Honoring our nation’s heroes by maximizing their career opportunities after service is the driving mission of the Arizona Corporate Council on Veteran Careers (ACCVC), and the Council announces with pleasure that five Arizona companies have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor with their inaugural HIRE Vets Medallion award at a ceremony held in Washington D.C.
This marks the first year the award has been presented by the Department of Labor, and the program is based on requirements of the HIRE Vets Act signed by President Trump in May 2017. The HIRE Vets Medallion has rigorous criteria, recognizing employers’ commitment to veteran careers, including hiring, retention, and long-term development. The Department announced that 2018 would be a demonstration of the program, prior to full implementation in 2019.
ACCVC founding member Arizona Public Service (APS) was honored at the Platinum level, and fellow Corporate Council member, STARA Technologies Corporation out of Gilbert was recognized at the Gold level. Shakatronics Audio Video (Litchfield Park), ISC Consulting Group, Inc. (Sierra Vista) and P & C Investments (Tucson) were also honored at the Gold level
“We applaud the Department of Labor for their leadership and focus on the issue of veteran careers, and the very important mission to promote companies who take the initiative to not only hire veterans, but ensure that they have opportunity for growth and advancement,” said Hal Pittman, founding Co-Chairman of ACCVC and director of external communications at APS. “Arizona is a state that values its veterans, and we’re pleased to see this Department of Labor recognition indicating Arizona companies are employing veterans in a powerful way.”
All total, 239 employers from around the nation received this inaugural HIRE Vets Medallion. Recipients of this years’ medallion will be eligible to apply again in 2019. Awards are given to employers based on number of employees with different awards being given to large (500< employees), medium (51-499 employees) and small (50> employees) with two award tiers, Gold and Platinum.
“As a national company whose focus is to support our military service members, veterans and their families, it makes sense to enlist these highly trained veterans into our workforce here in Arizona. We are pleased to see so many other like-minded companies with that same vision,” says Greg DeBernard, Phoenix Regional VP, lead of USAA’S Enterprise Litigation Team and Co-Chairman of ACCVC.
All of the Arizona based Medallion winners will be honored during a luncheon Friday, November 16 during the HeroPreneur National Veterans Business Summit at the Phoenix Convention Center. The luncheon will feature keynote speaker, retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and purple heart recipient Justin Constantine, and a presentation of the awards by the Department of Labor. The Summit is being held Wednesday, November 14 through Friday, November 16 at the Phoenix Convention Center, and will feature workshops, panels, speakers and a Career Fair for veterans, as well as a Thursday keynote by Shark Tank star Daymond John, and an awards program recognizing some of Arizona’s most well-known business leaders and community organizations.
“As a coalition of public and private sector partners, we have always known that engaging private sector companies to invest in hiring and retaining veterans is an essential part of expanding their career opportunities,” said Thomas Winkel, Director of the Arizona Coalition for Military Families. “Thanks to the great partnerships we have formed, we are seeing results in Arizona, and are pleased to work alongside other states doing great work on behalf of veterans.”
For more information on the HIRE Vets Medallion program, visit www.hirevets.org.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the awards luncheon, visit https://www.heropreneur.com/agenda/dol/
