The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) has recognized Ford as a Gold-level Veteran-Friendly Employer. Over the past year, Ford’s Veteran Employee Resource Group (ERG), the Veteran Network Group (Vet NG), has been laser-focused on its mission to help current and former service members, which has led to Ford’s Gold-level standard recognition.

Companies receiving the Gold-level seal must retain at least 75 percent of their veteran hires for the previous 12 months and offer successful veteran-centric support, development and advancement programs.

As part of this effort, Vet NG made significant headway in its mission by working around the challenges imposed by the pandemic and other events out of its control that deeply affected the community it represents.

“Achieving the Gold-level Veteran-Friendly Employer award gives recognition and value to the real work Vet NG has done to take care of veterans at Ford and the impact we have had,” said John Savona, vice president, Americas Manufacturing and Labor Affairs, Ford Blue. “This award motivates us to continue working tirelessly to support our veteran community, further advancing their inclusion, equitable employment and sense of belonging as an important part of our Ford family.” 

After living through the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presented for veterans already struggling with isolation, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other issues stemming from their service experiences, Ford’s VET NG leadership took the initiative to provide holistic support programs that understand the realities and challenges veterans and their families face and meet them where they are as they return to civilian life or continue to build their careers post service.

“The United States pulling out of Afghanistan was an especially emotional and traumatic period for veterans. And, in that tough moment, the Vet NG stepped up,” explained Scott Rumfield, president of The Ford Vet NG. “The next day, we ran the first of many listening sessions for our veterans, which functioned as a safe space for fellow current and former service members to share their experiences with the entire Ford community, cope with their feelings and find support and understanding as they made sense of the situation.”

During these sessions, veterans at Ford shared heart-wrenching stories about their service, the people they left behind in Afghanistan, and how the abrupt exit made them feel frustrated, angry, and as if their entire effort had been futile.

The listening sessions offered profound moments of connection and understanding that brought everyone together in support of the veteran community and their families and contributed to a greater sense of belonging for the company’s 4,000+ veteran team members.

This MVVA recognition is a testament to Ford’s leadership and the relentless commitment and hard work of its veteran ERG, proudly caring for and supporting its diverse veteran workforce. While achieving this Gold-level status is a remarkable milestone, the work of Vet NG continues as it focuses on expanding veteran professional development programs and engaging the broader Ford family in community events supporting local vets.   

In celebration of this year’s Veterans Day, Vet NG helped launch new designs for Ford’s apparel line as part of the Proud to Honor initiative, which was created to raise awareness, strengthen existing programs and foster an even more meaningful connection with service members.

The new designs will be released and available for purchase beginning on Nov. 7, just in time for Veterans Day events.

Ford will donate 100% of its proceeds from every Proud to Honor merchandise purchase to DAV (Disabled American Veterans) and Blue Star Families, two military charities that help veterans, service members, and their families.