LG&E and KU Energy has just been awarded the highest U.S. government honor to employers for support of National Guard and Reserve employees — the ESGR Freedom Award.
Today, the Department of Defense announced the 15 recipients of the 2019 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, which honors employers who provide exceptional support to their Guard and Reserve employees. The Freedom Award is the highest in a series of ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) employer recognition awards given by the Department of Defense. Just recently, LG&E and KU received the ESGR's state-level Pro Patria Award for the third consecutive year.
The 2019 Freedom Award recipients were selected from 2,415 nominations received from guardsmen and reservists highlighting how their civilian employers went far beyond what federal law requires to support them.
LG&E and KU Energy — which employs more than 270 military veterans — was one winner in the "large business category," which includes organizations with 500 or more employees. The company was a semi-finalist for the Freedom Award in both 2017 and 2018.
"The company is tremendously honored and humbled to receive this prestigious recognition," said Vice President-Human Resources Greg Meiman. "The award demonstrates the outstanding commitment LG&E and KU Energy has shown in supporting our Guard and Reserve employees and their families. We honor their service, and we want to model this commitment for other employers."
LG&E and KU and other Freedom Award recipients will be honored Aug. 23 at a Pentagon ceremony.
The Freedom Award began in 1996 under the auspices of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to recognize exceptional employer support. To date, 265 companies have received this honor.
