ARLINGTON, VA. – The Department of Defense has announced that Bill Bragg Plumbing of San Francisco, Calif. will receive the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve. Bill Bragg Plumbing was selected as one of only 15 employers from across the nation to receive the 2010 Freedom Award.
Almost 2,500 Guard and Reserve members, or their family members, from across the country nominated employers for exceptional support, which included providing full salary, continuation of benefits, care packages and even family support to employees fulfilling their military obligation. On behalf of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, a National Selection Board comprised of senior defense officials, business leaders and prior Freedom Award recipients selected the 2010 Freedom Award honorees. The Freedom Award will be presented to Bill Bragg Plumbing during a formal ceremony Thursday, September 23, 2010 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.
The 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recipients are:
Bill Bragg Plumbing – San Francisco, Calif.
City of Irvine Police Department – Irvine, Calif.
Dollar General Corporation – Goodlettsville, Tenn.
East Carolina University – Greenville, N.C.
Food Lion – Salisbury, N.C.
Franklin’s Printing – Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Hawaii State Government – Honolulu, Hawaii
Intuit – Mountain View, Calif.
Legacy Sports International – Reno, Nev.
Logistics Health Inc. – La Crosse, Wis.
MERCK and Company Inc. – Whitehouse Station, N.J.
Michigan Department of State Police – Lansing, Mich.
Newmont Mining Corporation – Denver, Colo.
Southern Company – Atlanta, Ga.
Yerecic Label – New Kensington, Pa.
“With 2010 marking the 15th anniversary of the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, it gives me great pleasure to announce this year’s recipients,” said James G. Rebholz, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) National Chairman. “Bill Bragg Plumbing and this year’s other recipients are among the top U.S. employers that provide outstanding support for Guard and Reserve employees. Their superior and unselfish initiatives to support their Guard and Reserve employees make them indispensable partners in the defense efforts of this country. We are truly grateful for their unwavering support.”
Nominated by the company’s office manager, Bill Bragg Plumbing has been providing plumbing and heating services in San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties since 1968. With only five employees, Bill Bragg Plumbing remains in constant contact with the deployed service member’s family, offering help and support where needed. Upon a Guardsman or Reservist’s deployment, the company owner steps in to fulfil the duties of the missing employee to alleviate additional stress or burden. Bill Bragg Plumbing has also received the ESGR Above and Beyond Award.
The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) . ESGR is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972 whose mission is to develop and promote employer support for Guard and Reserve service by advocating relevant initiatives, recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of applicable laws, and resolving conflict between employers and service members. Since 1996, only 130 companies have been presented with the prestigious Freedom Award. For more information, please visit www.FreedomAward.mil.