Springfield Company Earns Department of Defense Award

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Dr. Michael Ayers (right), Illinois ESGR Field Committee Chair, presents Sergio “Satch” Pecori (left), president and CEO of Hanson Professional Services with the ESGR Pro Patria Award.

SPRINGFIELD, IL (05/31/2011)(readMedia)-- The Department of Defense announced today that Springfield-based Hanson Professional Services is a 2011 winner of Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. Hanson is one of only 15 companies nationwide to chosen by DoD to receive the Freedom Award. The Freedom Award is the highest DoD recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve.

"To stand out among the many thousands of employers who firmly support our Citizen Warriors is a testament to the remarkable efforts of these 15 recipients," said Dennis McCarthy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. "On behalf of the Department of Defense, I congratulate the 2011 honorees and thank them for serving as outstanding partners in our nation's defense."

"We are honored and humbled in being notified that Hanson was selected for a Freedom Award," said Hanson president and CEO, Sergio "Satch" Pecori. "Hanson Professional Services has always fostered a supportive culture for our employees who serve in the military. We want our employees serving in the military to know that their service is appreciated, that their families are being cared for at home during deployment, and that their jobs are waiting for them when they get back. As an employee-owned company, we believe it's the right thing to do."

Nominations for the award must come from a Guard or Reserve member who is employed by the company or from a family member. Hanson and the other 14 Freedom Award winners for 2011 were selected from 4,049 nominations received earlier this year from Guard and Reserve service members or their families. The 4,049 Freedom Award nominations were first narrowed down to 148 semi-finalists, then screened again to select 30 finalists, before the national selection board comprised of senior DoD officials, business leaders and prior awardees determined the 15 Freedom Award recipients.

"Hanson has gone well above what is required of an employer to create a supportive culture throughout the company that allows our Guardsmen and Reservists to serve with confidence, knowing that they are appreciated and that their families are being cared for at home," said Dr. Michael Ayers, Illinois ESGR Field Committee Chair. "Being chosen as a Freedom Award recipient is a tremendous achievement and honor that everyone at Hanson can be proud of and all of us should recognize and applaud."

Hanson is full-service consulting firm, offering a range of engineering, architecture, planning and allied services. Headquartered in Springfield, Ill., the company has six other Illinois office locations, as well as offices in Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. Prior to being chosen as a Freedom Award winner, Hanson was a semi-finalist and finalist for the award in 2010 and had previously received every state-level employer award including the Pro Patria Award.

The 2011 Freedom Award recipients will be honored in Washington, D.C. at the 16th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Ceremony on September 22, 2011. Since 1996, only 145 companies have been presented with the Freedom Award.

PHOTO CAPTION: Dr. Michael Ayers (right), Illinois ESGR Field Committee Chair, presents Sergio "Satch" Pecori (left), president and CEO of Hanson Professional Services with the ESGR Pro Patria Award. The Springfield, Ill., based consulting is a 2011 recipient of the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest national recognition a company can receive for supporting its military employees. Pictured with Ayers and Pecori is Maj. Craig Holan, Illinois Army National Guard, who nominated Hanson for the Freedom Award based on the outstanding support he and his family received while he was deployed to Afghanistan and following his return home.