Ameren CEO Joins Illinois, Missouri Employee Reservists at Washington D.C. Ceremonies to Receive 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

Ameren Selected to Receive Honor for Support of Guard and Reserve Employees

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Sep 13, 2011, 11:40 ET

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameren Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas R. Voss joins Illinois- and Missouri-based company employees on Sept. 22 to accept the 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, announced Ameren Corporation is one of 15 recipients of this prestigious award. The Freedom Award is the DoD's highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve.

Ameren stood out among a field of 4,049 nominations submitted by Guard and Reserve service members or their families.

Joining Voss at the awards ceremony are a number of employees, including the two who promoted the company for the award:

St. Louis resident Bruno Stopka, supervising engineer, Ellisville Operating Center, Ameren Missouri, is a lieutenant colonel serving in the Missouri Air National Guard.
Patrick Owens, general supervisor, Decatur, Ill., Customer Contact Center, Ameren Illinois, is a lieutenant colonel serving in the Springfield, Ill., Joint Forces Headquarters.
Both Stopka and Owens have recently served in war zones.

Hear from two military veterans working at Ameren! http://youtu.be/Fb7K50ECKF4

Freedom Award recipients distinguish themselves by going to extraordinary lengths to support their military employees. Ameren counts nearly 600 veterans among their 9,300 employees, with nine percent of veterans hired in the last year. In addition, Ameren was named one of the nation's top 100 military-friendly employers by GI Jobs Magazine.

"To stand out among the many thousands of employers who firmly support our Citizen Warriors is a testament to the remarkable efforts of these 15 recipients," said Dennis McCarthy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. "On behalf of the Department of Defense, I congratulate the 2011 honorees and thank them for serving as outstanding partners in our nation's defense."

On behalf of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, a selection board comprised of senior DoD officials, business leaders and prior awardees selected the 15 recipients. The 2011 honorees will be recognized in Washington, D.C. at the 16th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Ceremony on September 22, 2011. Since 1996, only 145 employers have been presented with the Freedom Award. Last year's recipients met privately with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates prior to the ceremony.

The 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recipients are:


Employer	Location
3M Company	St. Paul, Minn.
Ameren Corporation	St. Louis, Mo.
Burt County Sheriff's Office	Tekamah, Neb.
CSX Transportation	Jacksonville, Fla.
Electrical Contractors Inc.	Omaha, Neb.
Ford Motor Company	Dearborn, Mich.
Hanson Professional Services Inc.	Springfield, Ill.
Integrity Applications Incorporated	Chantilly, Va.
Orange County Sheriff's Department	Santa Ana, Calif.
Principal Financial Group	Des Moines, Iowa
Qwest Communications, Denver, Colo., acquired by CenturyLink, Inc.	Monroe, La.
St. John's Lutheran Church	Yankton, S.D.
State Employees' Credit Union	Raleigh, N.C.
Town of Gilbert	Gilbert, Ariz.
Wells Fargo & Company	San Francisco, Calif.

About ESGR and the Freedom Award:

The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of ESGR. ESGR was established in 1972 to develop and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service. ESGR advocates relevant initiatives, recognizes outstanding support, increases awareness of applicable laws, and resolves conflict between service members and employers. Paramount to ESGR's mission is encouraging employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, global perspective and proven leadership to the civilian workforce. For questions or interviews regarding the Freedom Award, please visit www.FreedomAward.mil or contact Beth Sherman, ESGR Public Affairs, at 703-696-1171, ext. 539 or by email at [email protected].

About Ameren: With assets of $23 billion, St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation owns a diverse mix of electric generating plants strategically located in our Midwest market, with a generating capacity of more than 16,500 megawatts. Through our Missouri and Illinois subsidiaries, we serve 2.4 million electric customers and nearly 1 million natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area. Our mission is to meet their energy needs in a safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally responsible manner. For more information, visit Ameren.com.

SOURCE Ameren Corporation