Southern Company ranks as top utility for eighth consecutive year in G.I. Jobs' Top 100 Military Friendly Employer® listing

ATLANTA, Nov. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- For the eighth consecutive year, G.I. Jobs has named Southern Company the highest-ranked utility in its annual Top 100 Military Friendly Employer^® listing. The 2015 list ranks the company as the nation's best utility for veterans, guardsmen and reservists.

The Top 100 Military Friendly Employer^® list is compiled from 5,000 companies with annual revenues of at least $500 million. Criteria for selection include the strength of the company's military recruiting efforts, the percentage of new hires with prior military service, retention programs and company policies on National Guard and Reserve service.

Ten percent of Southern Company's 26,000 employees – and 14 percent of new hires so far in 2014 – are veterans, guardsmen or reservists. The company's commitment to the military is especially evident at its subsidiaries' largest capital projects – Plant Vogtle in Georgia and the Kemper County energy facility in Mississippi. Thirty-three percent of subsidiary Georgia Power's new hires at Plant Vogtle 3 & 4 – two of the first new nuclear units in a generation of Americans – are veterans. At Kemper County, where subsidiary Mississippi Power is advancing energy innovation with the construction of a 21st century coal plant, 20 percent of new hires have prior military service.

"Southern Company is committed to supporting military personnel and is honored that so many veterans have chosen to transition to our team," said President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Company Services Mark S. Lantrip. "These heroes are a natural fit for our company because they bring the characteristics of dedication, commitment to safety, teamwork and excellence in all they do, which align with the utility industry and our company culture."

As part of its commitment to veterans, Southern Company is a founding partner of the Troops to Energy Jobs program, a recruiting source that links veterans to job openings in the energy industry. As part of this initiative, the company partnered with the U.S. Army to develop a transmission line and substation construction apprentice training program. This year, the program graduated 10 soldiers, all of whom received job offers from Georgia Power.

Broadly recognized for its ongoing support of military personnel and leadership in military recruitment, Southern Company is the top-ranked energy company and No. 3 overall in the 2014 DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Veterans, the top-ranked energy company and No. 13 overall in the Military Times EDGE Best for Vets: Employers 2014 survey and among the Most Valuable Employers for Military^® by CivilianJobs.com for five consecutive years.

In addition, Southern Company was awarded the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award – the highest honor given by the Department of Defense for support of employees who serve in the National Guard or Reserve – and the Pro Patria Award for leadership in providing benefits to military employees.

The company also actively recruits members of the Navy as a Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program partner and has pledged to support the Joining Forces initiative. In addition, the company annually participates in more than 30 military recruitment events and partners with military transition centers across the country.

In its 12th year, Military Friendly Employers^® is the premier resource for transitioning service members and spouses seeking civilian employment. The survey results that determined the 2015 list were independently tested by Ernst & Young LLP based upon the weightings and methodology established by Victory Media and its Advisory Board. Each year, survey participants are held to a higher standard than the previous year via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an advisory board consisting of leaders in the military recruitment community.

The full list can be viewed at: MilitaryFriendly.com.

With more than 4.4 million customers and nearly 46,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company SO is the premier energy company serving the Southeast through its subsidiaries. A leading U.S. producer of clean, safe, reliable and affordable electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for energy innovation, excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company and its subsidiaries are leading the nation's nuclear renaissance through the construction of the first new nuclear units to be built in a generation of Americans and are demonstrating their commitment to energy innovation through the development of a state-of-the-art coal gasification plant. Southern Company has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer, listed by DiversityInc as a top company for Blacks and designated a 2013 Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The company received the Edison Award from the Edison Electric Institute for its leadership in new nuclear development, was named Electric Light & Power magazine's Utility of the Year for 2012 and is continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

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SOURCE Southern Company