LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) joins the nation in saluting U.S. military veterans for their service and is proud of its employees who have served in the Armed Forces. SoCalGas is committed to hiring and retaining military veterans, veterans with disabilities and active military personnel. SoCalGas also supports organizations that assist veterans and works with veteran-owned businesses in its supplier diversity program.
The company is also a founding partner of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's Office of Veteran's Affairs.
"For years, SoCalGas has been a proud supporter of our veteran community. We support our uniformed services employees with a variety of resources and career guidance when they return to work after active duty," said Bret Lane, chief operating officer of SoCalGas and a veteran. "We also take part in a variety of efforts to support the veteran community including outreach events, career fairs and training opportunities. The core values of those who serve in the military -- integrity, leadership, teamwork, commitment – are in line with our company's values and we are always looking at ways to support those in our community who have served."
Currently, five percent of SoCalGas' workforce has identified themselves as veterans and the company continues to hire veterans in areas of accounting and finance, field operations, information technology, project management, engineering and engineering support and business operations.
One such veteran continuing his career at SoCalGas is Jesse Acosta who was recently named as a Fortune 500 Hero and is the founder of a nonprofit that helps veterans called "Thank a Vet." After working for SoCalGas for 20 years, Acosta received a call to return to active duty in 2005. While serving in Iraq commanding 43 soldiers, he was hit by a mortar. As a result, Acosta was permanently blinded, suffered brain damage and other serious injuries and lost his sense of taste and smell.
After Acosta returned and healed, SoCalGas welcomed him back as a customer service field analyst for its Garden Grove Base in the company's Southeast Region. Acosta is a valued employee and helps the company improve services it offers for its blind and sight-impaired customers, said Lane.
"Jesse is a true American hero. He served our country in the armed forces and has been helping those in need for many years," added Lane. "We are honored to have a person of such high caliber as part of our team."
SoCalGas also supports nonprofit groups that benefit veterans and their families through financial and volunteer efforts. Among its many awards were several for its commitment to veterans including the "Elite Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Business of Los Angeles Appreciation Award" that it received for its program to help veteran-owned businesses grow.
SoCalGas recently held a celebration that honored its military employees. It also included representatives from nonprofit groups it supports including: Soldiers' Angels, New Directions, Los Angeles Office of Veteran's Affairs and the United Way. It also received a visit from Jimmy Weldon, 91, a veteran of World War II who is now director of the Center for Youth Patriotism that teaches U.S. history to school children.
For more information about careers, go to socalgas.com/careers. To learn more about SoCalGas' Diversity Supplier Program, go to socalgas.com/about-us/supplier-diversity.
About Southern California Gas Co.
Southern California Gas Co. has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than 140 years. It is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing service to 21 million consumers connected through more than 5.8 million meters in more than 500 communities. The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles throughout Central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border. Southern California Gas Co. is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE).
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Co.