Serving Bartow and Paulding counties, the Cartersville Career Center awards annually the top organization in veteran hiring volume for full-time positions in the territory.
"Shaw was recognized as having received this award for the year 2009 Employer of the Year Award for hiring veterans. They hired some 86 military veterans as full-time employees to work within the two counties which exceeded any of the other employers that we deal with. Shaw is very strong with their veterans program and we appreciate that as we are trying very hard to work with the returning vets as well the local vet population that we've had working with us some time -- the older vets. They've done a very good job in placing veterans that we've referred to them. We track those numbers for each employer and they happened to be the top veteran employer for the year 2009," said Jerry Garland, GDOL district director for north Georgia.
Vice President of Shaw Human Resources Paul Richard commented on the inspiration behind their hiring efforts in a corporate press release.
"The freedoms that we enjoy every day come at a price. Shaw Industries is proud of our teammates and their family members who are actively protecting and serving our country. We are grateful to them and to all of our veterans for their important contributions and service," Richard stated. "Shaw associates are tireless in their efforts to give back to their communities. These recognitions from the Department of Labor and the Army are a testament to the quality and dedication of our people."
The Cartersville Career Center operates a military services program with a dedicated veteran assistance representative on staff. Garland described the skills associated with veterans and the experience they bring to the workforce.
"There's a variety of skills that they bring to us but some of the most favorable would be their work ethics, their discipline, their determination to do a good job. They're very disciplined as far as their work ethic and make great employees. They show up when they're suppose to, they do the job they're suppose to and they're trained in various skill levels and they're very trainable and those skills are very adaptive to most any applications that we have in our local manufacturing. So the veteran is a great referral for an employer because of their adaptability and because of their discipline and work ethic," Garland said.
In addition to the GDOL recognition, Shaw's commercial carpet tile facility, Plant 15, was awarded a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. Army for supporting employee SFC Starrann Wise as she traveled with the U.S. Army Band on a three-year military leave. Coworkers showed Wise support by sending letters and gifts.
Shaw employees Bridget Bailey, recruiting manager, and Adam Longino, senior human resources manager, were recognized as honorary veterans by GDOL veteran's representative Rick Lanham. Longino was also awarded the Patriotic Employer award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve for his dedication to Shaw employee Captain Stephen "Matt" Johnston. Longino diligently communicated with Johnston and his family while Johnston served in Afghanistan.
As District Director, Garland commented on the role that Shaw plays as Bartow County's largest employer and a partner of GDOL.
"Shaw has been one of the strong economic engines for northwest Georgia, as a matter of fact, but specific to Cartersville they've been a very strong employer for all of the job seekers and they work with us as a partner. We work together closely to fulfill the needs that they have as well as to give an opportunity for the folks we work with to find employment," he said.