The Commonwealth of Virginia has recognized Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative (MEC) as a V3 Certified Company. This honor has been given to the organization for completing and sustaining all requirements for the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program and its commitment to recruit, hire, train and retain Virginia’s veterans and serving members of the National Guard and Reserve.

V3 is a Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) program that helps employers understand, design and implement nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring and retaining veterans. The V3 community is represented by a wide range of industries across the Commonwealth, from large and small businesses alike. These companies have demonstrated to the Commonwealth that they value veterans and have made a public commitment to hire veterans into their workforce.

The VDVS website emphasizes that the knowledge, skills and abilities that today’s service members and veterans gain in our modern military make them an extremely valuable talent pool for employers wishing to grow and improve organizational performance.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe has called on 10,000 businesses throughout Virginia to pledge to hire veterans into the workforce, and hundreds of businesses across Virginia have learned about the V3 program.

“This marks the second ‘V3 Certified Company’ award that Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative has received,” said Leilani Todd, vice president of human resources. “We have continued to develop our relationship with the V3 staff and worked to implement numerous program changes throughout the past year to achieve more effective recruiting strategies. We are excited to find these strategic efforts have proven to be beneficial for MEC, and we believe they will continue to build a successful pipeline for MEC well into the future.”

John Lee, MEC’s president and CEO said, “this Cooperative takes great pride in supporting the talented and dedicated men and women who have given much in serving our country. At MEC, their sacrifice does not go unrecognized nor do their hard work, training and diligence. We are extremely proud to once again be recognized with this V3 Certification and seek opportunities to support those who have demonstrated their commitment to serving our great nation.”

Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative is the not-for-profit energy provider to more than 31,000 services located in portions of the Virginia counties of Brunswick, Charlotte, Greensville, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Pittsylvania, Southampton and Sussex and the North Carolina counties of Granville, Person, Northampton, Vance and Warren. It is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, headquartered in Chase City with district offices in Gretna, Emporia and Chase City. MEC is an equal opportunity provider and employer. For more information, visit www.meckelec.org.