A handful of companies from across the country recently flew out to Washington, D.C. for an award ceremony at the Pentagon. They were recipients of the 2017 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, which honors companies that exceed federal requirements for their military and veteran employees by offering generous policies and continuous benefits. I’m proud to be involved with one of the honored companies, Mesa Natural Gas Solutions.

When it comes to veterans, Mesa walks the talk. Don’t just take my word for it. They were one of just 15 recipients of the Freedom Award out of 3,000 nominations from across the country.

Mesa offers active members full pay and benefits for the duration of their deployment. Service members are then guaranteed their exact job as well as accrued vacation and sick leave when they return. Last December, Mesa sent holiday packages to more than 100 deployed Wyoming service members. And Mesa attends award and honor ceremonies for military members in full force. Talk about going above and beyond.

President & CEO Scott Gromer, who himself served for 23-plus years, said “we couldn’t be prouder of the people who work for us, and the company as a whole for the work that we do for our veterans.”

I couldn’t be prouder of Mesa, and I salute them.