ATLANTA, May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reflecting its longstanding commitment to military recruitment, Southern Company has been named a top employer for both active duty and veteran military in a pair of recent surveys. Southern Company is the top-ranked energy company and No. 19 overall in the Military Times EDGE Best for Vets 2013: Employers survey and has been named to the Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military^® winners by CivilianJobs.com for the fourth consecutive year.

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"Veterans and reservists add incredible value to Southern Company," said Kim Greene, president and CEO of Southern Company Services. "These talented employees demonstrate the level of commitment, discipline and dedication that helps achieve our goal of providing customers clean, safe, reliable and affordable power."

Currently, 11 percent of Southern Company's 26,000 employees are veterans or serve in the National Guard or Reserve and veterans account for 12 percent of the company's new hires this year.

Military Times EDGE surveyed more than 1,000 major companies and top government contractors with a detailed questionnaire about their recruiting and hiring policies, social recognition for veterans and pay and benefits for reservists.

Open to all U.S.-based companies, CivilianJobs.com selected the 2013 MVEs for Military^® winners based on surveys in which employers outlined their recruiting, training and retention plans that best serve military service members and veterans.

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 actively recruits members of the Navy as a Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program partner and has pledged to support the Joining Forces initiative. In addition, Southern 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. G.I. Jobs has named Southern Company the nation's highest-ranked utility in its Top 100 Military Friendly Employers^® listing for six consecutive years.

With 4.4 million customers and nearly 46,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: 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 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 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.

SOURCE Southern Company