Con-way Freight Receives Department of Defense Award
By Anuja Abraham
Con-way Freight, a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc., announced today that its Newark, N.J., facility was presented with the “Patriotic Employer Award” for its support of the National Guard and Reserve. The award ceremony was held at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Patriot Award was created by Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and the Department of Defense to publicly recognize employers who believe in a strong National Guard and Reserve. Employers qualify for recognition when they demonstrate leadership and promote personnel policies that encourage employee participation in the Guard and Reserve.
“I’m proud to work for an employer who provides extraordinary patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them have answered their nation’s call to serve,” said Lenny Romano, personnel supervisor at Con-way Freight’s Newark service center. Mr. Romano, who accepted the award on behalf of the company, also was recognized for his individual actions in support of deployed soldiers. He went on to say, “Engaged employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s National Guard and Reserve units.”
Con-way Freight was nominated for the award by Army Reserve Specialist (SPC) Oliver Cunningham, a freight operations supervisor at the company’s Newark location. SPC Cunningham serves with the HHD, 436th Transportation Battalion (MC), Ft. Wadsworth, Staten Island, N.Y.
Employers who receive the Patriot Award are committed to their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve and publicly acknowledge the contributions of Reserve component employees to our nation’s defense. They also devote resources that go beyond the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) requirements, and provide assistance to Guard and Reserve employee families during mobilizations.
“Soldiers returning from duty have for generations experienced hardship re-entering employment in the private sector,” stated Lieutenant Colonel Downey, U.S. Army Reserve. He continued, “As the drawdown of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan continues, we have a debt of honor to these heroes. They deserve employers who are dedicated to helping these heroes make the transition from military to civilian employment as seamless as possible.”
