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The H&K Group Receives Patriotic Employer Award from the Department of Defense

Monday, June 29, 2009

The H&K Group Receives Patriotic Employer Award from the Department of Defense On Thursday, June 18, 2009, The H&K Group was presented with the Patriot Award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an organization within the United States Department of Defense. The H&K Group was nominated for this honor by an employee who is a member of the Army National Guard, and who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007.

The award was accepted by Chris Budenz, Executive Vice President of The H&K Group, from Mr. William Campbell, Vice Chair of the PA ESGR. It was to recognize The H&K Group for their outstanding support of their employee soldiers, and were commended for their efforts to go “above and beyond” the requirements of the law. One major contributing factor is that The H&K Group continues to pay their deployed military employees for 20 hours a week, even though it is not mandated to by law. “It is simply a choice to show support and to assist the soldiers and their families through a difficult and stressful time,” said Budenz.

ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee’s military commitment. The nation’s Reserve components (referring to the total of all National Guard members and Reserve forces from all branches of the military) comprise approximately 48% of the United States’ total available military manpower. The Reserve forces will spend more time away from their loved ones and the workplace defending the nation, supporting a demanding operations tempo and training to maintain their mission readiness. In this environment, civilian employers play a critical role in the defense of the nation by complying with existing employment laws protecting the rights of workers who serve in the Reserve component.

For more information, please contact The H&K Group’s PR/External Affairs office, or visit www.esgr.mi l.