RICHMOND, Va., May 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dominion today was awarded the highest honor bestowed by the Virginia Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). The "Pro Patria" Award recognizes those employers that best demonstrate dedication and support to their employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve. Dominion joined Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative and Henrico County in being selected from a pool of 423 employers by Virginia's ESGR committee.
Said Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, president and CEO:
"It is an honor to receive this award. At Dominion, we recognize that our employment policies must help those who sacrifice to serve our nation. While on deployment, our employees should not have to worry about their income and benefits or whether their families will be cared for."
Charles Quillin, ESGR Virginia state chair, said:
"The ESGR 'Pro Patria' Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize American employers who provide extraordinary patriotic support to and cooperation with their employees, who, like the citizen warriors before them, have answered the nation's call to serve.
"Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation's Guard and Reserve."
Dominion currently supports approximately 150 drilling Guardsmen and Reservists during annual training, extended training periods and mobilizations. Seventy-six Dominion employees have been mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001.
The company currently provides a six-month pay and benefit continuation to employees activated to support natural disasters and border protection. For employees called to active military service to support the War on Terror, Dominion provides a pay supplement and benefits continuation for up to 60 months. The company has supplemented more than $2.7 million in pay to make whole employees who have been on annual training, on extended training orders or mobilized to support the War on Terror since 9/11.
In a ceremony in October 2007, Jay L. Johnson, chief executive officer of Dominion Virginia Power and formerly the Chief of Naval Operations for the U.S. Navy, signed ESGR's Statement of Support. During the ceremony, ESGR recognized Dominion as a "5-Star Employer." In April 2007, the Virginia ESGR committee gave the company a Patriot Award and an Above and Beyond Award.
In December 2007, the Reserve Officers Association ranked Dominion the third most Reserve-friendly in the Fortune 500.
About Dominion:
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 26,500 megawatts of generation, 1.1 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas and oil reserves and 14,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline. Dominion also owns the nation's largest underground natural gas storage system and operates more than 975 billion cubic feet of storage capacity, and serves retail energy customers in 11 states. For more information about Dominion, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com/.
About ESGR:
ESGR is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972 whose mission is to gain and maintain active support from all public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve as defined by demonstrated employer commitment to employee military service. As the 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions within America's borders and beyond, ESGR will continue as the contact agency for questions and information regarding programs that support the relationship between civilian employers and their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve. Guard and Reserve members, as well as their employers, can learn more about ESGR by visiting http://www.esgr.com/ or calling toll-free (800) 336-4590.
