GAITHERSBURG, Md., November 9, 2012 /3BL Media/ - Sodexo Inc., world leader in Quality of  Life Services, will report on progress of its nationwide efforts to support military service members, veterans and their families at a company event to celebrate Veterans Day on Friday, November 9, 2012. The “SOAR with HONOR: A Day of Discovery, Development, and Dialogue” event is being hosted by two of Sodexo’s Business Resource Groups, HONOR (Honoring Our Nation’s finest with Opportunity and Respect), and SOAR (Sodexo Organization for disAbilities Resources). Ms. Lisa Stern, Executive Vice President of Economic Empowerment for the Wounded Warrior Project^® will be the featured keynote speaker.

Sodexo’s report focuses on the company’s many accomplishments including honoring its commitments as a corporate sponsor of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces initiative, hiring 550 veterans since last August, and continuing to maintain leadership positions as a GI Jobs Top 100 Military Friendly Employer, Corporate Gray employer, and as a “Patriot” company in the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program.  Sodexo fosters a workplace environment that is conducive to flexible work arrangements, telecommuting and job transfers which is helpful to employees with military responsibilities. 

"Sodexo recognizes that current and veteran service members and their families provide a rich talent pool with specialized skills that can contribute to the success of the company and we are thrilled that this effort has yielded such a positive impact for these families,” said Sodexo North America’s Chief Administrative Officer and Former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Michael Montelongo (U.S. Army, Ret.). “It’s been a total team effort and I am proud of all we have accomplished this year; we look forward to doing even more with the First Lady in four more years.”

Sodexo also supports active military, reservists and National Guard members through commitments aimed at family members including pledging $100,000 in scholarships and internships to military dependents over four years, and expanding that program to include formal mentoring relationships for the scholarship awardees this year. And, the company supports Marine Corps Community Services’ (MCCS) Youth Sports Program on sixteen Marine Corps bases around the world, serving over 18,500 Marine Corps children ages 6-18 annually.

Besides highlighting Sodexo’s accomplishments this past year in support of veterans and military families, the company will announce the launch of a new initiative that continues to support and places greater emphasis on hiring wounded veterans through a partnership with the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Wounded Warriors Project. This partnership complements the efforts of the Sodexo Hires Heroes national task force launched earlier this year to hire and train more veterans and military spouses and ensure a sustained focus on strengthening the company’s existing military-friendly programs.

“Unemployment amongst veterans, particularly disabled veterans, is at an unacceptable level,” explains Walter McCollum, Ph.D. national chairman of Sodexo HONOR. “We wanted to make a positive impact on the situation, so HONOR and SOAR engaged in dialogue with other veteran support groups to best leverage our resources to support this community and help reverse that trend.”

Sodexo has a dedicated, enterprise-wide effort to bring visibility of its open positions to unemployed veterans. Veterans and transitioning service members are encouraged to visit www.SodexoHiresHeroes.com for career opportunities.

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