Camo2Commerce Top 3-Finalist for National Award

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation today announced that Camo2Commerce is one of three finalists for the 5th Annual Hiring Our Heroes Capital One Award for Small Business Veteran and Military Spouse Employment.

Camo2Commerce is among 21 finalists nominated for six awards because of demonstrated efforts to connect veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses with meaningful employment opportunities both within the company and throughout the private sector.

“Camo2Commerce has been a true small business leader in the movement to hire and support our nation’s veterans and military spouses,” said Eric Eversole, a vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and president of Hiring Our Heroes.

Camo2Commerce understands the value in hiring the men and women who have served our country and has dedicated extraordinary efforts toward improving the lives of America’s veterans and military spouses.”

The Hiring Our Heroes awards are given in six categories: Veteran and Military Spouse Employment; Post-9/11 Veteran Employment; Wounded Veteran and Military Caregiver Employment; Military Spouse Employment and Mentoring; Small Business Veteran and Military Spouse Employment; and Individual Leadership.


This year’s finalists are:

• Capital One Award for Small Business Veteran and Military Spouse Employment, for demonstrated leadership by a small business or organization (less than 500 employees) in hiring veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses: Afterburner Inc.; Camo2Commerce; Greencastle Associates Consulting
• Lee Anderson Veteran and Military Spouse Employment Award, for overall excellence in hiring and retaining veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses: Comcast NBCUniversal; Hospital Corporation of America (HCA); Union Pacific Railroad
• Steve Robinson Post-9/11 Veteran Employment Award, for effective and sustained efforts to enhance the ability of post-9/11 veterans and transitioning service members to find meaningful employment: Hilton Worldwide; J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.; PNC Bank; Roush Enterprises; Starbucks
• Don Weber Wounded Veteran and Military Caregiver Employment Award, for demonstrated leadership in addressing the unique challenges and demands for wounded, ill, and injured veterans as well as military caregivers in their search for meaningful employment: APi Group Inc.; Ryder Systems; SunTrust Bank
• Military Spouse Employment and Mentoring Award, for demonstrated hiring, mentorship, and support of military spouses in their search for meaningful employment: First Command Financial Services; Prudential Financial; United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
• Colonel Michael Endres Leadership Award for Individual Excellence in Veteran Employment, for an individual who has gone above and beyond to make a difference in employment opportunities for veterans, transitioning service members, and spouses: Mike Kelly, Assistant Vice President for Military Advocacy, USAA; Keith Nattrass, GM Military & Veteran Affairs, Global Diversity, General Motors; Blayne Smith, Executive Director, Team Red, White & Blue; Kris Urbauer, Program Manager for Military Recruiting, General Electric.

The Hiring Our Heroes Awards Committee will select the winners, which will be announced on November 10, 2015.

Since Hiring Our Heroes began in March 2011, more than 1,500 companies have hired 27,200 veterans and military spouses as a result of 900 hiring events. In March 2012, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Capital One launched Hiring 500,000 Heroes, a national campaign to engage the business community in committing to hire half a million veterans and military spouses by the end of 2014. This milestone was achieved in June 2015 when more than 500,000 veteran and military spouse hires were confirmed.