UCC, an Audia Sister company, named as 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Recipient

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Audia Group companies named as 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Recipient

Uniform Color Company, is among Fifteen to Receive Nation’s Highest Honor for Supporting Guard and Reserve Employees

ARLINGTON, Va. (July 19, 2012) –­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, announced Uniform Color Company (UCC), has been selected to receive the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. Fifteen employers will be honored with this year’s Freedom Award, the DoD’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of Guard and Reserve employees. These recipients distinguished themselves among the 3,236 nominations submitted earlier this year by Guardsmen and Reservists, or family members acting on their behalf.

Freedom Award recipients go above and beyond what the law requires of Guard and Reserve employers. The Audia Group, located inWashington,PA, encourages its’ companies to actively pursue military personnel in need of work through local Reserve units and military hiring fairs. It also provides internships to students who are attending military academies.  The Audia subsidiaries currently employ more than 25 veterans or reservists at their Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Kentucky locations.

Audia Group is a global plastic supplier with over 60 years of industry experience. The subsidiaries of Audia Group are Uniform Color Company, Washington Penn Plastic, and Southern Polymer.  Audia Group is deeply invested in their people and takes special care to go above and beyond to support the employees who are dedicating their time to the Guard and Reserve. As a recipient of the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, Uniform Color Company is in the top 1% of all US Employers supporting the military.

Uniform Color Company was nominated by 9 year Navy veteran and 5 year reservist, Sr. Chief Petty OfficerJay Greenwell. Jay was employed by UCC in 2006, as he transitioned from his Navy career to his civilian career.  Jay currently works for another Audia company, Washington Penn Plastic Co., in its Kentucky facility as the Quality Manager.

When Greenwell received his orders to deploy, UCC flew his sister-in-law in to help care for his children, and arranged a flight for Greenwell and his wife to go on a pre-deployment getaway.  UCC also supported Greenwell’s 30 person unit by organizing an employee fundraiser and purchasing every member of the unit a pair of Wiley-X sun/safety glasses, including prescription lenses for those who needed them.  According to Jay this action greatly helped the morale of the unit.  When the soldiers and sailors of Greenwell’s unit asked about the company, he told his unit, “UCC is a patriotic company that deeply cares for every one of their employees and stands behind their men and women in uniform. Thanks to Uniform Color Support at home, I was able to focus on the mission abroad. The reason I was able to go on the mission, was because they were taking care of my family. The reason I was able to succeed in my mission, was because they were helping take care of my Sailors. Their care and concern for my family, my fellow service members and me, was overwhelming. They are a role model to employers everywhere for what supporting our Guard and Reservists looks like.”

“On behalf of the Secretary of Defense, I thank the 2012 Freedom Award recipients for taking such exceptional care of the Guard and Reserve members they employ,” said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Jessica L. Wright. “Our military could not meet today’s national security demands without the Guard and Reserve, who in turn could not provide such dedicated service without the cooperation of their employers at home. These Freedom Award recipients have distinguished themselves nationally for their remarkable efforts, and we greatly appreciate their unwavering support.”

A selection board comprised of senior DoD officials, business leaders and prior awardees selected the 15 recipients. Since 1996, only 160 employers have received the Freedom Award. The 2012 honorees will be recognized at the 17th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C.on September 20^th.

The 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recipients are:

For more information about the Freedom Award and this year’s recipients, visit www.FreedomAward.mil.