An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | May 18, 2011

Officials announce finalists for employer awards

By >Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve report

ARLINGTON, Va. - Thirty employers have been chosen as finalists for the 2011 Secretary of Defense Freedom Awards for their support of their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserves.

The finalists were selected from 4,049 nominations received earlier this year from Guard and Reserve service members or their families, said officials from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency.

The Freedom Award is the Pentagon’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving in the military’s reserve components. A board selected the finalists from among 148 semifinalists announced last month.

Employers named as finalists for the Freedom Award stand out for the formal and informal initiatives they put in place for Guard and Reserve employees and their families, officials said.

Supportive measures include accommodating their employees’ military responsibilities, making up the difference in military and civilian pay during deployments, continuation of benefits, sending care packages and providing personal support to the families of employees called away from home.

“Our nation’s employers have provided a high level of ongoing support for their military employees and their families even in the tough economic climate of recent years,” said James G. Rebholz, national chairman for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. “These 30 finalists have gone to extraordinary lengths to create a supportive culture within their workplaces, allowing our citizen-warriors to serve with the confidence that they are most appreciated and that their families are being cared for at home.”

The finalists are:

  • 3M Co., St. Paul, Minn.
  • Ameren Missouri, St. Louis
  • Amica Mutual Insurance Co., Lincoln, R.I.
  • Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.
  • Basin Electric Power Co., Bismarck, N.D.
  • Burt County Sheriff’s Office, Tekamah, Neb.
  • Chesterfield County Police Department, Chesterfield, Va.
  • Creform, Greer, S.C.
  • CSX Transportation, Jacksonville, Fla.
  • Electrical Contractors Inc., Omaha, Neb.
  • Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich.
  • GCI, Anchorage, Alaska
  • Hanson Professional Services Inc., Springfield, Ill.
  • Integrity Applications Inc., Chantilly, Va.
  • Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson, Bismarck, N.D.
  • Kent County Levy Court, Dover, Del.
  • Key Risk Management Services, Greensboro, N.C.
  • Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, Lakewood, Colo.
  • Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Santa Ana, Calif.
  • Principal Financial Group, Des Moines, Iowa
  • PRTM Management Consultants, Washington, D.C.
  • Qwest Communications, now CenturyLink, Monroe, La.
  • Santa Fe Police Department, Santa Fe, N.M.
  • St. John’s Lutheran Church, Yankton, S.D.
  • State Correctional Institute Waymart, Waymart, Pa.
  • State Employees’ Credit Union, Raleigh, N.C.
  • Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein and Blader, P.C., Lawrenceville, N.J.
  • Town of Gilbert, Gilbert, Ariz.
  • Wells Fargo & Co., San Francisco
  • Western Systems and Fabrication, Spokane Valley, Wash.

A national selection board made up of senior Defense Department officials, business leaders and prior awardees will select 15 recipients for the 2011 Freedom Award. An announcement of award recipients is expected in early summer, and the recipients will be honored in Washington, D.C., Sept. 22.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Air Force and Guatemalan Aircraft stage for a photo during CENTAM Guardian 25, May 20, 2025. Pictured in the photo, from left to right, are a Guatemalan Bell 412 helicopter, a U.S. C-130 Hercules, a Guatemalan Cessna 208 Caravan, a U.S. CH-47 Chinook, a Beechcraft 200 King Air, a U.S. C-130 Hercules, and a Guatemalan Bell 212 helicopter.
Missouri Airmen Provide Airlift in Central American Exercise
By Michael Crane, | June 30, 2025
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Missouri Air National Guard’s 139th Airlift Wing completed its first-ever support of CENTAM GUARDIAN 2025, a multinational exercise hosted by U.S. Southern Command and the Guatemalan Ministry of...

Members of the Tennessee Army and Air National Guard competed in the Bulgaria Armed Forces’ first multinational Best Warrior Competition, at the National Military University, June 23-26.
Tennessee Guard Participates in Bulgaria’s Best Warrior Competition
By Capt. Kealy Moriarty, | June 30, 2025
VELIKO TARNOVO, Bulgaria – Members of the Tennessee Army and Air National Guard competed in the Bulgaria Armed Forces’ first multinational Best Warrior Competition at the National Military University.The June 23-26...

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Zachary Williamson, right, with the 176th Engineer Company, 420th Chemical Battalion, 96th Troop Command, Washington National Guard, is instructing Soldiers in his unit about tongue and groove roof decking for the restroom facility at Charter Park, Orting, Wash, June 19, 2025. 176th Eng. Co. is partnering with the city of Orting through the Innovative Readiness Training program, a Department of Defense initiative that enables Soldiers to receive training and acquire new skills while providing valuable services to their local communities.
Washington Guard Improves Park Through Innovative Readiness Training
By Sgt. John Giltamag and Joseph Siemandel, | June 30, 2025
ORTING, Wash. – Washington Army National Guard members are making improvements to a community park while also receiving valuable training that can support domestic and overseas missions.“I believe this isn’t just a way to...