Xcel Energy: Honors employees who are military veterans

Xcel Energy honors employees who are military veterans

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Nov.11, 2016) – Xcel Energy is celebrating Veterans Day by thanking our employees who have served in the U.S. military. Throughout the company, special events will recognize the sacrifices of veterans. In addition, veterans and reservists will receive challenge coins, which are commemorative medallions that honor an individual’s service.

“Today, we celebrate the strength, courage and dedication of all veterans and their families, and the sacrifices they made to ensure the safety and security of our nation,” said Mark Stoering, president, Xcel Energy, Wisconsin and Michigan. “Many of the core values at Xcel Energy match up with those of the military, which is why we are committed to hiring veterans.”

At Xcel Energy so far this year, veteran hiring is at 15%, which has doubled the results from two years ago. The energy company reached a significant milestone this year – 1,000 employees are military veterans.

Among them, is Scott Derrickson, who has worked for Xcel Energy in a variety of roles for nearly 10 years. After graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard and was stationed in Alexandria, Va., San Diego, Calif. and Seattle, Wash. He worked as a sonar technician while stationed on the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon out of Seattle. He went on to pursue his college degree after his service and currently works as a Customer Operations manager in Eau Claire.

“Every job I’ve had since leaving the military was a direct result of the experience I obtained during the six years I was enlisted,” said Derrickson, Distribution Customer Operations manager, “I became more disciplined and I learned the importance of successfully working on a team- which are important skills to have at Xcel Energy.”

To increase the number of veteran hires, Xcel Energy joined a national partnership, Veterans in Energy. The organization is a recruiting network that links veterans to current job openings in the energy industry. Launched last month, Veterans in Energy is a partnership that includes energy companies nationwide along with the U.S. Departments of Energy, Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs.