Zions Bank celebrated receiving the prestigious Freedom Award from the U.S. Department of Defense at a ceremony in downtown Salt Lake City on Monday.
The Freedom Award recognizes employers for supporting employees who are members of the military Guard and Reserves.
Zions Bank President Scott Anderson says the award means a lot to him and the company.
"I'm thrilled by this recognition. This signifies that our employees throughout the organization are working hard to help those who are coming back from the military," he said. "We want to reach out to those individuals in gratitude and do all we can to assist them."
Zions was one of 15 companies to receive the honor this year out of nearly 3,000 nominations.
Sen. Mike Lee was on hand to fête Zions for the award and to work hard to accommodate the military members who are employees.
"It says a lot about them that they are willing to make this sacrifice," said Lee. "I'm sure Scott Anderson and the others at Zions view it as more of an opportunity than a sacrifice, an opportunity to hire great people."
Anderson agrees.
"Those who have served in the military and are coming back into the private sector, they have incredible experience that people don't recognize at first. To have the ability to tap into their skill and experience and talent makes us a better company and allows us to do a better job."
Zions won the award for providing support to military members and their families through their Military Relations Group.
Sen. Mike Lee talks about the award in the video below:
