of Hingham |
Hingham |
MA |
| Walt Disney Co |
Burbank |
CA |
The 2015 finalists were selected from 2,960 nominations received from guardsmen and reservists for going far beyond what the federal law requires to support their military employees.
The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of ESGR to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. For more information about the Freedom Award, visit www.FreedomAward.mil.
