BNSF News

"Military Times EDGE" Magazine Names BNSF Railway a "Best for Vets" Company

2010-08-09

Military Times EDGE magazine (EDGE) named BNSF No. 3 on its "Best for Vets" companies in its annual recognition program.

Companies earn honors as the "best" for going above and beyond in hiring military veterans and for the programs and processes each has in place to retain veterans and active reservists.

The top 50 military-friendly companies who made the list were selected from thousands of nominated companies. General Electric, with more than 300,000 employees, and USAA, a company that provides financial services and products to military families, earned the top two spots on the coveted list. Other Class I railroads CSX, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Corp., earned fifth, 10^th and 50^th place, respectively.

"(BNSF) has made a point of bringing veterans into its workforce and keeping them there. With military-trained recruiters, veteran-specific mentoring programs and generous accommodations for reservists, BNSF is helping veterans begin their new adventures," said Cecelia Hadley, editor, EDGE.

Private employers, all Fortune 1,000 companies and hundreds of top government contractors, were each evaluated in four areas:

• Recruiting: Budget and personnel dedicated to military hiring, percentage of new hires who were veterans
• Training and mentoring: Number of training and mentoring programs exclusively for veterans
• Reserve policies: Pay and benefits for activated reservists, and policies to accommodate and support their deployments
• Corporate culture: Representation of veterans in the workforce and on the executive team, retention of veterans, programs for military families and involvement in military and veterans' causes

"We hire employees from many walks of life, but we are especially proud of our record in hiring military veterans, who are known for being mission-focused, skilled, highly motivated, and who possess unique life experiences and technical expertise," said Connie McClendon, director, Staffing, BNSF, and veteran of the U.S. Navy. "It's important for any U.S. company to take care of those who have served our country and protected our freedoms."

At BNSF, people with prior military experience have filled a significant percentage of the experienced first-line supervisor (EFLS) positions since that program began in 2004, and 17 percent of all BNSF new hires so far this year once served in the military.

"The military candidate embodies the core competencies essential at BNSF: leadership, teamwork and the ability to perform safely in a fast-paced, dynamic environment," said John Wesley III, manager, military staffing in Human Resources and a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army.

BNSF has:

• Continuously ranked as one of GI Jobs magazine "Top 50 Most Military Friendly Employers"
• Received the American Legion, Department of Texas, Employment Service Award
• Been named CivilianJobs.com's 2010 "Most Valuable Employer for Military"
• Won the American Legion, National Employment Service Award

BNSF Headquarters

BNSF Railway Company
2650 Lou Menk Dr. 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
Phone: (817) 352-1000

For more information on the company and its transportation solutions, visit the BNSF Web site at www.bnsf.com