Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a U.S. Department of Defense agency, announced Basin Electric as a finalist for the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
The Freedom Award is the Department of Defense’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of Guard and Reserve employees. A review board comprised of military and civilian leaders selected 30 finalists from the 3,236 nominations received earlier this year from Guard and Reserve service members, or family members acting on their behalf.
Only 160 employers have received the Freedom Award since it was established in 1996. Employers named as finalists for the award distinguish themselves not only for adhering to the employment and reemployment rights of Guard and Reserve members, but for actively creating opportunities to assist and support the service of both Guard and Reserve employees and their families.
Nominated by an Army National Guard member, Basin Electric displays its support with a banner at the building entrance, thanking military employees for their service. The support continues when employees leave for deployment, with the company providing regular pay raises and offering an “open door” for family members to raise any concerns that develop while their loved one is deployed.
“The 2012 Freedom Award finalists demonstrate that outstanding support of Guard and Reserve members is not limited by an employer’s size, industry or region of the nation. These 30 finalists span the diversity of America’s workforce and prove every employer can go above and beyond for our Citizen Warriors,” said ESGR National Chair James G. Rebholz.
The Department of Defense will announce the 15 recipients of the 2012 Freedom Award early this summer following completion of a national selection board comprised of senior Department of Defense officials, business leaders and prior awardees. The 2012 recipients will be honored with the 17th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award in Washington, D.C. in September. Past recipients of the Freedom Award have met privately with the President and Vice President of the United States, and the Secretary of Defense.
Watch a video produced in 2010, when three employees were serving overseas.
Related stories
Sept. 12, 2011: Basin Electric honored during luncheon with ND governor
March 15, 2011: From Basin Electric, Dakota Gas board meeting: National Guard soldier presents flags flown over Kosovo
Dec. 15, 2010: Basin Electric employee receives Patriotic Employer award
June 1, 2010: Basin Electric’s Kim Miller back to work after nine months in Kosovo
May 14, 2010: Basin Electric named finalist for 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award
Recent Comments