The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its National Chamber Foundation announced that Ryder is a finalist for the Hiring Our Heroes Post-9/11 Veteran Employment Award.

Ryder is among the 25 businesses nominated for five awards because of leadership in addressing the challenges faced by veterans, transitioning service members, and military families in their search for meaningful employment.

Since making a pledge in November 2011 to hire 1,000 veterans by the end of 2013, Ryder has already hired more than 700 former military service men and women in a variety of roles including truck drivers, diesel mechanics, warehouse employees, and other professional positions.

Currently, 8% of Ryders overall U.S. workforce is made up of veterans and employees actively serving in the National Guard and reserve, and 15% of the companys external hires in 2012 have been military veterans.

Ryder successfully implemented a number of key initiatives in 2012, including:

* Launching a new military recruiting website at www.ryder.com/military to help veterans easily match their military skills with open positions at Ryder.

* Attending 40 military career fairs hosted by the U.S. Chambers Hiring Our Heroes program.

* Strengthening its 20-plus member veteran hiring task force by focusing efforts on customizing on-boarding, training, and development practices to better meet the needs of veterans transitioning to civilian jobs.

Hiring Our Heroes Awards

The Hiring Our Heroes awards are given in four categories: Veteran and Military Spouse Employment; Wounded Warrior Employment; Post-9/11 Veteran Employment; Military Spouse Employment and Mentoring; and Small Business Veteran and Military Spouse Employment.

This year's finalists are:



Lee Anderson Veteran and Military Spouse Employment Award, for demonstrated leadership in hiring veterans and military spouses and honoring the sacrifices they have made in service to our nation: Comcast/NBCUniversal; Goldman Sachs; Sears; United Services Automobile Association; Walmart

Don Weber Wounded Warrior Employment Award, for demonstrated leadership in addressing the unique challenges and demands for wounded warriors, spouses, and caregivers in their search for meaningful employment: CACI; Computer Sciences Corporation; Modern Technology Solutions, Inc.; Southwest Airlines; VSE Corporation

Post-9/11 Veteran Employment Award, for demonstrated leadership in enhancing the ability of post-9/11 veterans to find meaningful employment in the private sector: Chesapeake Energy; GE; JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Prudential; Ryder

Military Spouse Employment and Mentoring Award, for demonstrated leadership in supporting military spouses in their search for meaningful employment in the private sector: Booz Allen Hamilton; Capital One; Hospital Corporation of America; Hunt Companies; The Major Group

Capital One Award for Small Business Veteran and Military Spouse Employment, for demonstrated leadership in hiring veterans and military spouses and honoring the sacrifices they have made in service to our nation: Aarons, Inc.; Meineke Car Care Center of Pensacola, Florida; National Military Family Association; Willbros T&D Services; Wittenberg Weiner Consulting, LLC

The winners in each category will be announced at the 2nd Annual Lee Anderson Hiring Our Heroes Awards Dinner at the Chamber on Nov. 14. A peer committee of veterans and military spouses will select the winners.