2015 Hiring Our Heroes Award Winners Announced
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Announces 5th Annual Hiring Our Heroes Award Winners
Recognizes Employers and Individuals Who Have Gone Above and Beyond to Hire, Retain, and Honor Nation’s Military Talent
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes today announced that Hospital Corporation of America (HCA); Starbucks; APi Group Inc.; Prudential Financial; Camo2Commerce; and Keith Nattrass of General Motors received top honors at the 5th Annual Hiring Our Heroes Awards. The winners were chosen in six categories for their demonstrated leadership in addressing the challenges faced by veterans, transitioning service members, military spouses, and military caregivers in their search for meaningful employment.
“These six award winners are committed to recruiting, retaining, and advancing veteran and military talent at their respective companies,” said Eric Eversole, a vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and president of Hiring Our Heroes. “Both internally at their companies and externally throughout their industries, these six winners have set a high standard, and as a result, we have seen meaningful progress in the effort to create real economic opportunities for veterans, military spouses, and caregivers.”
For the announcement, senior leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors were present to hear from Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant Dakota Meyer; Lieutenant General James C. McConville (USA), Deputy Chief of Staff for Army Personnel; and Sergeant Major Bryan B. Battaglia (USMC), Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
Awards were presented in the following categories:
Lee Anderson Veteran and Military Spouse Employment Award - Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) received this award for overall excellence in hiring and retaining veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses. Other finalists were Comcast NBCUniversal and Union Pacific Railroad.
Steve Robinson Post-9/11 Veteran Employment Award - Starbucks received this award for effective and sustained efforts to enhance the ability of post-9/11 veterans and transitioning service members to find meaningful employment in the private sector. Other finalists were Hilton Worldwide, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., PNC Bank, and Roush Enterprises.
Don Weber Wounded Veteran and Military Caregiver Employment Award - APi Group Inc. received this award for demonstrated leadership in addressing the unique challenges and demands for wounded warriors, spouses, and caregivers in their search for meaningful employment. Other finalists were Ryder Systems and SunTrust Bank.
Military Spouse Employment and Mentoring Award - Prudential Financial received this award for demonstrated hiring and support of military spouses in their search for meaningful employment in the private sector. Other finalists were the First Command Financial Services and United Services Automobile Association (USAA).
Capital One Award for Small Business Veteran and Military Spouse Employment - Camo2Commerce received this award for demonstrated leadership by a small business or organization (less than 500 employees) in hiring veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses. Other finalists were Afterburner Inc. and Greencastle Associates Consulting.
Colonel Michael Endres Leadership Award for Individual Excellence in Veteran Employment - Keith Nattrass, GM Military & Veteran Affairs, Global Diversity, General Motors, received this award for an individual who has gone above and beyond to make a difference in employment opportunities for veterans, transitioning service members, and spouses. Other finalists were Mike Kelly, Assistant Vice President for Military Advocacy, USAA; Blayne Smith, Executive Director, Team Red, White & Blue; and Kris Urbauer, Program Manager for Military Recruiting, General Electric.
The 21 finalists were chosen from a competitive field of nominees. The winners were selected by the Hiring Our Heroes Awards Committee. Judging was based on criteria such as innovative recruiting and retention strategies, military community engagement and leadership, as well as an ongoing commitment to hire veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses.
Hiring Our Heroes is a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s vast network of state and local chambers and other strategic partners from the public, private and nonprofit sectors, Hiring Our Heroes has helped hundreds of thousands of veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment through more than 950 job fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and on military installations overseas; a suite of free online career-based resources; and the Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness and educating the public on how the free enterprise system improves society and the economy.