Tray sealing specialist Proseal America, based in Richmond, Virginia, has been honored for its work in supporting armed forces veterans seeking employment and to establish careers after their years of service to their country.
The company has received the much revered 2019 HIRE Vets Medallion Award from the U.S. Department of Labor, which recognizes employer efforts to recruit, employ and retain the Nation’s veterans as part of the HIRE Vets Act of 2017.
Proseal currently employs 12 veterans from the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, as well as a veteran from the British Army, among its 95 members of staff. The veterans are working across a number of departments including Logistics, Training, Service Engineering, Machines/Conversions, CNC Manufacturing and Stores.
“We are thrilled to have so many military veterans on our team here at Proseal America,” comments Proseal America CEO, Gari Wyatt. “We recognize that veterans can face several challenges adjusting to life outside the armed forces, yet at the same time, they have many skills and attributes that can be of great benefit to companies such as ours. We are therefore very pleased to be in a position to offer them an opportunity to build a meaningful career within our business.”
Several of the veterans have already made great strides in their development at the company. For example, one of the US Army veterans who joined Proseal America’s Machine Assembly Department as a Tier 1 level engineer in June 2018, quickly progressed to a leadership role and is now the Department Manager.
“We are delighted to receive this award,” continues Gari. “Proseal employs people from a wide range of ages, backgrounds and roles. Our veteran men and women are among some of the most dedicated, hardworking and reliable employees we have in the company. They have shown outstanding leadership qualities and serve as role models to our employees who are just entering the work force.
“Their great work ethic, values and positivity has spread throughout our entire organization and we are pleased to see them succeeding in everything they do across the business.”
The Hire Vets Medallion Award was presented at a special ceremony in the Great Hall at the Library of Congress’s Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C. on 6th November. Pictured receiving the award are Machine Assembly Manager, Alex Glenn and Human Resources Coordinator at Proseal America, Ted Jones.
Founded in the UK in 1998, Proseal designs and manufactures high quality tray sealing machines, conveyor systems and sealing tools for the food industry. Proseal America was established in 2009 by Proseal America CEO, Gari Wyatt, to provide comprehensive localized support and manufacture for the expanding fresh convenience food market and became part of Chicago based JBT in June 2019, further strengthening its global reach. Enjoying ten years of continued success, during which time the company has more than doubled in size, Proseal America has become one of the country’s leading suppliers of high-quality automatic tray sealing solutions for a wide variety of food sectors including protein, ready meals and fresh produce.