Men and women who have served in the military are an integral part of Allied Universal. Since 2013, the company has hired over 25,000 veterans. We are committed more than ever to advancing this population that continues its commitment to a life of serving others in their hometowns, communities we serve or through a second career such as security. Veterans possess the leadership qualities and skills needed to provide the highest level of security services to our clients, and we are very grateful to the veterans we employ for that.
This November 11th on Veterans Day in the U.S., we salute the heroes among our ranks for their incredible service. We also take pride in recognizing the Canadian members of the military who made the ultimate sacrifice to serve their country, also home to many of our clients, on Remembrance Day.
Please join with me in applauding local heroes, such as:
· Zach Ostergren, an Alexandria, Va.-based Site Supervisor, who received the Outstanding Security Performance Award (OSPA) at the ASIS International 63rd Annual Seminar and Exhibits, held Sept. 25-28 in Dallas, Tex. A resident of Manassas, Va., Ostergren is a member of the Marine Corps Reserve and his local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
· Steve Bennett, Director of Operations for Denver, Colo., who received a recent surprise office visit by Craig McKinley, ESGR National Chair, who presented him with the Patriot Award for his support of several Security Professionals who were recently deployed for military duty. “Supporting our guard and reserve employees is paramount to our success. I would like to share this award with my entire AU branch team here in Denver,” said Bennett. Initially a Client Value Manager, he was promoted to Director of Operations in early 2017. He was nominated for the award by Security Professional John Alborgheti, for “contributing to national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve force.”
Because of employees like these and many others, we’re committed to advancing the lives and careers of those transitioning service members in the communities we serve. That is why we recently created the Allied Universal Partners in Employment Program to serve as a partnership with veterans groups.
Our unique program supports the veteran community in two important ways:
· It helps veterans attain meaningful employment opportunities with multi-faceted career paths. A veteran’s background and experience is highly valued by our company and our clients and we have many positions to match their skill sets and expertise.
· It supports veteran groups’ goals as we contribute to their initiatives through our referral payment program. For every veteran referred and hired, we will donate $400 to his or her group. In addition to our annual corporate holiday charitable giving, those contributions can help fund the variety of support programs they deliver. Organizations interested in partnering with us can learn more at www.aus.com/communitycareers/veterans.
No matter how you choose to express your appreciation, take a minute to honor veterans in your lives, workplace or your communities for the many contributions they have made in paving the way to a better quality of life for everyone.