PVA’s Operation PAVE named one of three finalists for Don Weber Wounded Warrior Employment Award
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation today announced that Operation PAVE (Paving Access for Veterans Employment), a program of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), is one of three finalists for the 3rd Annual Hiring Our Heroes Don Weber Wounded Warrior Employment Award. Operation PAVE is among the 18 businesses and individuals nominated for six awards because of demonstrated overall excellence in hiring and retaining veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses.
“Operation PAVE has been actively engaged in helping our veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment opportunities,” said Eric Eversole, executive director of Hiring Our Heroes. “Operation PAVE understands the value in hiring the men and women who have served our country and has dedicated extraordinary efforts toward improving the lives of America’s veterans and military spouses.”
The Hiring Our Heroes awards are given in six categories: Veteran and Military Spouse Employment; Post-9/11 Veteran Employment; Wounded Warrior Employment; Military Spouse Employment; Small Business Veteran and Military Spouse Employment; and Individual Leadership. This year’s finalists are:
Lee Anderson Veteran and Military Spouse Employment Award, for overall excellence in hiring and retaining veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses: Bank of America; General Electric; USAA
Post-9/11 Veteran Employment 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: Lockheed Martin; Toyota Motor Sales, USA; Volt Workforce Solutions
Don Weber Wounded Warrior Employment Award, for demonstrated leadership in addressing the unique challenges and demands for wounded warriors, spouses, and caregivers in their search for meaningful employment: The Boeing Company; Operation PAVE, a program of Paralyzed Veterans of America; U-Haul International
Military Spouse Employment Award, for demonstrated hiring and support of military spouses in their search for meaningful employment in the private sector: La Quinta Inns & Suites; Military Spouse JD Network; Wittenberg-Weiner Consulting, LLC
Capital One Award for Small Business Veteran and Military Spouse Employment, for demonstrated leadership by a small business or organization (less than 500 employees) in hiring veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses: CK Mechanical Plumbing & Heating; International Franchise Association; RecruitMilitary
Colonel Michael Endres Leadership Award for Individual Excellence in Veteran Employment, for an individual who has gone above and beyond to make a difference in employment opportunities for veterans, transitioning service members, and spouses: Evan Guzman, Head of Military Programs and Veteran Affairs, Verizon Communications; Tim Mote, Director of Talent Acquisition and University Relations, Kraft Foods Group, Inc.; Val Nicholas, Vice President, NBC News
The winners in each category will be announced at the 3rd Annual Lee Anderson Hiring Our Heroes Awards Dinner at the U.S. Chamber on November 12, 2013. The Hiring Our Heroes Awards Committee will select the winners.
Hiring Our Heroes launched in March 2011 as a nationwide initiative to help veterans 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 non-profit sectors, the goal is to create a movement across America in hundreds of communities where veterans and military families return every day. To date, Hiring Our Heroes has hosted more than 630 hiring fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, helping 21,600 veterans and military spouses find jobs.
