ATLANTA, Nov. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- G.I. Jobs has named Southern Company the highest-ranked utility in its 2013 Top 100 Military Friendly Employers^® listing. This marks the sixth consecutive year Southern Company has ranked as the nation's best utility for veterans, guardsmen and reservists.

The Top 100 Military Friendly Employers^® list is compiled from 5,000 companies with annual revenues of at least $500 million. Criteria for selection included 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.

Eleven percent of Southern Company's 26,000 employees – and 15 percent of new hires – are veterans, guardsmen or reservists. The numbers are even stronger at the company's two flagship construction projects – Plant Vogtle in Georgia and the Kemper County energy facility in Mississippi. At Vogtle, where Southern Company is leading America's nuclear renaissance by building the first new nuclear units in a generation, 47 percent of new hires are veterans. At Kemper County, where subsidiary Mississippi Power is advancing energy innovation with construction of a 21^st century coal plant, 21 percent of new hires are prior military.

"As a company committed to supporting military personnel, we are honored that so many veterans have chosen to be part of the Southern Company team," said Susan N. Story, Southern Company executive vice president and Southern Company Services president and CEO. "The same characteristics these real-life heroes exemplify – dedication, commitment to safety, teamwork and excellence in all they do – are exactly what we look for in employees."

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. The company is a Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program partner, actively recruiting members of the nuclear Navy. Southern Company has pledged to support the Joining Forces initiative and signed an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve statement. In addition, the company annually participates in more than 30 military recruitment events and partners with military transition centers across the country.

Southern Company's ongoing support of military personnel has earned broad recognition, including 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 its leadership in providing benefits to military employees. Southern Company received the Most Valuable Employers for Military award by CivilianJobs.com in 2010, and in 2011 ranked "bronze" on Military Times EDGE magazine's "Best for Vets" top 50 employer list.

In its 10^th year, the Top 100 Military Friendly Employers^® list is the premier resource for transitioning service members and spouses seeking civilian employment.  The survey results that determined the 2013 list were independently tested by Ernst & Young LLP based upon the weightings and methodology established by G.I. Jobs. Each year, companies taking the survey 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:
http://www.militaryfriendly.com/

With 4.4 million customers and more than 43,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. 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 is leading the nation's nuclear renaissance through the construction of the first new nuclear units to be built in a generation of Americans and is demonstrating its commitment to energy innovation through 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 and listed by DiversityInc as a top company for Blacks. The company received the 2012 Edison Award from the Edison Electric Institute for its leadership in new nuclear development, was named Platts' 2011 Power Company of the Year 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.

SOURCE Southern Company