Employers honored for taking care of military reservists p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

A small plumbing business, a state government and a huge pharmaceutical company are among the 15 employers selected this year for the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

The Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the government to employers for their support of employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve. Winning employers often continue reservists’ benefits during deployment, send care packages and extend help to family members. Nominations must come from reservists who are current employees, or their families.

The winners, chosen from almost 2,500 nominations, will be formally honored in a ceremony Sept. 23. To read a profile of each employer, go to www.freedomaward.mil.

2010 Freedom Award recipients

• Bill Bragg Plumbing, San Francisco

• City of Irvine Police Department, Irvine, Calif.

• Dollar General Corp., Goodlettsville, Tenn.

• East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.

• Food Lion, Salisbury, N.C.

• Franklin’s Printing, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

• Hawaii state government, Honolulu

• Intuit, Mountain View, Calif.

• Legacy Sports International, Reno, Nev.

• Logistics Health Inc., La Crosse, Wis.

• Merck and Co., Whitehouse Station, N.J.

• Michigan Department of State        Police, Lansing

• Newmont Mining Corp., Denver

• Southern Co., Atlanta

• Yerecic Label, New Kensington, Pa.