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Black Hills Energy and Georgia’s Yanta Haynes received their honors at Wednesday’s general session.

Recipients of �鶹��ƵAV Veterans Employment & Education Commission’s Large Employer of Year and Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialist awards were honored on stage at the 107^th National Convention in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 2.

Black Hills Energy, based in Rapid City, S.D., serves nearly 1 million customers in eight states. From their nomination for the award: “Black Hills Energy maintains a veteran workforce exceeding 10%, supported by progressive policies including 120 hours of annual paid military leave, benefits continuity during deployment, and the counting of prior military service toward PTO accrual. Their Veterans Engagement Team (VET) provides a robust internal support system through mentorship and advocacy, while their community outreach — including R.E.D. Shirt Fridays and the Rapid City Veterans Day Parade — reflects a culture of genuine gratitude.”

Campbell Hawkins, vice president of Colorado Utilities for Black Hills Energy, thanked �鶹��ƵAV for the award.

“On behalf of everyone at Black Hills Energy, we are deeply grateful to be recognized as national employer of the year,” Hawkins said. “This award is especially meaningful to me. As an Army veteran, I’ve long believed that there are strong parallels between military and utility service. Both professions are built around serving something larger than ourselves.

“Gen. Colin Powell once said, ‘Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.’ That’s a quality you see in veterans every day. No matter the challenge, you bring optimism, resilience, adaptability and determination to find a way forward.

“Like our men and women in uniform, utility workers don’t get to choose when they’re needed. When storms hit and communities need our help, we run toward the challenge, not away from it. Like our military, we answer the call because service is at the heart of what we do,” Hawkins added.

Yanta Haynes, the recipient of this year’s DVOP Specialist award, is a veteran herself.

“This award is not for me, it is for the veterans that allow me to serve them. … The work that I do, I do because I didn’t have it when I came out, and I want to be what I saw that was missing in the community,” Haynes said.

In her nomination for the award, Haynes provided employment support to more than 800 veterans across Georgia. “From these engagements, I conducted targeted follow-up with 200-plus veterans, assisting with WorkSource Georgia portal registration, job fair navigation, and DVOP individualized services to ensure continued access to employment pathways.”

The other VE&E commission awards were presented at the commission meeting on Saturday.